Know the Different Skin Types & DIY Tips to Take Care of Yours!

Our skin is very sensitive, especially the facial skin. If we do not take care of our skin regularly, it can get dull and age very fast. Therefore, in order for our skin to look fresh and younger looking for a longer time, it is important to take care of your skin.

Sure there are many make-ups, creams, and foundations available in the market that can make you look stunning, but those would only be temporary solutions. Why rely on something temporary and artificial, when you can work on your skin and make it look beautiful and healthy naturally?

Let’s first dig deeper and first know more about this important body organ: The Skin; its functions, layers, types, and a few other details you need to know to help you take care of it more confidently. By knowing what skin type you have, you can use the right products, and make it look radiant and younger looking.

Functions of Skin

The skin is essentially a covering which protects the organs and muscles of the body from air, water, dust, and bacteria. Skin:

• Regulates and maintains body temperature.
• Removes waste matter through perspiration or sweat.
• A sensory organ for touch, heat, cold, socio-sexual and emotional sensations.
• Acts as a reservoir for the synthesis of Vitamin D.
• Varies in thickness and sensitivity on different parts of the body depending upon their importance.

Having a healthy skin is an indicator of the nutritional, mental and emotional state of an individual.

Layers of Skin

The skin has two layers and between these layers the complex system of nerves, blood vessels, oil glands, sweat glands and hair follicles, etc. are distributed

• The Epidermis
• The Dermis

The Epidermis:

It is the topmost layer and is made up of several rows of living cells covered densely with compacted dead cells. These dead cells are constantly being lost or shed and replaced by living cells from the deeper layer. The main function of the epidermis is to protect the inner layer. In the lower layer of the epidermis, the colour producing melanocytes are present that produce a pigment called melanin that gives colour to the skin. The top layer of an epidemic has a slight acidic felon on it, which prevents excessive bacterial activity.

The Dermis:

It is the middle layer which is under the epidermis and is called the true skin. This layer has

• sebaceous glands: a small gland in the skin which secretes a lubricating oily matter (sebum) into the hair follicles to lubricate the skin and hair;
• sudoriferous (sweat) glands: excrete water, salt, urea and other waste and sweat;
• hair follicles: grows a hair by packing old cells together;
• vital hair endings: carry the message of touch, temperature, pair, etc.;
• capillary blood vessels: supply oxygen & nutrients to the skin;
• lymphatic vessels: that drain away waste.

As long as the skin gets oxygen and nutrition it continues to grow.

The supporting tissues in the dermis layer give supplement tone and elasticity to the skin. The oil glands (sebum) deposit an oily but slightly acidic film over the skin whereas the sweat glands help to regulate the body temperature.

Neglect and abuse can damage both the health and the beauty of the skin; therefore it is never too early or too late to start looking after your health/ skin.

Types of Skin

So now that we know how important our skin is for us, we should discuss the different skin types. There are many types of skin, classified according to their texture. Only when you know what your skin type is, you can know what products you can use to take care of it:

Normal Skin:

It has a fine even texture, not too oily and not too dry. It has a proper balance between oil and moisture contents. The skin looks clear and does not develop blemishes or spots. The pores are smooth. The people with normal skin are luckiest of the lot. The most low maintenance skin. 

What can you do to take care: 

• Just maintain regular hygiene of cleaning, toning & moisturising.

Oily Skin:

This type of skin is caused by over-secretion of sebum by the sebaceous glands, making the skin surface very oily. The pores get enlarged, the skin gets a coarse appearance and texture. The excess oil on the surface attracts dust and dirt from the environment, which is why the pimples and acne can be formed. Oily skin is also prone to blackheads, whiteheads, blemishes & spots. Puberty, stress & weather may worsen the skin condition.

What can you do to take care: 

• Wash your face at least two times a day.
• Use gel-based products. Avoid milk-based products
• Don’t prick or pop the pimples or acne. You can rub a garlic clove over the acne to reduce it.
• For Blackheads, put toothpaste on the affected area, let it dry and wash it.
• Face Pack: Mix Multani Mitti (fuller’s earth) & Chandan (Sandal Wood Powder) with rose water and apply on your face. Keep until dry and then wash with cold water. Pat dry. Recommended Usage: every alternate day. You can also use the lemon sugar scrub.

Dry Skin:

This type of skin has a parched appearance and has a tendency to flake easily. It can crack, peel, get itchy and irritable. It is prone to early lines and wrinkles. This skin type is a result of insufficient secretion of sebum. This also influences evaporation of moisture pastes. These skin types age faster than oily skin. The main causes of dry skin are weather, medication effects, hereditary, aging or hormonal changes, indoor heating or overexposure to UV rays or even side effects of wrong cosmetics used, and other such causes.  

What can you do to take care: 

• Use gentle face wash to wash your face.
• Use milk-based products; avoid using foam based or gel based products
• Apply olive oil on your face after wash.
• Don’t overheat your house indoor, it can make the skin really dry.
• Honey and yogurt are excellent for Dry Skin, you can use them in any face pack you use.
• Face Pack: Mix Besan (Gram Flour), a spoonful yogurt, a pinch of turmeric with honey and apply on your face. Keep until dry and then wash with cold water. Pat dry. Recommended Usage: every day.

Combination Skin:

This type of skin is very common. As the name suggests, it is a combination of both oily and dry skin. Usually, there is a greasy central panel consisting of the forehead, nose, and chin, which is called the T-zone. The Cheeks and area around eyes (known as the C-Zone) remain dry. People with this type of skin can also develop blackheads, have pores larger than normal and may have a shiny skin. 

Sallow Skin:

This is caused by excess acidity and impurities in the system. This is generally inherited and there is little that you can do accept helping the skin to shed its dead cells more quickly by concentrating on nightly massage and regular weekly facials.

What can you do to take care: 

• You need to be extra careful with this type of skin and have to keep it clean all the time – keep wet tissues for the same.

How to know your Skin Type

1. Before sleeping, remove your makeup and wash your face thoroughly with normal water and mild soap.
2. Sleep without artificial air conditioning.
3. In the morning, take a tissue and tear it into five parts or take five separate tissues.
4. Rub one tissue on your forehead, second on your nose, third on your chin, forth on your eyes and fifth on your cheeks.
5. Inspect each tissue,
6. Know your skin type

• if you see oil or spots on all the tissues, you have oily skin
• if you see oil on the tissues you rubbed on your forehead, nose, and chin; but not on the other two, you have combination skin.
• if all the tissues are spotless, you have dry skin.
• further, if your face feels irritable or itchy, it is extremely dry and sensitive.

Note: Please note that the skin type can keep changing depending on your health, age, season, temperature, pollution, smoking, etc. So you need to keep testing it.

The  Basic Things you can do to take care of your Skin:

• Stay hydrated; drink lots of water.
• Eat healthy food; Learn why & how you should Start Eating Right.
• Avoid direct sunlight; wear cap and sunglasses
• Adopt a habit of wearing a good sunscreen.
• Always wash your face before going to bed to wash away your make up; let your skin breathe.
• Maintain a basic skin care routine every day – cleansing, exfoliate, toning, moisture & protect.