What's Your Skin Type? - Part 1

There are 6 basic skin types.

Dry skin
Your face commonly feels "tight", is prone to cracks, flaking and premature wrinkling. This is due to underactive sebaceous glands.

What you must do
I've mentioned this before, drink lots of water. 2 litres a day won't kill you and will effectively keep your body hydrated. Some dry skin is caused by a Vitamin B deficiency so include this in your diet. Carry around a spray of floral or mineral water to mist on your face throughout the day. Avoid harsh soaps and cleansing too much. Moisturise face with creams and allow for a thin layer to coat your face. A good time to do this is immediately after washing your face while the skin is still damp. Yes, you can moisturise too much and end up getting clogged pores.

It likes
Essential oils - lavender, ylang ylang, patchouli, palmarosa, rose
Foods - egg yolks, avocado, carrot, honey, lecithin, papaya
Milks - cream, full cream milk, goat's milk
Carrier oils - avocado, macadamia, kukui, camellia, olive, wheat germ, *coconut

*Use in small amounts. Too much can be drying for some.

Easy Mask Recipe

• 1 egg yolk, whipped
• 1/4 of an avocado, mashed
• 1 tablespoon powdered full cream milk
• 1/2 teaspoon honey
• oat flour

Combine ingredients thoroughly. If you wish, add oat flour to thicken. Then apply on to face and neck and relax for 15 minutes. Wash off with warm water, apply a very gentle toner like cucumber juice neat on the skin. Moisturise well.


Oily skin
Are probably due to overactive sebaceous glands. The skin is shiny, dull and has enlarged pores and a greasy feel.

What you must do
Clay and mud masks are excellent for drawing toxins from oily skin. Oil based cleansers are actually effective in cleaning oily skin as they dissolve sebum. It is probably wise to cleanse face with a gentle cleanser three times daily especially in hot, humid weather. Skin does need moisturising and choose ones for oily skin. The skin around your eyes is very delicate and don't forget to moisturise it. Carry around a packet of rice paper tissues to wipe your face with. In a pinch, pull apart the layers of a normal tissue and use them to soak up the oil on your face.

It likes
Essential oils- lavender, lemon, lime, mandarine, orange, tangerine, geranium, bergamot
Foods - apricots, carrot, egg white, honey, lemon, lemon zest, pineapple, strawberry, tomato
Milks - buttermilk, skim milk, yoghurt
*Carrier oils - fractionated coconut oil, jojoba oil, hazelnut oil, rice bran oil, grapeseed oil

*Jojoba oil balances sebum, hazelnut oil is a mild astringent. All oils are non-comedogenic (no clogging pores)

Easy Mask Recipe

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon rosewater
• 1/2 teaspoon honey (substitute with aloe vera juice)
• french green clay

Best to warm the lemon juice, rosewater and honey so that they mix. Add enough clay to form a paste and apply to face and neck. Relax for 10-15 minutes then wash off with warm water and tone. Then apply a light moisturiser.


Combination/Normal skin
This is the most common skin type. Oily areas tend to be around the T-zone while the cheeks tend to be a little dry, however areas tend to not be as severe as dry and oily skin though it does happen. Skin has medium pores and a smooth,even texture. The colour is healthy and circulation is good. You are unlikely to have completely "normal" skin unless you are very young or very lucky.

What you must do
If the oily areas and dry areas are very dry then do treat them separately and refer to the above. Otherwise use a combination skin cleanser and light moisturiser. It's difficult to tell you exactly what to do because I find combination skin is very different and varies according to each individual. For example, the skin on my T-zone is slightly oily and more so when the weather is hot and humid. The skin on my cheeks is normal and I am prone to eczema breakouts all over the face. Therefore if you think about it, I have oily, normal, sensitive skin.

It likes
Essential oils - lavender, neroli, geranium, ylang ylang, chamomile, jasmine
Foods - almond meal, apple, honey, seaweed, papaya, oats, cucumber, wheat germ
Milks - buttermilk, goat's milk, soy milk, yoghurt, skim milk
Carrier oils - apricot kernel oil, jojoba oil, sweet almond oil, olive oil, *coconut oil

*Use in small amounts. Too much can be drying for some.

Easy Mask Recipe

• 1 chunk of a ripe papaya about 2 inches in length, mashed
• 1 tablespoon of yoghurt
• 1 teaspoon of honey
• kaolin clay

Combine ingredients thoroughly and add enough clay to make a spreadable paste. Smooth over face and neck and relax for 10-15 minutes. Wash off with water then gently tone and moisturise.

That's it, for now! However, remember that the best thing you can do for healthy skin is to nourish it from the inside out. Drink lots of water and eat a balanced nutritional diet high in omega-3 fatty acids. Take fish oil which helps your skin, nails and hair and evening primrose oil is rich in essential fatty acids and also helps clear skin conditions like eczema. Get lots of exercise and the required amount of sunshine. Not smoking and drinking alcohol help as well ;)