As long as you shall live…

There are so many possessions that can last for as long as we live on this earth, and I have found that we tend to place importance on the superficial.

Shoes…

Bags…

Suits…

Shirts…

Tops…

Skirts…

Expensive phones…

            Jewellery…    

                        Watches…

                                    Blah… 

                                                Blah…

                                                            Blah…

From the expensive, to the cheap, to the damn good bargain, all of the things we wear are placed on one vital organ…

The body’s largest organ is more important than you can imagine; essential to our survival on earth. Did you know it makes up 5% of the body’s weight?

This organ is the skin and today, I write to help you determine your skin type—the first step in the right direction.

The skin protects the body from harmful elements in the environment such as bacteria, chemicals, and the potentially damaging ultraviolet rays of the sun. It also helps regulate body temperature, excretes some waste products, and is an important sensory organ. Containing various types of specialized nerve cells, it is responsible for the sense of touch. Most importantly, the skin shows how healthy you are.

“What spirit is so empty and blind, that it cannot recognize

the fact that the foot is more noble than the shoe,

and skin more beautiful than the garment which it is clothed”

-Michelangelo

The truth is, everything looks good on good skin—as long as it is not a faux pas—and I have overtime become an advocate of spending hard earned money on good products for your skin type. It is very easy to get caught up with the routines of people you admire. You may pay attention to how they do their makeup, what cream they use, the brand they prefer, and this could lead to more harm than good. Caring for the wrong skin type can aggravate skin, lead to acne, or even make your skin look older than it really is. Do you really want to look older than you are?...nah, neither do I.

Forget about the trends and focus on yourself!

There are three main parts of the skin and they are;

-         The epidermis- The outermost layer of cells in the skin that resists cuts, scrapes and the entry of chemical substances

-         The dermis- The middle part of the skin made of connective tissue, blood vessels, sweat glands, nerve endings and hair follicles.

-     The hypodermis- The inner most layer of the skin consisting of the fatty tissue that provides protection and padding for the body.

The condition of your skin when you first wake up as well as in the late afternoon tells says a lot. According to M.A.C, most people have one of the skin types listed below and some however, may have a combination of several. The skin types and conditions are:

Normal

There is a balance of oil and moisture. It has a medium thickness and healthy colouring.

Oily

There is a shiny, oily surface. It could have large pores or blackheads caused by genetics, diet and the environment.

Dry

The skin usually has small pores and is thin. There can be broken capillaries, wrinkles and flakiness. This is caused by genetics, age, diet, drugs, harsh cleansing products and the environment.

Dehydrated

There is a lack of moisture on the surface with flakiness and wrinkles. The skin may feel tight, thin and itchy. It is caused by diet, age, illness, drugs, improper cleansing, indoor heating and air-conditioning plus the environment.

Acneic

There are blackheads and/or whiteheads, pimples, inflammation, cystic acne, open pores, shiny surface, scars and sensitivity. It is caused by genetics, stress, diet, drugs, poor digestion or improper cleansing.

Combination

There are oily areas, dry areas, dehydrated areas and acneic areas caused by some of the factors listed above.

Sensitive

The skin is thin with redness or inflammation. This may be caused by allergies, nervousness (mainly with white people) or an imbalance in the amount of oil the skin produces.

Now that you know the types of skin, how do you determine which one you are?

Here are a few questions to help you out…

Is your skin shiny all over?

Is it shiny only in the t-zone?

The t-zone is an imaginary line across your forehead, near your eyebrows and from the middle of the eyebrows down to your nose, stopping at your chin. This is the area of the face that mostly gets oily during the day. 

Do you have visibly enlarged pores?

Do you wake up greasy? 

Does your make-up seem to melt off by late morning?

Or are you blotting and touching up all day?

Do you have enlarged pores that get congested easily?

Does a humid day cause your skin to gush oil that seems out of control?

If your answer is more of a “Yes” than “No”, you most likely have oily skin

Does your skin feel normal?

Minimal shine and dry patches?

No sign of any large pores or maybe just a few?

Rare breakouts and minimal blackheads?

A random pimple every now and again, but nothing that’s a cause for an alarm?

The skin can be dry or a little oily depending on the weather?

If your answer is more of a “Yes” than “No”, you most likely have normal skin or combination skin (a little of both). The only concern you will have is finding the right balance of products and may also have to change products seasonally if your skin changes.

Do you wake up with uncomfortably tight skin that looks dull and drab?

Do you moisturize before bed only to wake up dry?

Do you have tight pores, flaky patches?

Does this get worse in cold, dry weather?

If your answer is more of a “Yes” than “No”, you have dry skin.

Do you experience redness and get easily irritated by certain products or ingredients?

Does your skin look blotchy and uneven?

If so, then you also have sensitive skin.

Should you still find yourself more confused than certain about your skin type, you can take the Paper Test. This is another way to determine your skin type and all you need is a piece of tissue paper or plain facial tissue and 3 hours.

Step One: Cleanse with a gentle, soap free cleanser, pat dry and wait 3 hours for the skin to normalize. 

Step Two: Press a piece of tissue paper each to the cheeks, chin and forehead.

Did the tissue paper stick?

Do you see patches of oil on the paper when you hold it up to the light?

Oily skin.  

Does the paper stick on your skin but when you remove it you don’t see any oil or maybe just a bit from where you pressed on the t-zone? 

Normal skin. 

Does the paper not stick at all? No oily spots on the paper at all?

Dry skin.

However, it is essential to realize that your skin type may change depending on your health, the season, the temperature and many other environmental factors.

Drinking lots of water will make the skin glow and help combat environmental factors that can affect your skin. Just a week of drinking a healthy amount of water can have good effects on your skin.

So start drinking and get your skin prepared for the next post!