You can have the most flawless makeup, but if your skin isn’t on point, then it’s all for nothing. From fighting acne decades past puberty to having free skin, the battle for good-skin seems like a hard thing to win. Which is why we hosted Chantel Netimah @mchantel, a PRO Makeup Artist, Fashionista and HR Personnel, on Crux of the Matter Tweetchat live session last Friday to discuss – Types of skin and basic beauty tips.

Here is a recap of the live twitter session hosted by Elsie Godwin:

 

Can we blame our skin issues on genes?

Before you talk about genes; ask yourself whether your skincare routine and lifestyle habits are up to par. The key to ‘picture perfect makeup’ starts with proper skincare. If your skin isn’t right, it’ll show even when you wear makeup.

 

Significant difference between men and women skincare?

Good skin care routine isn’t just for women alone; even men need it too. Although when it comes to skin care, men keep it simple. There are key differences between men and women’s skin care- for example, men’s skin is thicker than women’s – the basic elements of an effective skin care plan remains the same. First, it’s very important that everyone; men included know and understand their skin types.

 

Types of skin.

Knowing your skin type helps you learn how to take better care of your skin and select the right skin care products that are best and right for you.

 

1. Sensitive Skin – Now there are two sides to this. Dry sensitive skin and oily sensitive skin. People with this skin type generally react easily to beauty products. Skin may sting or burn after use of certain products. It would be best to keep it simple and try not to use too many different products at once.
2. Normal Skin – is clear and not sensitive
3. Dry Skin – is flaky, itchy or rough
4. Oily Skin – is shiny and greasy
5. Combination Skin – is dry in some areas and oily in others

 

Sensitive skin (oily) – Having oily sensitive skin can be a little tricky to manage because you tend to struggle with acne or blackheads as well as a sensitivity to skin-care products. Keep as simple as you possibly can. Stay away from products with alcohol or fragrance in it.

Sensitive skin (dry) – Most people with dry, have to manage sensitive skin, suffer with uncomfortable flare-ups of red, itchy and flaky skin. To help your dry sensitive skin feel and look healthy, you should wash your face with a gentle dry skin cleanser …that’s soap and sodium lauryl sulphate free.

These harsh ingredients can lead to further irritation and dryness. Also avoid washing you face with hot water – use warm water instead. A weekly facial mask.

Normal Skin – If your skin has an even tone and is not overly dry, oily or sensitive, you may have normal skin. You can make decisions based on your personal preference. You may like somewhat more enriched or creamy-feeling products. But what you want to avoid are products that will cause problems, creating a skin type you don’t want.

Dry Skin – If you have dry skin, use gentle cleanser that doesn’t have alcohol or fragrance; as those ingredients can dry out your skin even more. Gently wash your skin, then rinse with warm water. Don’t use hot water because it removes the natural oils from your face really fast. Try exfoliating once a week to get rid of flaky skin cells.

Oily Skin – Having oily skin can sometimes be irritating because an hour after you step out of the house, you’re already looking like they can use your face to fry egg. Lol. Avoid harsh, drying ingredients because they actually trigger more oil.

Combination Skin – Combination skin means there’s a mix of oily and dry areas on different parts on the face, with (the T-zone; forehead, nose and chin) being slightly too very oily. One thing to keep in mind with this skin type is that there’s no one size fits all solution. It just depends on how dry your dry areas are naturally and how oily your oily areas are. You would have to deal with both areas differently. This means you would need to apply a more emollient moisturizer over the dry areas because if you apply it all over your face it would make the oily areas even oilier. Use a more gel-like for the oily areas.

No matter your skin type is, moisturize moisturize. Don’t wear makeup to bed. To keep your skin healthy, try to avoid habits that cause acne or flaky skin. Don’t pick at your pimples as it may cause scaring. Avoid hair oils and sprays on your face. Best of all DRINK WATER.

On choosing makeup products:

Choose makeup that have ‘nonacnegenic’ or ‘noncomedogenic’ on the label. They should be less likely to cause acne or clog pores. Look for makeup that is water-based and not oil-based. Discard old makeup.  Wash your makeup brushes often (weekly or every other day).

Don’t share your makeup brushes as germs from others can cause skin irritation for you. Use paper towel instead of face towel as they store bacteria.

Finally, not that what works for your beauty influencer may not work for you.