If you’re a newcomer in the world of skincare, it’s perfectly normal to feel overwhelmed, confused, and at a loss. But we always like to say; skincare is a very personal and unique journey for everyone. With that being said, there’s also the possibility of misunderstandings that you probably heard. But don’t worry – we gathered five skincare myths for oily and dry skin types that can help you make sense of the confusion.
5Oily skin can’t use oils
Claim: Using a facial oil on an already greasy face is the last thing you’d want to incorporate. A facial oil on top of a mountain of oils can clog pores and cause more breakouts.
Our take: A facial oil is a great product that can help nourish the skin and keep it healthy. Even acne-prone types can find them beneficial for their breakouts when using the right facial oils! The reason behind this is due to the fatty acids present in oils. To put it simply, nut, vegetable, and other plant-based oils have fatty acids known as linoleic (omega-6) and oleic acids (omega-9). Oils with higher amounts of oleic acid are great for dry skin types. This especially so since they tend to be thicker and rich in texture. On the other side, oils with higher amounts of linoleic acid helpful for controlling acne. Acneic skin has lower levels of linoleic acid and higher levels of oleic acid in their sebum, which in turn can contribute to clogged pores and unpleasant breakouts.
So, how can facial oils help acneic skin? It’s to restore your linoleic acid levels. Since certain facial oils have a makeup similar to sebum, using them tricks your brain into thinking that you have enough sebum to keep your skin protected and well-nourished. What are some examples? Marula oil, rosehip oil, squalane, sea buckthorn, evening primrose, tamanu oil, and even jojoba oil.
Product Recommendations
The Ordinary Virgin Marula Oil ($9.90)
4Cleansers for oily skin needs to leave skin feeling squeaky clean
Claim: Because of the highly unpleasant grease and shine on our face, we want to wash with a cleanser that can leave your face dry to the touch and super clean.
Our take: Due to the constant development of new technologies and understanding, the skincare industry came a long way to create gentle and safe products for our skin. For oily skin types, you may experience instances where the overproduction of oils on your face made you want to dry your face. And you realize the products you use, such as your cleanser, did just that. Much to your disappointment, that desired squeaky clean and oil-free feeling is what’s worsening our skin in the long run.
The reason lies within the pH – a scientific indicator that tells whether something is acidic (low pH) or alkaline (high pH). Our skin has a natural pH of 4.5-5.5 and tends to fluctuate at different parts of the day. Cleansing, for example, brings your skin’s pH levels up to around 10 which is highly drying. That’s why after cleansing, you might notice feeling taut, stiff, dry, and sometimes uncomfortable.
The truth is, even oily skin types need to balance out their skin’s oils. While it’s alright to use foaming cleansers – especially for those who find themselves with a shiny face every couple of hours – using cleansers formulated at pH levels close to our skin can help control our oils. Gone are the days of squeaky clean skin!
Product Recommendations
Fresh Soy Face Cleanser ($38)
3If your skin is dry, it’s also dehydrated
Claim: Many of you might think that dry skin goes hand in hand with dehydration. If you have dry skin, you’re also dehydrated, right?
Our take: While it’s true that dry skin types can get dehydrated, dehydration applies to all skin types. Why? It’s a temporary condition that comes from a lack of hydration in the body and skin. After all, if you’re thirsty, you’d drink water regardless of your skin type.
So how does dehydrated skin look like?
Dehydrated skin can show up as excessively oily skin, dullness, uneven skin texture, and even dry, flaky patches. Water naturally evaporates in the air, a phenomenon known as Trans-Epidermal Water Loss, leading to the skin lacking water. Dehydration also happens when the skin is exposed to extreme climates, UV rays, and lifestyle habits such as showering in hot temperatures.
On the other hand, dry skin is a skin type that you likely inherited from your family. People born with this type cannot produce enough sebum to help protect against environmental aggressors. Those with this skin type may feel dry, tight, taut, and uncomfortable constantly.
The best solution for both dry and dehydrated skin lies in replenishing your skin’s hydration levels. You can incorporate hydrating products like toners, serums, and essences into your routine to give the moisture your skin needs. It’s also beneficial for dry skin types to apply a thick or whipped textured moisturizer as the last step to seal in all the hydration.
Product Recommendations
2You shouldn’t exfoliate dry skin
Claim: While dry skin needs extra hydration and moisture, exfoliating is out of the picture. Doesn’t it seem counterintuitive to apply acids and exfoliate your dry skin?
Our take: It’s definitely true that dry skin types should focus on hydration and moisturizing in their routine. But dry skin types can use a good exfoliating too! When you’re troubled with uneven texture or visible white and flaky patches, the last thing you can do to get rid of it is to scrub them with harsh and abrasive scrubs. On the flip side, chemical exfoliating encourages cell resurfacing to leave your skin smooth and evened out. It also helps your skincare products absorb quicker into your skin since it’s free of dead skin cells and buildup that would otherwise act as obstacles for your products.
So what chemical exfoliants should you use? Try products containing AHAs like mandelic acid and lactic acid or PHAs like gluconolactone and lactobionic acid. These are super gentle and can even help retain some of the needed moisture to your skin’s deeper layers. Suppose you’re just starting to use exfoliants. In that case, we highly recommend starting at the lowest percentage (especially for glycolic acid) 2-3x a week and gradually work your way up in percentage as your skin adjusts
Product Recommendations
The Inkey List PHA Exfoliating Toner ($10.99)
1You’re stuck with your skin condition for life
Claim: If you have any skin condition like dehydration, acne, dark spots, and the like, you’re stuck with it for the remainder of your life.
Our take: For this skincare myth, we’d say yes and no. Your skin type might indeed remain the same due to genetics, but your surroundings, including your hormones, lifestyle habits, stress, medication, climate, and even your diet, determine a major aspect. A good way to think of your skincare is as if you’re searching for clothes to wear. You select and wear different clothes to suit the weather, climate, temperature, and season. You’re likely to wear sweaters, scarves, and puffer jackets for colder weather, whereas you’ll wear shorts, tank tops, and sandals in summer. This same concept applies to your skin.
As much as you can apply the same skincare products, your skin can go through different conditions on a day to day basis – this might indicate that you’ll want to change up your routine as well. Whether it is waking up feeling drier than usual, seeing enlarged or clogged pores, or experiencing itchy and tight skin, these are all conditions that will stick around temporarily.
So what’s the best way to work around it? Understand your skin and how it generally reacts. To provide an example, perhaps you realize you’re breaking out when consuming dairy products instead of days you don’t. Perhaps lack of sleep, poor diet, and stress from meeting your final deadlines are causing your skin to look dull and lifeless. Whatever the reason, these factors are indicators of changing skin conditions that you can observe and monitor for patterns. Then you can go ahead and tailor your skincare routine according to your skin’s needs so that you can work around your condition.
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First, I would like to say how much I enjoy your videos. I have learned so much from you.
Why is it so impossible to maneuver on your website. I am trying to order several products from you and your website is very difficult, once I go to the search page it’s just frozen. It does not allow me to type any of the product names that I am looking for.
Please make it so that it is easy to order the products we want.
Hi! We’re so happy to hear the videos are helping you with your skincare journey and we appreciate you being here! Thank you! For the products, are you experiencing difficulties with the BW shop website? This is separate from the blog site and can be accessed through the pink shop button on the top center labeled [our shop]. For your convenience, here is a link that you can access directly: https://shop.beautywithinofficial.com/ . From there, the search results should show the products you’re looking for and take you through the standard online ordering process. If you have further questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out! Thank you!