What Kind of Skin Type Are You? (and what to use to keep it fabulous!)

Hey there, beauties. This was a question that I was asked today, and I figured it would be a great idea to share it with you all here; it's something all of us wonder: what's my skin type? And once I know, how the heck do I take care of it with so many different products out there?!
Well, let's get glowing!
Your skin type is based on a few different things, according to webmd.com. These include: your lipid content, which is the explanation for your skin's softness (or lack of), your water content which is going to determine your skin's comfort and elasticity, and how sensitive you are to certain products, environmental factors, etc.

1) Normal Skin
The term normal skin isn't one I like to use often, because all of the major skin types are very, very normal. This really just means that you're not dry, and you're not oily. You're not prone to dry patches and you're not prone to breaking out. Lucky you! Your skin is typically radiant, and you have very few to no imperfections.
Care: Keep doing what you're doing! You're one of the lucky ones that can usually just leave it, and your skin will do its thing and stay healthy-looking doing it. Just cleanse gently twice a day, moisturize, and treat any random pimples as needed.

2) Dry Skin
This is kind of self explanatory, but it can also be confused for combination skin when you break out...you may just be breaking out because your skin is so dry that it gets irritated! So here's what to look for: a duller, rough complexion, red patches (I get these! Right next to my nose! They're itchy and kind of flaky and very uncomfortable.), more visible lines than, say, a person with normal skin (I also get these, around the "parenthesis" of my mouth when I smile). A few other things to look for are cracking, peeling, itching, and irritation.
Some factors that cause dry skin (so that you can avoid it getting worse) are: excessive exposure to heat (and I don't mean summertime heat, I mean winter indoor heat, because it sucks the moisture right out), extreme weather changes like wind, cold, snow, UV rays, among many others, and ingredients in some soaps, cosmetic products, and medications.
Care: avoid soaps with harsh detergents and strong smells, moisturize like crazy (and you can probably handle one that's oil based, it's going to heal your skin faster and lock in more moisture for a longer period of time), and one that a lot of people don't really think of: don't scrub with your towel when you get out of the shower, just pat until your face is dry. Rubbing is going to strip out any oil that's left, and it's going to irritate spots that are probably already inflamed.

3) Oily Skin
You see a lot of this when going through puberty, and if you still have it afterwards, that's okay! It happens to lots and lots of people, and there are ways to keep it under control. First, identify that you have oily skin by looking for things such as: enlarged pores, a very shiny, slick complexion, blackheads, pimples, and other blemishes like red spots not caused by dryness.
This can be caused by a handful of things, like weather, humidity, hormonal changes, and...stress. Yes, everyone, stress is a BIG trigger of acne. So take a deep breath and relax, because we're gonna fix it!
Care: Use products labeled "noncomodogenic", this means that they won't clog pores. Some products just outright tell you that they won't clog pores, noncomodogenic is the fancy way of saying that. Stay away from oil-based products, it'll only clog your pores and add to the sebum and oil your face is already producing, causing more oil and probably acne. This was in my skincare myths post: don't pop or pick your pimples! It'll prolong healing time, and whatever is in the first one is going to seep into pores around it and make another one. And surprisingly enough: don't wash your face more than twice a day, morning and night; if you do, you're stripping your skin of its natural oils, telling it internally to produce twice as much.

4) Sensitive Skin/Combination Skin
If you're not sure what kind of skin you have up until this example, it's probably this one. It's very common, because it can be caused by things you've been doing with your skin for, oh, who knows how long.  Here's what you should look for: itchiness, burning, dryness, and redness in certain spots, and oil in others. So what causes this, you ask? Well, we have: cleansing your skin with things not designed for your skin type (guilty!), Rosacea which commonly has symptoms including pimples, flushing, and prominent blood vessels, and Contact Dermatitis, which is typically an allergy to certain substances coming into contact with the skin that will result in itching, burning, blotchiness and redness. This can be caused by perfumes, certain chemicals, or oils.
Care: Find a good moisturizer that is dermatologist tested, oil free, and noncomodogenic. Then find one that is preferably fragrance free, and all-natural if you can find it. Treat breakouts as needed with a gentle medicine, unless recommended by your dermatologist.

Things that cause acne in all skin types:
When your skin produces oil and it gets stuck in, let's say, a hair follicle, more oil will be produced, but will keep that bit of oil from being released. This leads to an overproduction of skin bacteria, which then makes its way to the surface of your skin, resulting in blackheads, whiteheads, and red spots. Certain oils will also cause acne, most commonly reported are avocado oils and coconut oils, however if you have dry skin or it is recommended to you, go for it!
So how do we treat acne?
If it is a severe breakout, I suggest talking to your dermatologist about what they can recommend to you. Remember, I'm not a professional, I'm just studying to be! Some other remedies are tea tree oil and witch hazel which are astringents that will provide an antibacterial effect in and around the pore, antibiotics (prescribed by your doctor), benzoyl peroxide which is a very strong cream you can get in different concentrations depending on the severity of the breakout (I keep a 10% benzoyl peroxide cream in my stash of skincare stuff at all times), salicylic acid which is a much less harsh treatment however will not work as rapidly (I suggest this for dry/combination skin that has a breakout if you really, REALLY need something to treat it with), and retinoids, which encourage cell-turnover, basically dissolving dead skin cells and making room for new ones.

For all skin types:
Moisturize, use SPF, and protect your skin from the cold. Drink lots of water and stay healthy!

Thanks for reading! Hope this helped those of you that were confused!