Whether you’ve been shopping for new products, reading skincare blogs, or browsing beauty brands on social media, chances are that you’ve come across the various skin types before. 

There are five main skin types out there; oily, normal, dry, sensitive, and combination skin. Each one is unique in its own way, and understanding the differences between them while being able to identify which category your own skin falls under is the key to building a tailored and effective skincare routine.

If the different skin types have you feeling confused, keep reading as Venofye talks through the differences between each one. We’ll also explain how to determine what your skin type is, and how this should influence the care that you give to your skin.

The Differences Between Each Skin Type

To put it simply, your skin type refers to how balanced your skin is. Although your genetics determine this at the start of your life, other factors can influence it, meaning that your skin type could change over time.

Normal skin is the rarest skin type. This is skin that’s almost perfectly balanced. It produces just the right amount of sebum, enabling it to keep itself hydrated, lubricated, and protected.

Oily skin and dry skin sit at opposite ends of the spectrum. Oily skin is skin that produces too much sebum, giving the skin a greasy feel. Meanwhile, dry skin doesn’t produce enough, leaving the skin feeling dry and rough to the touch.

Sometimes, some parts of the face can be oily while others remain dry. This is referred to as combination skin. 

Finally, we have sensitive skin. This occurs when the skin’s natural protective barrier is compromised in some way, meaning that irritants are able to enter the skin easily. This causes the skin to become reactive, resulting in sensitivities.

Why does all of this matter? Because the care that you give to your skin, along with the products that you use, should be tailored to your skin type. If it isn’t, then not only will you fail to gain some control over the skin concerns that you’re dealing with, but you could also end up making them so much worse.

Identifying Your Own Skin Type

If you haven’t already done so, identifying your skin type is always the first step that you should take before putting together a skincare routine.

To do this, you’ll need to start by cleansing your skin. Use a gentle cleanser, ideally one that you’ve used before. You don’t want to trigger any irritation that may end up misleading you when you’re trying to work out what your skin type is.

Once your face has been cleansed, leave it bare for about half an hour. Then, take a close look in the mirror.

If your skin looks shiny and feels oily to the touch, then this means that you have oily skin. You’ll likely have also noticed that your skin is very prone to acne breakouts. This is down to the excess oil produced by your skin clogging up your pores.

If your skin doesn’t look greasy in the slightest and instead feels quite dry and tight when you look at it/touch it, then this means that your skin type is dry.

Meanwhile, if you can see that some parts of your face look oily (usually the t-zone) while others are dry, then this means that you have combination skin.

If your skin looks red and blotchy and feels irritated or inflamed, then this points to sensitive skin. On the other hand, if you’ve experienced none of the above and your skin feels just fine, with a small amount of sebum on the surface but not too much, then there’s a good chance that your skin type is normal.

Caring For Each Skin Type

Now that you know what your skin type is, it’s time to learn how to cater to the specific requirements that your skin type will have:

Oily Skin

With oily skin producing so much extra sebum, the first thing that you need to do is make sure that your face doesn’t end up overloaded with oil. Not only will this leave you looking overly shiny, but it will also make you more susceptible to acne breakouts.

This makes it essential to have a good cleansing and exfoliating regimen. Cleansing should be done twice a day, once in the morning and once at night. Don’t be tempted to overdo it and cleanse more often than this (unless you happen to be heavily sweating). Over-cleansing will only increase sebum production in the long term. 

Exfoliation should be done two or three times a week, so long as you don’t use an overly harsh exfoliator. A product like the Venofye Blossom Bee Facial Peeling would be perfect!

Keeping oily skin moisturized is also important. Many fail to do this, believing that moisturizers will only leave their skin greasier. However, choose the right cream and this won’t happen. Instead, giving your skin the moisture that it needs could help to cut back on how greasy your skin feels in the long run. The Venofye Iron Bee Transforming Cream does this beautifully. It’s impressively lightweight yet still provides a hefty dose of moisture and antioxidants. 

Dry Skin

Since dry skin is lacking in sebum, its surface often appears rough and cracked. Itching is also common since there’s not enough sebum around to keep the skin lubricated. Dehydration is common too – the skin’s natural protective barrier becomes thinner and weaker if it doesn’t have enough sebum to fortify itself with, meaning that moisture evaporates much faster.

All of this can be rectified by keeping dry skin consistently moisturized. Look for a rich moisturizer that provides the fatty acids that your skin is so desperate for. The Venofye ViperLift Bio Cream, for example, contains plant oils, squalane, and beeswax. These will all keep your skin feeling soft, smooth, and supple.

Of course, keeping your skin moisturized is just one part of your mission. The other is to preserve the little sebum that your skin is producing. There are many skincare practices, such as using harsh products and over-exfoliating, that can strip away the skin’s already-diminished supply of sebum, leaving it drier than ever.

To prevent this, make sure that your skincare products don’t contain any harsh ingredients, especially when it comes to your cleanser and exfoliator. Look for products that moisturize while they cleanse or exfoliate, such as the Venofye Blossom Bee Clarifying Cream Cleanser. With moringa oil, argan oil, aloe vera, calendula, and bee venom, it’s the perfect formula for refreshing and revitalizing a complexion sieged with dry skin.

Combination Skin

Due to how combination skin consists of two different skin types, caring for it can be challenging. Ideally, the dry and the oily parts of your face need different forms of care. For example, the dry areas of your face would benefit from rich moisturizers while the oily areas would need lightweight products that won’t clog pores. 

With that said, some products can be used on both dry and oily skin, making them perfect for people with combination skin. The Venofye Blossom Bee Facial Toner is one. This standout formula does a few different things. It hydrates the skin, soothes the look of irritation and inflammation, and helps to rebalance how dry or oily the skin feels. It will also leave your combination skin feeling more receptive to any other skincare products that you apply. In the long run, this will make your entire skincare routine more effective!

Just like both dry and oily skin types, combination skin benefits from plenty of hydration. This is something else that can help to balance out your complexion. Hydrated skin won’t feel quite so dry, and your skin also won’t feel the need to produce so much excess sebum if it’s adequately hydrated.

So, in addition to hydrating your combination skin each day with serums and moisturizers, invest in a deeply hydrating face mask too, such as the Venofye Beehive Hydralift Mask. It’s a leave-on mask that’s not only infused with several moisture-binding compounds, but also contains a long list of antioxidant-rich fruit extracts. Your combination skin will look brighter, smoother, and more even after just one use!

Sensitive Skin

When dealing with sensitive skin, you need to focus on keeping your skin barrier feeling boosted and strong. This is what will help to reduce the appearance of irritation and sensitivities in the long run.

Certain ingredients are great for doing this, such as peptides, sodium hyaluronate, and plant oils. You’ll find all of those in the Venofye Iron Bee Boosting Serum. This formula is fragrance-free – very important for sensitive skin! It will soothe and calm your complexion while also tackling the appearance of skin aging.

Moisturizing is also crucial when working with sensitive skin. A good moisturizer will keep your skin barrier feeling reinforced. Look for one that’s brimming with fatty acids, such as the Venofye Serpent Rehydrating Cream. In addition to providing a boost of moisture, it will also leave your skin feeling soft, supple, and healthy.

Normal Skin

Normal skin is the easiest skin type to care for. Rather than trying to rebalance your skin, your main aim should be to maintain the beautiful balance that your skin naturally has.

One way to do this is with antioxidants. These compounds will leave your skin cells feeling boosted while also protecting your complexion from the appearance of free radical damage, which could potentially disrupt your skin’s balance. Antioxidants are best applied in the form of a serum, just like the Venofye Blossom Bee Vitamin C Serum. Not only does it contain vitamins A, C, and E, but it’s also packed with several antioxidant-rich plant oils.

Another way to preserve your problem-free complexion is with sunscreen. The sun is responsible for causing up to 80% of the visible signs of aging on the skin, and a sunscreen can help you to avoid this.

If you often forget to apply sunscreen in the mornings, check out the Venofye Orchard Bee Brilliance Cream SPF 30. It will protect your skin from sun damage while also providing a dose of moisture and antioxidants.

Summary

As you can see, understanding skin types and the differences between them is vital if you want to give your skin the very best care. Follow the tips that we’ve shared above and you’ll be equipped to cater to all of your skin’s needs, resulting in a complexion that looks healthier than ever!

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