Choosing the most suitable facial care products for your skin type

In addition to Just the Good's facial care product selection quiz, this very basic guide aims to help you determine which Just the Goods facial care products might be best for you.

At this time, please let me emphasize that I am neither a doctor nor a registered health care provider of any other kind, so I can't diagnose anything, only share with you observations from my own experience and discussions with others.

Beyond that, please know that while a plant-based skin care regimen can affect the appearance of skin from the outside through the avoidance of petrochemicals as part of a daily cleansing routine, a wide range of factors contribute to each person's skin condition including climate, diet, general state of health including medical predispositions and/or medications being used, hormone levels, and skin care products currently being used. For example, many conventional petrochemical based skin care products can be very drying and result in both flaking skin and/or excessive oil production leading to greasy patches. In many cases, people find that switching to products with plant based ingredients can balance out concerns over a period of time, but this depends on the intensity of other influences as described above.

Since each person's body story is different, this guide offers basic suggestions only. Please note, this guide is not intended to cause shame -- those with acne prone skin should not need to feel that it's a problem that must be resolved. I provide this information because I am frequently asked, so my suggestions are provided with this in mind.

Important note: In all cases -- but especially for skin that is sensitive, allergic, or rosacea affected -- please remember that sample size products are available specifically to facilitate testing new products, so I always recommend purchasing small bottles first. Also, please remember to patch test on skin rather than applying to the whole area of the face to ensure a product can be used safely.

Thanks!
- Milena

Just the Goods products are primarily divided across four skin type categories:

Products for normal/sensitive skin are suggested for those who have no specific skin care concerns or who find they are prone to irritation and/or redness as a result of allergies or other sensitivities.
Products for oily/combination skin are suggested for those who accumulate oil in their T-zone (that is, the forehead, nose and/or chin) while other areas remain normal or even dry. Those with this skin type are often concerned with reducing oily shine and/or preventing occasional acne.
Products for dry skin are suggested for those with tight, dry skin in some or most areas of their face and may include flaking skin. Note: If you typically have normal/sensitive skin but find that it is dry at certain times of year due to climate, you may have better results using toner and/or moisturizer for dry skin while still using face wash for normal/sensitive skin as face wash for dry skin can potentially be too rich for your skin type. Face wash for dry skin is primarily intended for folks with consistent dryness at all times of year, often due to genetics and/or medical conditions, not temporary changes in weather.
Products for acne prone skin are suggested for those who experience regular acne, primarily in the form of pus filled pimples rather than hard red bumps (which are actually impacted sebaceous glands and indicate a need for more regular exfoliation).

More complicated skin concerns include:

- Acne prone skin that is sensitive and/or dry

If you have acne prone skin that is sensitive and/or dry you may need to select products from a variety of lines to best suit your needs. For example, if your skin is easily irritated, toner for acne prone skin might be too strong and toner for oily/combination or normal/sensitive skin may be ideal. In any case, toner is a very important to help keep pores clear of makeup, oil, and/or dirt, all of which can contribute to the development of non-hormonal acne

If your skin is very dry, products for acne prone skin may be additionally drying; however, I find that those with dry acne prone skin are often using petrochemical based products that contain harsh ingredients such as alcohol. In that case, simply switching to a clean, vegetable based product is enough to resolve dryness. Facial moisturizer for oily/combination skin or normal/sensitive skin may be preferable to facial moisturizer for acne prone skin. Facial moisturizer for dry skin may be too rich and is not recommended.

If you have hard red bumps that are tender to the touch and require extraction but do not turn into pus filled pimples, you will need to exfoliate and tone regularly. Exfoliation also helps to manage flaking skin.

The combination of products most frequently suitable for those with sensitive acne prone skin tends to be face wash for acne prone skin, toner for oily/combination skin *or* normal/sensitive, and facial moisturizer for normal/sensitive skin.

The combination of products most frequently suitable for those with dry acne prone skin tends to be face wash for acne prone skin, toner for acne prone skin *or* oily/combination skin, and facial moisturizer for oily/combination skin *or* normal/sensitive skin as the facial moisturizer for dry skin can sometimes be too rich for those trying to control acne.

Daily facial care with the correct use of toner is ultimately the most important part of caring for acne prone skin -- please find tips for daily skin care here: https://justthegoods.net/pages/tips-for-daily-skin-care

- Acne prone skin with both oily areas and flaking dry patches

This can be caused by drying ingredients in conventional petrochemical based products (i.e. alcohol, peroxide) pushing already troubled skin to produce excess oil. In many cases, switching to a plant based product without alcohol or other drying ingredients can help to reduce flaking and oiliness.

Daily facial care with the correct use of toner is ultimately the most important part of caring for acne prone skin -- please find tips for daily skin care here: http://justthegoods.net/pages/tips-for-daily-skin-care

- Managing pus filled spots and hard red bumps

If you experience both soft acne and hard bumps (comedones) you will likely want to take care of acne prone skin in a fashion that reduces pus filled spots so it becomes easier to exfoliate without popping spots while scrubbing. When skin is clear enough to exfoliate, use the facial scrub as directed. First try it every 3 days and see how your skin reacts. Some people are sensitive to pressure/abrasion and can only scrub once a week, or once every 2 weeks. Other people who are especially prone to impacted sebaceous glands find that scrubbing daily is ideal. You want to do it enough that dry skin and other pore clogging particles are lifted, but you won't want to do it so much that your face feels tender or looks red. Finding a personal balance is key.
Daily facial care with the correct use of toner is ultimately the most important part of caring for acne prone skin. Please find tips for daily skin care here: http://justthegoods.net/pages/tips-for-daily-skin-care. Tips for clearing impacted sebaceous glands may also be found here.

- Acne prone skin that is both oily and dry, and features both pus filled spots and hard red bumps

it is helpful to:

use a cleansing face wash
exfoliate regularly
use toner correctly
apply acne spot care as needed
follow up with daily moisturizer

For those without sensitive skin or any particular allergies to botanical ingredients, I suggest the following:

face wash for acne prone skin (if that feels too strong, lightly foaming face wash for oily/combination skin can be used instead)
facial scrub for most skin types
toner for acne prone skin (if that feels too strong, toner for oily/combination skin can be used instead)
acne spot care as needed (if essential oils are acceptable)
facial moisturizer for acne prone skin

Daily facial care with the correct use of toner is ultimately the most important part of caring for acne prone skin. Please find tips for daily skin care here: http://justthegoods.net/pages/tips-for-daily-skin-care Tips for clearing impacted sebaceous glands may also be found here.

- Skin that is simultaneously oily and dry

Skin that is both oily and dry is also known as oily/combination skin and can frequently be managed simply by avoiding products that contain petrochemicals, drying alcohols, or overly astringent essential oils. If your skin is primarily oily in the T-zone, but dry everywhere else, or if you are prone to flaking patches even where skin is secreting a great deal of oil, you may wish to consider the following:

moisturizing face wash oily/combination skin
toner for oily/combination skin
facial moisturizer for normal/sensitive skin *or* facial moisturizer for oily/combination skin depending whether it is more dry, or more oily overall. It rare that oily/combination skin requires facial moisturizer for dry skin

Daily use of toner to remove excess sebum is always recommended for oily and oily/combination skin.

- Managing rosacea

If you have skin that is rosacea affected, you might be able to benefit from the following selections as clients have reported success with these items in the past:

face wash for normal/sensitive skin without palma rosa essential oil
unscented hand/body lotion for use as facial moisturizer because it does not contain aloe vera gel or avocado oil, both of which have been reported to trigger rosacea in some but not all cases; however, if these are not triggers for you, you can try the facial moisturizer for normal/sensitive skin

if you have rosacea affected skin that is also prone to acne, you may wish to include toner as part of your daily facial care routine. It is generally recommended that individuals with rosacea avoid witch hazel, but I find that it because most witch hazel is distilled with alcohol, which is extremely drying/triggering, whereas Just the Goods uses steam distilled witch hazel.