2013 was a year of rediscovering skincare for me, mostly because of my relocation to a much warmer, and more humid climate. My skin suffered from the change, and it forced me to take a long, hard look at my skincare routine, and 'reformat' it to suit my skin's new needs.

This is how I came to discover some key things that I had read about, but completely overlooked, in my research on skincare in the past. Before I delve into skincare and what suits the different skin types, let me share some important facts that everyone should know about the different skin types.

1. Having oily skin does not mean that you can stop using moisturiser - in fact it is the complete opposite!! Skin becomes oily because it is dehydrated, and is therefore over-producing sebum to compensate.

2. Having dehydrated skin and having dry skin is actually quite different. Though both are due to a lack of moisture in the skin, the products needed to address both concerns are different, and using the wrong kind of skincare could cause more problems that you solve.

3. Dry and dehydrated skin can become extremely congested if you don't use the correct skincare. Robin from Simplicité was the first to explain this to me in a way that made sense, "Dryness causes the keratin at the edges of the pores to ‘curl’; this starts to block the pore, causing congestion." This congestion is what causes acne and breakouts.

4. The more you try and strip oil away from your face using cleansers and exfoliants, the more your skin produces oil, and the oilier your skin gets.

5. When your skin lacks moisture (whether you have a dry or oily skin type), it is a major cause of wrinkles. You can counter this by using the right type of skincare to deliver moisture back into the skin.

6. When you have combination-type skin, you need to address both skin types in your skincare routine. It may seem tedious, but most of the time, all it takes is the addition of one extra product to help your skin overall.

7. 3 out of 4 women in the world have misdiagnosed their skin type, and are using the wrong skincare.

If you want to find out your skin type and how to care for it, these upcoming posts will help you. They include information about the different skin types and what kinds of products you should use. I will link them as they are published:

1. How to Determine Your Skin Type

2. How to Care for Oily Skin

3. How to Care for Dry Skin

4. How to Care for Combination Skin