Beauty

How Ondo Sun And Coconut Oil Taught Me All I Needed To Know About Skincare

Skincare can be overwhelming, especially for beginners. Natural ingredients like coconut oil and shea butter can be tempting for achieving a perfect, glassy complexion. However, without understanding your skin type, applying heavy, comedogenic ingredients can be harmful and lead to breakouts.

By Clavia Okoli

PUBLISHED: March 24, 2023

How Ondo Sun And Coconut Oil Taught Me All I Needed To Know About Skincare

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As we were touring the small market, we came across a small section of the market that was filled with lots of organic ingredients such as extra virgin coconut oil, and shea butter. My eyes lit up like a glowing lamp in the thick darkness. Only that it was daytime but you could still see the sparkle in them. I quickly rushed to the tiny cubicle and asked the woman the price. Without a care for the prices. I collected a plastic bottle that was filled with coconut oil and two wraps of Shea butter that were wrapped in thin clear nylon. Before asking, e lo ni? In my half-baked English-Igbo accented Yoruba.


I still can't believe I spent half of my life in Lagos without learning how to speak Yoruba. Oh well, my left brain is probably as underdeveloped as they come.

I couldn't wait to get home to start using my newly acquired gateway to glass skin. Only that the gateway led to being a burnt Christmas goat.
In my quest to acquire flawless skin, I acquired a flawed skin.

Instead of receiving compliments like” wow, your skin is glowing or your skin is so supple”. I was receiving query eyes with the actual question of “what happened to your face? You are getting darker.

My skin was obviously glowing but more like it was dripping oil. You could literally fry plantain with the oil from my face. Why can't you? I was applying both coconut oil and Shea butter. Without wearing sunscreen. A whole Ondo state that is known as the sunshine state. I was cooking my skin not caring for it.

The issue isn't that I used coconut oil or Shea butter. Those two organic ingredients are a super food for the skin. The problem was that I didn't know my skin type and I was applying way too much.

Coconut oil and Shea butter are both moisturizing ingredients that are very good for dry skin. It's also fairly good for other skin types like combination skin and normal skin but must be applied in a little quantity.

But little miss skincare, who didn't know one single thing about skincare clogged her pores which resulted in an acne breakout. In a quest for skin like milk, I acquired skin like burnt dodo.

There are a lot of skincare beginners out there that are going through exactly what I went through. They are probably busy googling the benefits of Shea butter and coconut for the skin. Or ask organic cream vendors for the best oil that can brighten their skin color. In their mind, they are wise and woke because they want to achieve fairer skin through natural ingredients. I wish I could tell them the truth. Oh, I'm already doing that.

Truth is, without knowing what your skin type is, you are wasting your money and causing more harm to your skin. Some oils like coconut oil and Shea butter are heavy and are cosmogenic. This means that they have the tendency of clogging your pores which might cause breakouts.

But don't worry, it's never too late to fix ignorance. If I can do it, so can you.

You must be thinking, how do I know my skin type?
It's very easy. It's not something you need to go see a dermatologist for. Hold on, we don't even do that in this country. Are there dermatologists in Nigeria? Is it even a course in Nigerian universities? It should be, right? right?

Anyway, finding out about your skin type is something you can always do at home. It's very simple.
But before that, let me walk you through the types of skin there are.
Knowing your skin type is a crucial first step to understanding what is good and what is not suitable for your skin

According to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), there are five primary skin types: oily, sensitive, dry, normal, and combination. Each skin type is unique in its way and should be cared for with the right products. Mismatching the wrong skin and product will lead to mild to severe skin reactions like inflammation, redness, itchiness, breakouts, and other adverse skin conditions.


Different Types Of Skin And How To Identify Them

  • Oily Skin

Oily skin produces an excessive amount of oil (sebum), which can make the skin appear too oily, greasy, or shiny, especially on the T-ZONE (forehead, nose, and chin)
Oily skin has some advantages over other types of skin but it has its disadvantages too. People with oily skin tend to have less wrinkles but are prone to enlarged pores, and acne (blackheads, whiteheads, etc)

There is a misconception that oily skin needs less moisture because of its oily nature. But that's not the case. Oily skin needs as much moisture as the other skin types. Maintaining oily skin is all about choosing the right product that will moisturize, hydrate and nourish it without clogging the pores or causing breakouts.

  • Dry Skin

Dry skin has less oil than other types of skin. The dryness causes it to appear dull, flaky, rough, and dehydrated and it often feels tight. 
It's prone to wrinkles and fine lines. And can be irritable and itchy.

Sensitive Skin: sensitive skin is vulnerable to external triggers like harsh products or fragrances. Some products may trigger reactions like redness, itchiness, dryness, and burning.

The best way to maintain healthy sensitive skin is to avoid products with harsh ingredients that have been shown to cause the aforementioned reactions on your skin.

  • Combination Skin

Just like the name implies, Combination skin is a combination of both oily skin and dry or normal skin. It includes areas that are dry or normal ( the cheeks) and areas that are oily (the T-ZONES)
The skin type changes with different seasons of the year. And can also change due to hormonal changes.

Normal Skin:  Normal skin is the skin everybody wishes to have. But wishes are not horses. Normal skin is balanced skin —- it's neither dry nor oily. Some people say it's the perfect skin to have because it's not difficult to maintain. It's not prone to breakouts, itchiness, dryness, redness, flakiness, or wrinkles.

Though normal skin does not require any special treatments, however, it still needs proper skincare to keep it healthy and helps it look its best.

How To Identify Your Skin Type At Home

There are two major tests that you can take at home that can help you identify which category your skin falls under.

  • The Blotting Sheet Method

Blotting sheet is a highly absorbent paper that can absorb oil. Tissue papers or napkins can serve as a good alternative for this.

Wash your face with a gentle cleanser, pat dry with a clean towel, and leave to dry for 30 minutes
Press a blotting paper or tissue paper on your whole face. Remove it and observe it under a light to see the absorbed oil.
If the paper absorbed a significant amount of oil from all areas of your face, then you have oily skin.
If they observe little or no oil. Then you have a dry skin
If the sheet absorbed a small amount of oil from your T-zones ( forehead, nose, and chin), you have a combination skin.
If there's little oil all over your face, then you have a normal skin

  • The Watch And Wait Method
    This method helps you understand your skin better by waiting to see how your skin reacts after washing it with a gentle cleanser.

Start with washing your face with a gentle cleanser, pat dry, and wait for 30 minutes
If your skin feels tight, dry, and flaky, you have a dry skin
If your skin feels oily all over your face, you have oily skin
If your skin feels oil on the T-zones, you probably have a combination skin.
If your skin feels normal (not dry, not oily, and feels hydrated), you have normal skin.

See? Identifying your skin type is easy. Now, go and spend your money wisely and effectively. And achieve that healthy skin.

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