Skin Types & Skin Tones
Noemi Iniguez
In order to truly create radiant and beautiful skin, you have to know certain aspects of your skin, such as your skin type and your skin tone. It’s important to know these aspects about your skin, not only to find the perfect skin care products, but your skin type and skin tone may react differently to the sun, make up products, and also what hair colors, or jewelry, compliments your skin tone. Skin Types So the first thing you want to know is what kind of skin type you have. Your skin type does not stay the same as you age, in fact the younger you are the more “normal your skin type is. There are about 5 major skin types, and may be caused by certain bad habits:
Normal Skin Normal skin has little to no blemishes or imperfections, and tends to be glowing. Pores are not as visible, and is rarely sensitive. Causes: Although age may have something to do with normal skin, using the right products may lead to a balanced skin complexion, unless you have really perfect genetics! Prevention: Although you may like the way your skin looks, you want to maintain your skin looking flawless. So knowing what kind of products your skin is comfortable with is a plus. Try using the Clear Essence My Natural Beauty Skin Tone Olive Oil Soap, followed by the My Natural Beauty Skin Tone Olive Oil Body Crème to keep maintaining a radiant and even toned complexion. We also offer other products for Normal skin, which you may check out here. If you have Normal skin but are worried about preventing wrinkles, you may also want to try the Clear Essence Anti-Aging Complexion Soap with Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA). The AHA works to clear dead skin cells and moisturizes skin as it cleanses.
Combination Skin For combination skin, your T-zone (nose, forehead, and chin) is more likely to be oily, whereas the rest of your face may be dry or normal. Your pores are more than likely to appear larger because they’re more open, and are also more prone to having shiny skin. Causes: According to Paula’s Choice, genetics may be the most common reason for combination skin, but you might also want to take a look at the products you’re applying. You want to make sure that the ingredients in the products help balance your skin out. Prevention: For Combination skin, you want to look for products that are either good for all skin types or use oily or dry skin products only for those specific areas. We recommend focusing on oily dark spots with the Clear Essence Platinum Line Skin Lightening Serum, while using the Clear Essence Platinum Line Medicated Fade Crème for dry areas. You may also notice that some of our products such as the Clear Essence Platinum Line Skin Beautifying Milk can be used for all skin types in order to help create a radiant complexion by fading dark spots and skin discolorations.
Dry Skin Though your pores may not be visible, you might have red patches, and a dull skin complexion. Your skin’s elasticity is very low which can create more visible lines. Causes: According to WebMD, certain factors to consider on why you have dry skin may have to do with aging, heredity, weather such as too much sun exposure, wind, or cold temperatures. Too much tanning may also lead to dry skin damage and certain ingredients in skin care products may lead to such skin conditions. Prevention: Using a moisturizer will help bring elasticity back into your skin, and may want to be applied more than twice a day, or whenever you feel your skin dry. Use the Clear Essence Skin Beautifying Milk in order to prevent and heal cracked and dry skin. Another product to consider is a misting spray with ingredients such as rosewater in order to refresh your skin. For more of our Dry Skin products, check this page out!
“T-Zone”
Oily Skin Your pores appear larger with oily skin, causing shiny or dull complexions. Oily skin is also more prone to blackheads and pimples near and around the “TZone” area. Causes: Oily skin can also change depending on the weather, such as dry skin. Some other factors to consider may be stress, heat. Prevention In order to prevent Oily skin, a major factor to consider is tightening up your pores. The more open your pores are, the more bacteria and oils can clogged your pores which may lead to acne. Also, popping a pimple or touching your face may lead to more acne, so don’t touch your face! Try cleansing with the Clear Essence Platinum Line Medicated Cleansing Bar which is effective in removing excess bacteria, dirt and oils. Follow up with the Clear Essence Platinum Line Skin Lightening Serum to tighten up pores to prevent future clogged pores, and follow up with a moisturizer. For more oily skin products check our oily skin page.
Sensitive Skin Signs of sensitive skin may occur with redness or irritation, or even a burning sensation. Causes: Most of the time, such symptoms are caused by chemical reactions, or ingredients in home care products or skin care products. Prevention: Knowing what products are causing irritation is a must. After knowing what works for your skin, use products that have more natural extracts, such as the Clear Essence Lemon Plus Vitamin C Skin Care Line, or using the My Natural Beauty Skin Tone Olive Oil Soap and the My Natural Beauty Skin Tone Olive Oil Body Crème in order to help out with dryness that occurs from sensitive skin. You can check out more of our recommended products for sensitive skin here!
Skin Tones Our skin type helps identify how certain products may affect us, but knowing your skin tone also helps protect and prevent your skin from future damage and of course let’s not forget about fashion and beauty and how certain colors help your natural beauty. According to wikiHow, “Your skin tone is determined by the amount of melanin, or pigment, in your skin and does not change from sun exposure or skin conditions like rosacea or acne.” In other words, your skin tone isn’t based off of your actual skin color, but more about, what’s going on inside of your skin that produces its tone. The darker the skin tone, the higher amount of melanin, which helps protect the skin from harmful UV rays. MAKEUP.com provides 5 of the most common skin tone categories which are:
Fair Light
Medium/Neutral Olive
Dark Skin tone may easily be confused with undertone, which is determined by three aspects: cool, neutral, or warm. Undertone is helpful in finding the right beauty products such as foundation, nail polish, colors of clothing that make you stand out more, and even hair. Not sure what your undertone is? POPSUGAR has an easy quiz that’ll help you find out!
Protecting Your Skin Above all, no matter what your skin type or skin tone is, a basic necessity for your skin to be protected is SPF. By using sunscreen, not only are you preventing excess dryness, and skin damage, but you’re also helping prevent sunspots and discolorations from occurring. Knowing what kind of SPF based off of your skin tones, is going to help you not only determine how strong the SPF should be but how often you should be reapplying. Use the Fitzpatrick skin quiz, provided by the Skin Cancer Organization to help identify how much SPF you need. Now, depending the SPF, you may have to apply sunscreen more than once throughout the day. The smaller the SPF the more often you have to reapply, so if you have a lotion or make up with SPF 15, then you’ll need to reapply every two hours. However, if you have SPF 30 or higher, you can get away with a couple of more hours, but always remember to reapply! Even after getting in the water with “waterproof” sunblock, it never hurts to reapply! According to the Skin Cancer Organization, “To ensure that you get the full SPF of a sunscreen, you need to apply 1 oz – about a shot glass full. Studies show that most people apply only half to a quarter of that amount, which means the actual SPF they have on their body is lower than advertised. During a long day at the beach, one person should use around one half to one quarter of an 8 oz. bottle. Sunscreens should be applied 30 minutes before sun exposure to allow the ingredients to fully bind to the skin.” Therefore, knowing the proper amount of sunscreen to use is not only going to help your natural beauty, but it’s going to keep it from aging faster!
Determining Your SPF for Every Skin Type Now that you know what kind of SPF to use, knowing which sunscreen products to look for based off your skin type, is going to help you from preventing blemishes caused by sunscreen products. Sunscreen may cause oily skin to get even more excessive oils, so knowing what ingredients to look for is going to help your skin inside and out! Normal Skin/All types: Any sunscreen can be used for normal skin, but if you’re looking for one that will improve your skin’s elasticity, then check for a sunscreen that contains niacinamide, which helps uneven skin tones! Sunscreens that also contain zinc and titanium oxide will help cover you from any UV ray! Dry Skin/Sensitive Skin: Since dry skin can be prone to sensitivity, opt for a sunscreen that helps hydrate, and moisture, so the creamier/thicker, the better! Oily Skin: Since dry skin needs creamier then, oily skin means the opposite. Opt for gel based sunblocks which tend to be oil-free! Clear Essence SPF Products Sunscreen is always a major component to ensure the erasure of dark spots and getting a radiant and even toned-complexion, so we offer some products with an SPF 15 based formula! Here is a list for you to check out! Clear Essence Platinum Line Medicated Fade Crème with Sunscreen My Natural Beauty Moisturizing Body Lotion Clear Essence Platinum Line Extra Strength Skin Beautifying Milk with SPF 15
Although sunscreens create an “ashy look” on darker skin tones, that shouldn’t stop you from applying! According to Glamour, Dr. Zeichner states, "The right formula should be light, easy to spread, and should absorb fully into the skin so you don't see it." Another note to add on sunscreens is spray on sunscreens. Though they are effective, the trick is finding out whether you put on the right amount. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, “The FDA is currently investigating the risks of accidental inhalation of spray sunscreens. The challenge in using spray sunscreens is that it is difficult to know if you have used enough to cover all sun-exposed areas of the body, which may result in inadequate coverage. Never spray sunscreen around or near the face or mouth. Spraying adequate amounts of the sunscreen into your hands and then applying the sunscreen can help you avoid the fumes while also ensuring adequate coverage. When applying spray sunscreens on children, be aware of the direction of the wind to avoid inhalation.” If you wish to apply spray sunscreen, just remember: be aware of the dangers of accidental inhalation, and make sure to rub in the sunscreen once you spray it on!
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