#BeautyMyth: Skin Type (There's No Such Thing!)

Ladies & gents ~ we’ve been lied to our whole lives. There’s really no such thing as skin type. There is only what your skin needs in this moment.

Does your skin feel really tight and dry? Girl, it's thirsty — drink more water! And stop using harsh cleansers.

Does it seem oily on more days than it's dry? Here’s another thing that will blow your mind: when your skin is oily, it usually needs more oil.

😮I know, right?!

Here’s what happens: when you wash your face with any kind of soap (even if it’s our super-gentle Rose & Willow Facial Cleanser), you’re making your skin more alkaline (“basic”) and stripping away at least some of its natural oils. If you don’t replenish those oils, your skin’s sebaceous glands will do one of two things: 1. Go into overdrive and produce way more oil than necessary ( = oily skin) or 2. Just sort of chill out and figure maybe somebody else will pick up the slack ( = dry skin).

You can halt both of these extremes by following your cleansing routine with a gentle facial toner to restore your skin’s natural pH level (in this case, slightly acidic is a GOOD thing), hydrate, and tighten pores. (Learn more about why you should use a toner here.) Then, follow up with an oil-based moisturizer like our Rejuvenating Facial Serum. Jojoba, carrot seed, and rose hip seed oils balance your skin’s oil production so it won’t get too oily or too dry… it’ll be juuust right, Goldilocks. That means you can use it if you’ve been told you have “dry” or “oily” or “combination” or “normal” (whatever that is!) skin. Or maybe you need something a little thicker because your skin is a bit dryer or your live in a climate that's cold, windy, and/or dry — that's where our Nourish Face Balm comes in. A clay mask is a great addition after cleansing and before using a toner to lightly exfoliate, re-mineralize, and detoxify your skin.

Get started with our three (or four) step skincare routine by picking up our travel & trial-sized facial care sets, available in Essential (cleanser, toner, serum) or Deluxe (cleanser, toner, serum, and mask).