What is your skin type?
It is important to know your skin type before switching to natural products. The first step to properly care for your skin begins with understanding what type you have. Our skin types change throughout different environments and stages of life.
Although skin type is genetically determined and unique, your skins conditions and needs can change depending on:
- Diet
- Age
- Hormone cycles
- Exposure to irritants
- Stress
- Weather
Why Use Oil-Based Products?
People who are new to oils are often hesitant or skeptical to try oil-based products as they believe any skin problems they may have will get worse. Oils are an easy way to feed your skin, and are not just for people with very dry skin. Those with oily skin are often told to use oil-free moisturizers or skin cleansing products with harsh ingredients to improve their complexions, but in fact these pore-clogging ingredients may not only cause acne but also strip skin of its natural sebum, leading skin to overcompensate by producing more oil.
A nourishing organic, unrefined oil as well as oil-based products can moisturize, soothe, and help restore natural balance to facial skin. Our organic face serums contain natural plant oils that penetrate deeply bringing essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to your skin. Oil-based products are great for year-long use by helping soothe dry winter skin and adding moisture to summer skin dehydrated by the sun.
We recommend reevaluating your products and their ingredients, although it is important to understand that not all natural products are safe for skincare use. Stop using products that list water as the first ingredient. Since water is prone to bacteria growth, alcohol is often added. However, alcohol can leave skin dry and irritated. Oil-based products skip the water altogether, leading to a simpler, more wholesome product.
All of our products are oil-based, and our facial serums are solely oil! When using the selected oil from the Skin Type Profiler, it is important to keep in mind that its effectiveness is dependent on the other products you use in your routine. Oils work differently alone versus with other moisturizers and products. It is important to see how your skin reacts when first trying oils. Experimenting with new products should be fun, not daunting. How your skin responds to certain products or ingredients is important when discovering your true skin type and its needs. You may find that you were using too many different cleansers or moisturizers on your skin, and are happy with the discovery that your skin is capable of downsizing, and it is in fact more simple than have been led to believe. Trust us, your skin will thank you!
How Do I Treat My Skin?
Our products are optimally formulated for different skin types, but each persons skin is unique. Even if a product is labeled for a specific skin type, it may work just as well for other types, depending on the individual. A product that works well for someone with dry skin might also work well for someone with oily skin. While we recommend finding your skin type, and using products formulated for your type, it may be helpful for some to test different products and find out what works best. When doing so, it is important to be a skincare minimalist. Too many products can confuse your skin, so ditch the harsh soaps and cleansers, and take the time to pay attention to your true skin needs. Remember, when selecting your oil match, consider the time of year you will be using it with. As with any season, it is extremely important to wear proper sun protection. The sun is hot, harsh, and drying, and although its benefits are vital for us, you also need to protect yourself from its damage, even during hazy days and winter months.
When switching or adding new products to your routine, keep in mind how your skin is reacting, and what is consistent with your skin. Could you live without a certain product? What do you know your skin loves, and what it could do without? Try to use one product at a time when adding a new oil so your skin does not get overwhelmed. Too many products at once could have a negative impact on your skin, causing breakouts, sensitivities, or irritations. This way you can narrow down what is or is not working for you, and adjust your needs accordingly. All of our blends have a few general purposes, to balance sebum production, to moisturize, and to soothe your skin. If you have a nut allergy, please avoid any blends with argan, as it has been known (although not common) to trigger a reaction. We are here for you during your skincare journey, and are passionate that you will find a match even if it is not a perfect fit the first time.
Eudermic
You may have eudermic skin if your face never feels tight or greasy, has small, barely visible pores, and has few to zero imperfections.
Combination
Combination means you have at least two different types of facial skin. For example, if your T-zone (forehead, nose, chin) is oily but your U-zone (cheeks, mouth, eyes) is dry or eudermic.
Dry
You may have dry skin if your skin feels tight and irritable, has accentuated fine lines and wrinkles, and your complexion appears dull or rough.
Oily
You may have oily skin if your face is shiny, you often have breakouts, and you have more visible and large looking pores.
Subtypes
Within these four types of skin we have subtypes. I have carefully formulated thirty two different blends that address your specific needs. Each skin type has eight possible blends.
Mature
You have maturing skin if you spend a lot of time in cities, outdoors with the elements, or are at least 35 years of age.
Acne-prone
Your skin is acne-prone if you experience whiteheads, blackheads, papules, pustules, nodules, or cystic lesions.
Sensitive
Your skin is sensitive if it is easily affected by the environment. We do not consider this a medical diagnosis. You react to seasonal changes, synthetic fragrances and colors, and detergent soaps.
Care for Your Skin with Custom Essential Oil Blends
Each of our custom oils has essential oil blends recommended to work best for your skin type. While you are could use any essential oil blend A-Z, there are some blends that are more capable of addressing your needs. Get your blend without essential oils if you want to use your own or if you do not like your products to be scented. Essential oils selected for sensitive skin are safe for use, even if you are used to unscented products. We use 1% dilution in our blends to prevent sensitizing and due to the potent nature of essential oils, they are beneficial in small amounts. The essential oil blends are not meant to be fragrant but offer a mild, delightful scent. It is their individual properties that make the blend, after all.
Carrier Oils for Custom Blends lists the oils we use and their properties. For application instructions, read Natural Face Oils and for additional treatments check out Treating Oily and Acne-prone Skin, Treating Dry Skin, and Treating Sensitive Skin.
Unsure of your skin type? Use our Custom Oil Skin Profiler. You will be well on your way to discovering your perfect match.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions about our ingredients or need help with your selection. We encourage you to leave a constructive comment or any feedback on an oil, to help others out on their skin care journey.