Your skin type

Most people don't think of their skin as an organ, but the truth is that it is our largest vital organ. Skin that is clogged and unhealthy is not just a beauty problem. It can become a hindrance to your sense of vitality and wellness. Proper care of your skin is important, not only to your personal sense of beauty, but also to proper elimination, more graceful aging, and overall health.

Our skin takes a beating from environmental factors, including the very air we breathe, the sun we love to bask in, and the water in which most of us shower. Even the water we drink often fails to hydrate our skin, due to chemicals that have leached into our water supply.

Normal Skin: This is the skin we'd all love to have. Soft, plump and with small to medium sized pores. Normal skin has good elasticity, and is smooth and firm to the touch.

Oily Skin: Just look at most any teenager going through hormonal changes to see oily skin.. Oily skin looks shiny. Pores are larger and more visible, and due to the excess oil, there's more of a tendency toward pimples, blackheads, whiteheads, etc.

Dry Skin: If you see skin flaking off or your skin feels tight on your face, you probably are a dry skin type. However, sometimes this dryness can be brought on by not drinking enough water, certain types of heating in the winter, and being in the wind for prolonged periods. If you normally don't feel that your skin is dry, look to environmental factors as the cause. If you've recently changed soaps, that could be another factor. Soaps, in general, tend to be drying. Those with added moisturizers can cause allergic reactions, so if you have changed cleansing products lately and are experiencing differences in skin tone, you may need to change again! There are other skin disorders that can produce the appearance of dry skin, including dermatitis, eczema, or psoriasis.

Combination Skin: Combination skin is like having a split-personality. One part may be dry, while another is oily. The term "T-zone" refers to combination skin types where the forehead, nose and chin are oily, but the cheeks and the area around the eyes are either normal or dry. A small percentage of people with combination skin may have symptoms such as a pimply forehead, or cheeks that are dry, where all else is normal. In some cases, the skin could be normal everywhere outside the T Zone and this would still be a combination skin type.

Sensitive Skin: A person with sensitive skin has a lot more trouble with environmental factors than the average person. Their skin burns more easily in the sun. They have more sensitivity to cosmetics (particularly if perfumed), and may experience rashes or a burning sensation due to overexposure to wind, sun, and extreme shifts in temperature. If your skin is easily irritated or fits the other descriptions, you may be a sensitive skin type

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