Whether you are looking to keep your skin healthy, prevent signs of ageing or address specific concerns like breakouts or redness, there is a skincare essential out there to help. However, with the ever-increasing number of brands and the plethora of products available, it can be hard to know what you need and what you don’t to create a skincare routine that will work for you.
In this short post, we’ll cover the skincare essentials you may want to incorporate into your routine, depending on your skin type.
Dry Skin
First, let’s get one thing out of the way: dry and dehydrated skin are two different things. Dry is a skin type, while dehydrated is a skin condition. While people with dry skin will often also have dehydrated skin, you can also have oily yet dehydrated skin.
Dry skin types can benefit from gentle, non-stripping cleaners such as cream or milk cleansers which will help clean your skin without aggravating your dryness. Popular and affordable options include the CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser or the Fresh Soy Cleanser, which you can get in a Korean skincare shop.
You’ll also want to invest in rich moisturisers that will hydrate and nourish the skin and provide some relief from the ‘tight’ feeling that most dry skin types can experience. If you are extremely dry, you can also add a few drops of face oil either in your moisturiser or applied just before.
Oily Skin
Oily skin types can be prone to blackheads, whiteheads, and breakouts. Over-producing oil (sebum) can lead to pores being clogged, which is a major factor in breakouts. The main goal will be to control sebum production and deeply clean your pores without being overly harsh – which can make things worse.
Many oily skin types will find that a good BHA product will help with breakouts. BHAs (beta hydroxy acid) are a type of chemical exfoliator which work deep within pores to keep them clear. The most common one found in skincare is salicylic acid. Popular toners that can be used just after cleansing include COSRX Blackhead Power Liquid or Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting BHA 2%.
If you have oily skin, don’t skip the moisturiser. As we’ve mentioned before, oily skin types can also be dehydrated, and creams are an essential step to ensure you are retaining water in your skin and keep it hydrated. Choose products that won’t be too rich for your skin, such as a gel or gel-cream (Klairs Fundamental Water Gel Cream is a great choice).
Combination Skin
Most of the time, it’s not all black and white, and the skin will have different skin types depending on the area of the face. Most people will find that their T-zone (forehead, nose and chin) can be oilier while cheeks can be drier, for example.
This type of skin can be trickier to give one-size-fits-all advice as it will depend on your skin and what works for you. A good way to go about this is to use products that address your concerns in the area you need. For example, apply your toner only on your T-zone to avoid drying your cheeks too much.
Many products are now suitable for all skin types, which means you don’t have to double up on the number of products you need.
Sensitive Skin
Sensitive skin isn’t a traditional skin type per se. Still, it helps to know that you can do things to avoid triggering or aggravating sensitivity. Fragrance-free products are usually better suited to sensitive skin as they can sometimes be irritating for some people.
In general, it is best to stay away from harsh products and avoid exfoliating too often (and make sure you use gentle products), as sensitivity can be a sign that you’ve disrupted your skin barrier. Introducing ingredients like ceramides, glycerin, niacinamide, and hyaluronic acid can help to strengthen the barrier, while soothing ingredients like Centella Asiatica or aloe can help to soothe irritation.
Remember that when it comes to skincare, no matter your skin type, sometimes less is more, and while it can be tempting to try out new releases all the time, it may not be the best for your skin. Products can take a while to show results to find what you like and stick to it to see if it works for you.
If you’ve enjoyed this post, you can find more skincare advice in our lifestyle section.
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