Caring For The Skin You’re In
The skin type you have is affected by an abundance of factors ranging from your genetics and diet to the amount of sun exposure you get.
Some factors such as ageing and how much melanin we have, which can protect the skin from harmful UV rays, are out of our control. Others however are based on environmental and lifestyle choices and are therefore completely within our scope of control.
Lifestyle factors that can affect our skin type
Sun exposure: The amount of time we spend in the sun without SPF can lead to premature ageing skin, sunspots, hyperpigmentation and possibly even skin cancer.Stress: Your mental wellbeing has a direct affect on the wellbeing of your physical state. A spike in stress levels can lead to hormonal changes which can result in breakouts and if this is accompanied by lack of sleep, the state of your skin can become even worse.
Water: We know how important drinking enough water is for the maintenance of our bodies, energy levels and the even appearance of our skin. If we’re healthy inside, we are healthy outside too. Water can help to plump and smooth out fine lines and wrinkles, reduce spots and tighten pores.
Diet and nutrition: Eating foods with plenty of vitamins and minerals will help to give your skin a healthy, radiant glow, while a diet rich in dairy and sugars can increase oil production leading to acne breakouts.
Poor make-up regime: You need to let your skin breathe from time to time. It is important to wear make-up that highlights your beautiful features and doesn’t block pores, which can lead to breakouts. It is also crucial that you regularly clean your make-up brushes so that bacteria and dead skin is not swept across your clean face.
Types of skin
NormalA normal skin type has few to no spots, tight pores, an even skin tone, a normal amount of sebum (oil) production, meaning it is neither too oily nor too dry. Its sensitivity levels are also normal and doesn’t react severely and the skin is not easily irritated.
Ageing
Ageing skin appears to look almost translucent due to the thinning of the epidermis brought about by a reduced level of collagen production. These low collagen levels also affect skin properties such as elasticity and firmness and as a result, ageing skin appears sagging and wrinkled. Lifestyle factors such as a high levels of alcohol consumption and smoking can bring about premature ageing.
Acne prone
Acne prone skin is skin that experiences continuous spots and tends to appear oily on the surface, but dry and normal skin types can also fall victim to acne breakouts. There is strong scientific evidence linking acne prone skin to hereditary influences, however, not enough is known about what triggers acne more in some individuals than others. Large pores, a weakened immune system and too much sebum production can all lead to acne breakouts and blemishes.
Dry
Dry skin lacks enough hydration and so can appear dehydrated and produces less sebum than normal skin types. In extremes, skin can appear cracked, flaky, or even peel. Seasonally dry skin can also occur due to environmental weather factors when the winter weather may mean you require more moisture than you’re usually used to.
Oily
Oily skin produces more sebum than is required and means that the oil can sit on the skin and can block pores on the surface, leading to blackheads, whiteheads, pimples and acne breakouts.
Sensitive
Sensitive skin is more prone to irritation, inflammation, and redness. It can have strong reactions to certain ingredients – especially harsh chemicals and fragrances - and can easily develop rashes and breakouts as a result.
What We Recommend
Normal
For normal/ slightly oily skin types, we recommend Nakin’s Matt Formula Face Cream which boasts a combination of baobab, argan and jojoba oil to nourish the skin and a blend of pomegranate and hyaluronic acid to hydrate the skin. For normal/ slightly dry skin types, we recommend Nakin’s Active Dew Face Cream which blends botanical extracts and hyaluronic acid as well as pomegranate, baobab and argan oil to infuse the skin with hydration.
Acne prone
For acne and blemish prone skin, we recommend the ground-breaking Skin Sleep Cream from Leaves and Flowers packed with 200mg of CBD, known to treat acne due to its ability to reduce sebum production, planton extract and the sweet smell of Bulgarian rose oil.
Ageing
For ageing skin, we recommend ARK’s Age Defy Nourishing Moisturiser full of plumping peptides to help firm the skin, vitamin C to restore brightness and red clover, which is particularly good for ageing skin as it is believed to increase oestrogen levels which deplete as we age, leading to thinness of skin.
Dry
For dry skin, hydration is key and what better natural ingredient than nature’s moisturiser, honey? That is why we recommend Bee Good’s NectaPerfecta Enzyme Mask packed with British honey, which can tend to an array of skin blemishes as well as fight any potential skin irritations and inflammations.
Oily
For oily skin, we suggest Sens8ate’s nourishing cleanser consisting of vitamin C, lavender and squalene which help to stop the production of acne, help to clear up acne scarring as well as unclogging blocked pores and killing the bacteria that produces breakouts.
Sensitive
For sensitive skin, we are a fan of Elan Skincare’s Dream Pure Hyaluronic Acid Serum Hydrate + Recharge. This fragrance-free and dermatologically tested lightweight product works to lock in moisture and hydration on even the most sensitive types of skin. It is also award-winning, vegan and cruelty-free.