The new year rolled over and your resolution of investing in your skin kicks in. So, while you look for the perfect skincare products, all of a sudden you get slammed with that one anxiety-ridden question that an esthetician will probably ask you: "What's your skin type?."  For the life of you, you have no idea what the answer is so you stand there and embarrassingly shuffle your feet. Knowing your skin type and what products best work for your skin in the vast world of skincare can be overwhelming, to say the least. We all need help with our skin in one way or another and finding out your skin type can eliminate testing out products that just won’t cut it for you! 

What is a skin type & why does it matter? 

Skin type refers to the natural hydration levels of your face. Moisture and hydration are necessary in order to have good skin. However, our bodies don’t work with us at times and our skin needs topical TLC. Lacking hydration can visibly show wrinkles, dark spots, flakiness, and an array of issues that can pop up. When we learn how to get the most hydration whilst looking the best we can save money, pick products that actually work, and get some phenomenal results!   Now we leap into skin concerns, if your skin is dehydrated or sensitive these are classified as concerns, not skin types. The reason for this is that you can have ultra oily skin but also sensitive skin. On the other hand, you can have ultra-dry skin but also have sensitivities. Unless you have normal skin everyone has dehydrated skin in one way or another. Your skin type is a manifestation of the hydration levels of your face. If it’s lacking the essential hydration that it needs,  it shows this by either producing a tonne of oil on the skin or by not producing any oil resulting in dry skin. 

So how do we find your skin type?  

For the love of all that is good in this world, avoid complex google searches with endless information that won't be specific for you. Instead, break it down into these three easy steps.  

Step one: Pick a good gentle cleanser, use your LUNA to effectively cleanse the skin, removing up to 99.95% of dirt and bacteria on the skin. Once cleansed, rinse the remaining cleanser off and pat your skin dry.   

Step two: Rest your skin for at least an hour and do not touch! Pop on that episode of Emily Loves Paris you've been dying to watch and let your clean skin entirely rest. 

Step three: Examine your skin. Your skin will be one of three things: oily, dry, or combination. Looking at your pores, the bigger your pores the more active the skin is in creating oil. The smaller the pores the less active in producing oil. Humid environments can affect how our skin presents so grab one of those ultra close-up mirrors that makes you question your skin's existence in life, and have a look at your pores! Now it is time to get up close and personal with how your skin reacted.

• If your skin presents as shiny and you have enlarged pores, you have oily skin.
• If your skin presents as tight it feels stripped or looks flakey, you most likely have dry skin.
• If you pop up to the mirror and have both shiny and tight, flakey skin, you have combination skin. 

Skin types can be fluid

It's important to note that skin can change after time so keep this easy three-step examination in your back pocket to use at a later date. If you do not see any oil and no dryness the skin gods have blessed you with normal skin and I do not want to know you. Now that you know how to work out your skin type you can find products that work best for your skin and in return save hundreds of dollars testing and trying products that simply aren't for you!