Your skin is unique, there is no other skin that is exactly like yours, that is why you should treat it uniquely. Take that moment to listen to your skin and give it just what it needs on that moment.
I always encourage our customers to enjoy their skincare moments. Make it the best moment of your day, a bit of TLC* time for you and your skin. As said, everybody’s skin is different, it does not however mean that there would not be similarities in our skins. That is why it is important to know about the various skin types, and learn the basics on how to treat them, as well as about the conditions and diseases that can affect each one.
I tend to say that you are born with certain skin type, and you will have that skin type throughout your life. However while skin type is determined by genetics, the condition of our skin can change over time as it is affected by various internal and external factors. For example, with oily skin as you get older, your skin might turn out to be drier and less oily.
What are the main skin types then, and how do they differ?
The four basic types of healthy skin are:
- DRY
- NORMAL (OR WELL-BALANCED)
- COMBINATION
- OILY / GREASY
I like to list them in this order and illustrate them by using the human body. You can actually join me on this journey. Open your arms wide and follow me to learn about the different skin types.
Now imagine that you are holding skin type DRY on your left hand and skin type OILY on your right hand. Those are the two extremes of skin types. As you can imagine there can be so many different skin types between these two.
See now what I meant in the beginning with Listening to your skin and giving it what it needs.
This doesn’t mean that there wouldn’t be general guidelines to follow and modify to treat and care for your skin. Let’s get started and dig a bit deeper on each of the four skin types.
Although each skin type has its own characteristics and require specific treatments, there are some similarities with all skin types, one of the most important ones is that ALL skin types require HYDRATION. I will talk more the importance of hydrating your skin in my next blogs.
How can you then differentiate and identify the skin type, let’s cover some basics?
- DRY SKIN
Let’s start with the skin type on the far left of the skin type line, it is dry skin. For this skin type it is typical that it produces less sebum than well-balanced skin. As of result of that it lacks the lipids that it needs to retain moisture and protect against external influences. Dry skin can be a genetic skin type but it can be also caused by your habits, e.g. maybe you do not use products that moisture and hydrate your skin.
How to recognize dry skin type? Typically the skin pores are small (almost invisible), the skin looks thin, there might be red patches, more visible lines and a rough complexion on the skin, overall dry skin type is less elastic.
AIE kits are designed so that you can customize the skincare set to be most relevant for your skin type. Thus, AIE 101 PRELUDE KIT is the perfect companion for dry skin type. With its three products AIE 003 Happiness Mist, AIE 004 Rehab Serum and AIE 001 Rose Cream you can modify the set to what your skin needs. For dry skin, we recommend you to use extra layers of 003 Happiness Mist to make sure your skin is hydrated and ready to absorb the nourishing ingredients from the Serum and Cream. Good general rule for this type of skin is to add layers and quantities of all three products.
Wintertime and dry months are extra challenging for dry skin, add a bit of AIE 025 Oil Serum to your skincare set.
- NORMAL OR WELL-BALANCED SKIN
As we move towards the center on the skin type line, we next visit the normal, or as we rather call it the well-balanced skin type. Normal skin is, well, well-balanced, it is not too oily nor too dry.
It has a regular texture, there are no or just few imperfections, the appearance is soft. Quite often it is stated that normal skin does not require special care. I tend to say that it requires as special care as any of us. As for all skin types, also for normal skin hydration and proper cleansing are the key.
As one of the “must haves” for normal skin, I would name the AIE 000 BASE KIT. It is more than just a cleanings kit, the AIE 018 Cleansing Emulsion cleanses and actually starts the caring process for your skin. By the way, it is a cleanser that you can also leave on your skin. (My absolute favorite cleansing emulsion). And remember – hydrate – hydrate – hydrate: AIE 003 Happiness Mist for happy, well-balanced skin.
- COMBINATION SKIN
As we move the line towards the right-hand side, we pump into Combination skin type. You probably already guessed this; with combination skin there are different skin types on different areas of the skin. Often the skin types vary especially between the T-zone (forehead, nose, chin) and the cheeks. Mostly the skin is oily on the T-zone area and then again dry on the cheek area. This is quite a common skin type, and it is good to understand how you can treat the different areas. AIE kits are perfect for this purpose as you can customize the treatment based on your skin’s different needs.
Masks and Scrubs are great way to tailor the treatment for combination skin, the AIE 202 SCRUB&BEYOND KIT is designed for this purpose. Again, I cannot emphasize enough the need for hydration, AIE4MALAIKA & AIE 003 Happiness Mist takes care of the combination skin.
- OILY / GREASY SKIN
Now we have reached the far-right side of the skin type line. Oily describes a skin type that has a high sebum production, and larger pores. Skin has a glossy shine, a bright and porous appearance. The severity of the oily skin often changes due to stress, heat, puberty, or other hormonal changes.
When talking about oily skin I would like to bring up two different types of oily or greasy skin. The one that is more common is the oily skin (seborrea oleosa) – which as said earlier is shiny, but unlike with the greasy skin type, its pores are not clogged, and in most cases, there are no pimples or pustule. When the skin dry and greasy (seborrea sicca), its sebaceous glands are clogged and can’t soften the skin naturally. Skin gets dry and this causes pimples or pustule. Seborrea sicca type of skin requires careful cleansing and care, and often it is good to consult a skincare expert to get necessary treatment.
As for all skin types, cleansing is super important especially for greasy skin. AIE 000 BASE KIT is a my “must have” recommendation also for this skin type. The 019 Cleansing tonic is a great friend for the oily skin.
This was only a short glance on different skin types, join the AIE CLUB to hear more. Spring 2022 is exciting time for us as we will kick off our first AIE SKIN PT Course. Stay tuned for more. All in all, just wanted to remind you that AIE kits are designed so that you can customize the skincare set to be most relevant for your skin type. We call it Skinimalistic, just what you need – nothing more – nothing less.
If you need help with identifying your skin type and do not know where to start, drop me a line describing your skin with a picture of your skin to aie.rebels@lrvcorp.com, and I will get you started with knowing your skin type.
Wishing you beautiful day,
*tender loving care
Pia "Fia" Pennala is the Beauty & Trend Director at aie - Activism in Elegance. Fia is a true beauty professional and expert behind the aie kits and methods. Together with our founder and Head of R&D Pavla, they make the aie product offering just perfect for you. At Fia's Corner she shares tips and advice on beauty and wellbeing of the skin.