What is normal skin?

Normal skin is anything but ‘normal’. In a sense it’s a little bit of everything – you might experience dryness, a hint of oiliness or sometimes sensitivity – like going round the buffet choosing a bit of this, bit of that. But on the whole, normal skin is well-balanced. It gives you little to manage. Forget being ordinary, normal skin could be extraordinary if properly taken care of. And who doesn’t want healthy-looking, radiant skin? It’s basically the best thing since sliced bread. Read on for our bite-sized tips and best skincare routine for normal skin to help get you there.

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Woman holding her face

HOW DO I KNOW IF I HAVE NORMAL SKIN?

Mostly you’ll find that the surface of your skin appears healthy. Your pores are hardly noticeable and you aren’t constantly battling blemishes, plus skin sensitivity hasn’t crossed your mind, or cheek. In fact, it could be said that to answer ‘what does normal skin look like,’ you should look for what it’s not.

Generally speaking, your skin isn’t either too oily or too dry. Like goldilocks said, it’s just right. With the possibility of minor dryness, a spot of sensitivity or occasional oiliness, this spread of potential skin concerns can all crop up at any time for normal skin types, but when they do they tend to pass quickly – rather than being the usual story for their respective skin types. Your skin’s natural oiliness (created by the sebaceous glands under each pore) is as well-balanced as a maître d’ expertly spinning plates. That means, your glands are by nature quite efficient at keeping things in order.

fact, you might find that only when the elements swiftly shift do you see changes to that balance. The extremes can change things up and cause your skin to react – both hotter temperatures and icy cold conditions can dry out skin. This can result not just in dryness on the face, but even oiliness. This extra oil comes from those nifty sebaceous glands, which are tricked into thinking your face is in need of more oil due to the lack of moisture your new dryness signals.

WHY DO I HAVE NORMAL SKIN?

For the most part, your normal skin type, like all skin types, is down to your parents. Just like the other physical and personality traits that are inherited through DNA, your normal skin is just another characteristic you got from your mama or papa.

But even if everyone in your family has normal skin, what it looks like for you might be different to your folks. So-called normal skin is relative in the way anything considered ‘normal’ might be. What’s normal for your skin might change day to day, too. But at its core, your version of normal is unique to you. Your skin behaves on the whole following the normal skin characteristics.

What do we mean when we say normal skin is well-balanced? Or if we’re being all scientific about it, eudermic skin. We mean that the T-zone (your forehead, chin and nose) may be a tad oily from time to time, but overall the sebum and moisture levels across your whole face are stable. Your face doesn’t feel too oily or too dry. That’s because your skin has a natural talent for balancing the two types of moisture it needs, like those old school kitchen scales that equalise on both sides.

The first type of moisture is oil, the fatty substance called sebum that comes from the sebaceous glands under the skin’s surface. Skin produces this naturally to keep the surface moisturised. The other moisture we need comes from water and pretty much comes from inside, AKA the amount of water you drink. So ‘well-balanced’ basically means you have a balanced oil to water ratio.

4 Normal Skin Characteristics

Well-balanced skin

Not too oily, not too dry. Well-balanced skin is moisturised to just the right degree. The way your skin retains water is spot on. And the way it pumps out oil is doing the trick too. Tick, tick.

Plump and even skin

Your skin tone is typically smooth and even. Your face feels soft to touch and looks naturally plump and healthy. Surely you can now understand why your cheeks were constantly pinched as a kid.

Pores appear small

Never thought about the size of your pores before? Smaller-looking pores are a normal skin trait. Plus, you’ll find your skin isn’t too shiny and tends to be flake-free.

Minimal skin concerns

If you get a blemish, it’s a rare occurrence. Blackheads and breakouts aren’t your bag. Normal skin creates and puts up with fewer skin concerns than its oily, dry and combination counterparts.

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Woman applying face moisturiser

How to take care of normal skin

Yay, you’ve got normal or what we like to think of as beautifully balanced skin. So, it’s your job to help keep things that way. A little bit of care and attention both internally and externally will do the job just fine. Let’s start with star jumps (seriously). A regular exercise routine can increase your blood circulation, helping get more oxygen and nutrients to your skin's cells – so it’s glow-glow-glow! And then it’s glug-glug-glug. As we know skin loves nothing more than being hydrated to help it stay looking plumped and youthful. 1-2 litres of water a day should do it. And the final part of this particular pep-talk is of course, ‘you are what you eat’ – in a sense. A fresh balanced diet packed with vitamin-rich veggies and unadulterated whole foods like nuts and pulses will go a long way to feed that balanced beauty with the nutrients it needs to stay on an even keel.

Our top tips for normal skin

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The Body Shop Vitamin E products on bathroom sink

TIP 1 - Don’t use products that target concerns you don’t have

It might be tempting to pore over your pores looking for issues, particularly if you’re up on skincare trends or think a short-lived spot of dryness or oiliness is sticking around longer than usual. But even normal skin sometimes shows these signs. Particularly when the elements can create a temporary extra bit of oil, or tighten skin. Equally, too-hot H20 in your shower will dry out skin. And smoking can lower skin’s moisture levels. So, before you start using targeted skincare products in a bid to help get oil under control or deeply replenish moisture, step away! Products with those specific formulations are meant only for those who are experiencing such flare-ups and flusters as a standard of their skin type. If they’re used on your normal skin, chances are you’ll create your own issues.

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The Body Shop Skin Defence

TIP 2 - Use a moisturiser with SPF

Like flowers reaching to follow the sun, we all love the way the sun feels on our skin. And yes, there’s a whole menu of amazing-feeling physical and mental benefits to having the sun rays shining down on us. But, take care – getting too much of this good thing can result in some seriously bad after-effects, causing skin damage thanks to the sun’s UVA and UVB rays. The first speed up the skin ageing process, while the latter causes sunburn. So, the best moisturiser for normal skin is one that includes SPF. We’ve got plenty of SPF-infused moisturisers and day creams to help you fare the sun’s rays from our Skin Defence Multi-Protection Lotion SPF 50+ PA++++, to our Vitamin E Moisture Protect Emulsion SPF 30 PA+++ and Aloe Soothing Moisture Lotion SPF 15 PA++.

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Fresh Nude Foundation swatches

TIP 3 - Use makeup with SPF

Since all that sun care malarky is no mere trifle, it follows that whatever you might add to your face post-moisturiser should continue the good vibes and UV protection. Our Fresh Nude Foundation is infused with SPF 15 for added sun defence on top of your usual protection. Normal skin will love this foundation. It is enriched with Community Fair Trade organic aloe vera and smooths on to skin helping it appear evened out and mattified.

Skincare routine for normal skin

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Edelweiss Cleansing Concentrate

Step 1: Cleanse

For the great balancing act you need some perfectly poised skincare routine partners. We’d recommend starting with our best cleanser for normal skin, the delightful Edelweiss Cleansing Concentrate. This lightweight gel-to-water cleanser transforms from a translucent formula to a gentle bubbly foam suitable for all skin types.

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Woman pouring toner onto a cotton pad

Step 2: Tone

Toning is the ultimate step when it comes to the subtle art of keeping normal skin in tune. Toners tend to help make sure all makeup, remaining cleanser and grime is gone while prepping your skin for moisture by shooing off any excess oil. Our Vitamin E Hydrating Toner is a top class formula, enhanced with vitamin E and wheatgerm oil. It helps to tone skin and get it feeling hydrated.

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Edelweiss Daily Serum Concentrate

Step 3: Use Serum

Every top notch skincare routine requires a serum. We think your lovely mug deserves our sophisticated Edelweiss Daily Serum Concentrate, made with 99% ingredients of natural origin, it only takes a few drops of our new Edelweiss Daily Serum Concentrate to leave skin looking smoother.

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Woman applying face cream

Step 4: Eye Cream

Our gentle peepers are surrounded by skin that’s a little bit more sensitive and thinner than other areas of our face, so they need a little TLC in the name of balance. And what better way to tend to your delicate eye area than with our Vitamin E Eye Cream. This clever little tube is formulated with vitamin E, hyaluronic acid and wheatgerm oil, and helps to leave the eye area feeling moisturised, less tired and refreshed.

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Fingers scooping The Body Shop Vitamin E Moisture Cream

Step 5: Moisturise

So after you’ve lavished your face with a few drops of serum, you can let loose with a perfectly honed moisturiser. And we’ve got a real icon for you that’s a constant favourite on bathroom shelves. Say hello to our Vitamin E Moisture Cream. This easy-going, hard-working formula is the perfect moisture partner for normal skin. Infused with vitamin E and raspberry seed oil, this silky legend slips on with a lightweight, fast-absorbing texture, and helps provide up to 48 hours of refreshing hydration.

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The Body Shop Vitamin E Moisture Protect Emulsion

Step 6: Wear a moisturiser with SPF

And as if you didn’t guess, yep, your next step is moisturiser with SPF. No matter the weather, the sun’s harmful rays can play havoc with the pigments in our skin, so it’s common sense to include a SPF in your daily skincare routine. You can continue with top notch care of normal skin with a firm favourite, Vitamin E Moisture Protect Emulsion SPF30. You get all the consistent hydration of our iconic Vitamin E moisturiser with SPF protection too. Now there’s a reason to smile.

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The Body Shop Vitamin E Night Nourishing Cream

Step 7: Night Cream

We all love our zzz’s and normal balanced skin is no different – our skin cells are replenished with bodily nutrients as we rest. But, we can also lose up to one litre of moisture a night, so it’s important to give our faces a boost of hydration as we snooze. Round off your exemplary skincare routine with Vitamin E Night Cream, it’s rich yet easily absorbed and infused with biofermented hyaluronic acid and cocoa butter from Ghana. So, like a good nighttime cuddle for your face, it helps replenish and protect, so you wake up with skin that feels softer and smoother.

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