WHAT SKIN TYPE DO I HAVE?
Before adopting a skincare routine, it is important to learn how to know your skin type, to be aware of its characteristics, which products are beneficial and which habits should be avoided. Read our guide below to help you determine which are the best treatments and beauty tips to implement according to your skin type.
We also spoke with Amy, one of our Boutique Managers who has combination skin, and she shared her tried and tested routine with us.
1. How To Know Your Skin Type
Knowing your skin type and its condition means being able to adjust your beauty routine and daily habits in order to have happy skin you feel comfortable in. It is important to know that the skin has a nature of its own and not being completely satisfied or feeling uncomfortable with the way your skin looks is common.
However, it is not possible to literally change your skin type - it often depends on internal and various factors such as genetics, health or even hormones.
You can however improve your appearance thanks to good habits and skincare adapted to the characteristics of different skin types. Take the test below to find out if your skin is normal, dry, oily, or combination. You can then get our best advice to maintain your skin type in the best way possible.
2. Take A Skin Type Test
The tissue skin type test is a very simple and effective way to determine your skin type. Just follow these few steps. In order for this test to be reliable, make sure that your face is not freshly cleansed.
- Get a sheet of tissue paper or a tissue.
- Apply the paper to your face so that it is completely covered (forehead, nose, chin, cheeks).
- Make sure there is good contact with your face, don't hesitate to press it on the hollow areas of the face.
- Wait 30 seconds
- Remove the paper from your face
If the tissue sheet is intact - your skin is dry or normal. If traces of oil or grease are visible on the areas of the forehead, nose and chin (T- zone), your skin is combination and/or: also has oil or grease present on the cheeks, you have oily skin.
3. Characteristics of Normal Skin
Your skin is normal if ...
- It is not prone to excess oil or sebum
- It does not present any particular irregularity
- It doesn't feel tight and uncomfortable
- It has no drought zone
- Its texture is regular
- Pores are hardly noticeable
Who doesn't dream of having normal skin? This type of skin is envious, because it's not subject to excess sebum or dryness and the skin texture is regular.
However, normal skin - like all skin types - needs daily care in order to perfect its appearance, reveal its radiance and prevent the signs of ageing.
For all skincare routines, we recommend our Overnight Reset Serum, which will give you a new skin effect and visibly smoother fine lines. The Immortelle Precious Cream is ideal as a day cream for normal skin, as it strengthens the skin's natural power of renewal and helps fight against the first signs of ageing. For the night, the Shea Light Comforting Face Cream will be perfect for supple, soft skin when you wake up.
To take care of your skin from the inside out, hydrate yourself well by drinking 6 to 8 glasses of water a day. Also favour a diet rich in water and antioxidants with foods such as broccoli, peppers, tomatoes, carrots and avocados - not forgetting the fruits! Raspberries, strawberries, pomegranate and blackcurrant all contribute to glowing skin.
Best Products For Normal Skin
4. Characteristics of Dry Skin
Your skin is dry if ...
- It has areas of drought
- It feels tight and uncomfortable
- It is rough to the touch
- It easily marks your expression lines
- Skin texture is regular
- Pores are tightened and not visible
Several factors can be responsible for dry skin, such as weather, dry air and products that are too aggressive in contact with your face. Internal causes, such as a nutritional deficiency can also come into play here.
However, having dry skin is not inevitable. Applying moisturising and nourishing treatments can overcome recurring skin dryness. Choose a day cream that will provide you with intense hydration and comfort.
The latter will act as an “anti-thirst” treatment and improve the natural hydration of the skin. For your night-time facial treatment, opt for our Ultra Rich Shea Comforting Face Cream. This is illustrated as a concentration of nutrition to meet the needs of dry to very dry skin, thus avoiding tightness. To wash your face, choose gentle cleansers for the skin, with a neutral pH.
Regarding your lifestyle, hydration is key! Your skin also needs to be well hydrated from the inside. It is also beneficial to enrich your diet with essential unsaturated fatty acids, with foods such as fatty fish (salmon, sardines and mackerel).
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Best Products For Dry Skin
5. Characteristics of Oily Skin
Your skin is oily if ...
- There is excess sebum
- It's shiny and uncomfortable
- The shines are localized on the forehead, nose, chin and cheeks
- Pores are large and very visible
- Skin texture is irregular (imperfections, etc.)
- You tend to have blackheads
Oily skin can be complicated to manage. Its shiny appearance and irregularities that it generates (pimples, pores, blemishes) and can be quite uncomfortable for the people involved. Oily skin is mainly hereditary and hormonal, so it can feel difficult to control sebum secretions. However, using purifying and matting skincare can help target excessive sebum, blemishes and impurities, leaving your skin feeling purified, radiant and luminous.
Abrasive products can 'strip' and dehydrate the skin, so it is best to avoid these products in the hope that the latter will produce less sebum and have fewer imperfections.
This will however, have the opposite effect and will produce more sebum to protect itself from aggression. So opt for gentle cleansers that respect the skin.
Best Products For Oily Skin
6. Characteristics of Combination Skin
“Hi! I’m Amy and I’m a Boutique Manager at L’OCCITANE. From my 25th year, I discovered I had adult acne. Let’s just say this was a pretty tough time trying to find the right combination of products and looking out for those trigger signs, which caused a flare up. Today, at 35 I still have oily and combination skin, so I have learnt to embrace my oily zones and have found the right balance in my skincare. I am going to share with you my tried and tested skin routine and dispel some myths on the best ways to treat a combination skin.”
- Your skin is combination if ...There is excess sebum
- It's shiny and feels uncomfortable
- The shines are localised on the T zone (forehead, nose, chin)
- Cheeks are not prone to shine
- Pores are relatively large and visible
- There are some irregularities (blackheads, imperfections, etc.)
“Combination skin can feature 2 or more different skin types, which can fluctuate between seasons. The most common is an oily T-Zone (forehead, nose and chin) with dry/dehydrated cheeks. This isn’t an exclusive pairing. A combination skin needs to be treated as such as it’s not just oily, dehydrated or dry, so using a targeted product for just one of the concerns can lead to aggravating the others.”
Skincare Tips for All Skin Types
Do use oil: No matter your skin type this is the ideal product to create balance for your skin.
Do exfoliate: Combination skin should be exfoliated up to 2-3 times a week, ensuring a break between each scrub. Exfoliating removes dead cells and unclogs pores, leaving your skin radiant and glowing!
Do use face masks: Welcome to multi masking: for an oily T-Zone apply a clay based mask to reduce shine and clarify skin. For dry/dehydrated cheeks apply a cream or gel-based hydrating mask to quench your skins thirst.
Do use toner: Excess dirt and cleanser remains on the skin, even after washing and it is the job of a toner to remove this, and return the skin to its natural pH levels. In addition, to hydrate and act as a prep product for the next stages of your skin routine."
Morning Skincare Products For Combination Skin
“Here are the 5 products I recommend for your morning routine to balance our your skin and keep it looking matte and radiant for the day,
Always remember to use SPF in the morning!"
Night-time Skincare Products For Combination Skin
"A good night-time skincare routine is one that addresses your skins' specific needs to boost repair whilst you sleep.
See below the products I recommended for the prefect night-time routine for those with combination skin."
7. The Condition And Tendency Of Your Skin
Unlike skin type, the condition of your skin is not irreversible. This is a more or less a fleeting trend that characterises your skin.
A few good habits and targeted treatments can visibly improve these little worries your skin is having. The equation that determines your skin is not that simple!
For example, skin can be both oily and dehydrated, which requires special care.
Do You Have Dehydrated Skin?
Dehydrated skin can be uncomfortable, with localised areas of dryness and a rougher texture.
Don't hesitate to double up the application of an ultra hydrating cream on problem areas in order to provide an intense cure to plump your skin.
Do You Have Sensitive Skin?
Sensitive skin seems to be irritated more regularly, with redness localised to these areas and can be uncomfortable due to the tightness and itching potential it generates.
To aid this, always use very gentle cleansers and rich, soothing, fragrance-free creams. Try to also spray a mist of thermal water on your face after each contact with tap water, as the latter contains lime which can irritate the skin.
Do You Have Mature Skin?
Over time, skin goes through the natural process of ageing. The skin has less elasticity and it will tend to sag more easily due to hormonal changes, fatigue and harmful UV rays.
To combat this, protect yourself from the sun - applying a cream with SPF on your face and neck (even in winter) can avoid precipitating skin ageing. This applies to all skin types and all their conditions! Good hydration and an anti-ageing skincare routine, will also allow your skin to be more plumped.
Immortelle Collections
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