Is your skin type misunderstood?

Oily. Combination. Dry. Sensitive. Normal. With so many possible skin types and symptoms, and thanks to hormones, seasons, make-up and, well, everyday life, it can be tricky to determine exactly what skin type you have.
Think you’ve got yours sorted? Well, you could be surprised – there are some skin types that can disguise themselves as something else. Read on to find out if your skin is playing tricks on you.
YOU THINK YOU HAVE: OILY SKIN
BUT IT MIGHT BE: COMBINATION
If by the end of the day your T-zone (forehead, nose and chin) resembles an oil slick, then I’m afraid you probably do have oily skin. But before you rush out to buy all of the oil absorbing products you can, have a look at your cheeks. Are they oily too? If they’re not, then you most likely have combination skin, which means different areas of your face have different issues such as dehydration, dryness redness, sensitivity or normal skin. Use products targeting ‘combination skin’ so you don’t strip your dryer areas of moisture, and try and reset your oil and moisture balance by adding a replenishing toner to your routine.
Try: Planet Eve Organics Facial Balancing Toner, Natio Young Oil Control Toning Lotion
YOU THINK YOU HAVE: DRY SKIN
BUT IT MIGHT BE: DEHYDRATED
If skin your skin looks and feels flaky, rough and tight, you can’t be blamed for putting it down to having a dry skin type, which has its own share of myths associated with it. But, in actual fact, dry skin can be a symptom of a deeper issue – dehydration. When your skin is dehydrated, it lacks moisture, so external factors like wind, cold air and hot water strip even more moisture out of your complexion, making it look and feel even drier. Get your hands on a hydrating serum and apply it morning and night to nourish and relieve your skin from the outside in.
Try: philosophy when hope is not enough hydrating antioxidant serum, Ultraceuticals Ultra B2 Hydrating Serum
YOU THINK YOU HAVE: OILY SKIN
BUT IT MIGHT BE: DEHYDRATED
How can oily skin be dehydrated I hear you ask? Well, the reason your skin might be so oily is because its actually lacking water, so it’s overcompensating by producing more oil to try and balance your skins hydration levels. So what’s the solution? Start using an oil on your skin. Yes, I know this sounds crazy seeing as oil is the problem in the first place, however treating your skin morning and night with a nourishing oil will help your dehydrated skin draw in the hydration it’s lacking, and stop over-producing its natural oils.
Try: Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula Skin Therapy Oil Face, Rosehip by essano Certified Organic Rosehip Oil
What skin type do you have? Do you think you are misunderstanding your skin type?
Have you tried any of the products mentioned above?
Review them now to earn points that you can swap for free beauty products in RewardsRoom.
73 Member Comments
Combo, dehydrated at times, confused in general
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It is difficult to figure out exactly what skin type you have. I would say mine is more on the oily side.
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I am pretty sure mine is oily but it can be combination at times
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My skin is definitely dehydrated.
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I'm thinking I'm dry/combination going by those pictures. It's really handy to have a visual reference!
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I think mine is combination. Adding oil to my routine has done wonders.
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I recall seeing two different facialists, both from Ella Bache about a month apart. They both told me completely different things. One told me I had normal to dry skin, the other told me I had dry to combination skin, dehydration and pigmentation. Go figure. Can't even trust the professionals.
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So helpful! I will have to look into using more oils and less products specifically for oily skin as I think they may be stripping my skin.
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yep, combination for me..
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Mine is a little oily and a little dry in areas
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I would say I have dehydrated combo skin. I think I definitely need to target my skin from the inside out :/
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I think I'm combination, but the dry bits are probably a bit dehydrated too.
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I hate when my face feels dry and stretched to the max eeek!
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Im definitely combination with lines and wrinkles thrown in!
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Hmm, I think I have normal to sometimes dry skin.
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I have dry skin that is probably dehydrated. I suspect that the dehydration is due to having a thyroid autoimmune condition.
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I'm a bit oily, a bit dry, a bit dehydrated, a bit normal and a bit ageing! I'm thankful that 2014 has been a great year to be on planet earth as far as foundations go! : )
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I have combination skin but do reach for products target for oily complexions
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I have seasonal temperamental moody skin. What do you prescribe for that?
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I'm in my late (man I hate saying that lol) 40's and still have oily acne prone skin. Even my 18 yr old son has less oily skin than me sigh
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I have normal to dry skin
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Dry. Always, always had dry skin, not just my face, on my legs and arms too it's so annoying! One upside is I never got acne and barely ever had problematic skin.
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