Caramel skin types are one of the misconstrued skin tones when it comes to skincare regimen. So, if you have Caramel skin tone, it’s vital that you learn how you can care and nourish it so you can retain the natural glow it is well known for as long as you can.
And as we age, the caramel skin tone tends to lose its glow and shine pretty faster than other skin types, so learning how to protect it from direct sunlight while caring for your skin is the best thing you can ever do. After all, your skin is your impression and your imprint.
Why wouldn’t you? But when it comes to caring for your skin, it is recommended to identify your skin type first, and we will soon learn how you can identify your skin type in the comfort of your own home.
In this post, I will be looking at Caramel skin, mainly its characteristics, and how you can take good care of each skin type.
The light caramel skin is a very common skin type, probably above all other skin types. Caramel skin is easily identified with its bright shine. Compared to other skin type, the caramel skin type is relatively easier to take care of.
But while the light caramel skin type is very common, it can be a bit hard to describe. You always have to be sure if you have the caramel sin type, long before you can start buying any skincare products.
If you do have this sikn type, you will likely benefit because you will be able to identify the type of skin products that are specifically made for your skin type.
That said, using wrong skin products can result to issues, like skin pigmentation which commonly affects people with the caramel skin type.
If you are curious about the caramel skin tone and the products that you can use to keep it healthy, this is the ultimate guide for you. As I promised, we should first help you in identifying your skin tone.
So what is skin tone?
Skin tone is simply defined as the color of your skin, and the color of your skin is reflected by the amount of melanin that is available, specifically in the outer layer, which is the epidermis.
But where is this Melanin made?
Melanin is actually made by a group of cells called “Melanocytes”. The melanocytes have the sole responsibility of producing the melanin, which then gives you the color of your skin.
What is the importance of Melanin?
The core significance of the melanin on your skin is to protect you from the sun’s UV rays. Note that these rays are very harmful, and without melanin, your skin could be vulnerable to a lot of damage. So, let’s talk about how you can recognize your skin tone, if you don’t already know it.
How do I determine my skin tone?
Having come this far, we now know that the color of your skin really depends on two things. These are :
1) The amount of sun exposure, and
2) The skin care products that you use daily, as well as the quantities of those products that are used at a time, not forgetting the ingredients.
So now let us learn about how you can determine your skin tone. The process is actually very easy, and as I said earlier, can be done in the comfort of your own home.
First of all, there are two main methods of recognizing your skin tone. The first one uses a paper, so let’s just call it the paper method, and the second one uses a Fitzpatrick pigmentary scale.
1) The Paper method
The plain paper method is pretty simple. To begin with, you should get a white paper- and preferably one that’s completely plain.
All you do here is compare the plain paper to the skin around your ears. It is mostly recommended that you pick the part of the skin around your ears that is not mostly touched by skin care products- so the inner folds of the ear’s structure, if that makes sense.
Here, you are trying to categorize your skin into either the fair, medium or dark skin groups. Basically, if you have a fair skin tone, it simply means that you have a fair skin surface.
If you have the medium skin tone, you have an olive undertone (will explain this term in a moment) and dark tone means you have, yes… dark skin.
2) The Fitzpatrick Pigmentary scale method
The second method uses a measure called the Fitzpatrick pigmentary scale. This has become a very common way of determining skin tones.
Never heard of the Fitzpatrick pigmentary scale? NO worries. I will just explain it to you (briefly). The Fitzpatrick scale has all varieties of skin tones, which are assigned different numbers.
Here’s a look at the details that are on the scale
- Type 1: Fair tone
- Type 2 is the light tone
- Type 3 and 4: medium skin tone
- Type 5 and 6: dark skin tone
Very simple, right?
Now let’s move on…
What is skin undertone?
Before we define this, let’s just get one thing clear. Skin tone and undertone are not the same thing, though these terms are often used back to back.
Knowing your undertone is just as important as knowing your skin tone, and Identifying your skin undertone comes to be particularly essential when it comes to selecting a product. And not just any product- the product that will really suit your skin.
Sounds important, right? Good.
You have probably seen the words “cool, warm and even neutral” on a wide range of skin care products, such as primers, foundations and the like, when you go shopping on a Wednesday afternoon- I really don’t know when your favorite “shopping day of the month/week” is, if there’s even such a thing.
But, what do these terms mean?
These are actually the undertones. As the name states, an undertone is the color that is beneath the surface of your skin. This color is different from your skin tone (or the skin above), and remains the same throughout your lifetime.
What I mean is; while your skin tone may change, your undertone doesn’t.
So these are the 3 main types of undertones:
1) Cool Undertone
This type of undertone is recognized for its red and pink color, with some hints of blue.
2) Warm undertone
The warm undertone has a golden plus yellow color, and comes with some hints of peach. And lastly,
3) Neutral undertone
Unlike the other colors, this is the most common undertone, particular in many women. The neutral undertone has a mix of the shades that are in both the cool and the warm undertone. It’s simply a mixture of the two.
Now that we have learned a lot about skin tones and undertones, let’s get into the purpose of this article.
What is the Caramel skin tone?
Caramel skin tone is the skin that has the brown honey color. The caramel skin tone includes a warm and a golden tone.
Where does it fall on the Fitzpatrick pigmentary scale?
This is commonly asked question. The Caramel skin tone falls somewhere in between the dark and the light skin tone, so that’s between the type 4 and type 5 on the Fitzpatrick pigmentary scale.
Characteristics of Caramel Skin.
Below are some of the characteristics you should be looking out for if you have caramel skin.
- Dark hair and eyes
- You have Cool to warm undertones
- Your skin has a golden look
- Your veins will take on a greenish color.
How can you care for your caramel skin?
Now for the part that you have been waiting for. Here are the tips on how best you can care for your Caramel skin.
1) Avoid excessive sun exposure
People that have darker skin are less prone to condition such as cancer, caused by the sun’s UV rays, and your dark Caramel skin is no exception.
But, even though your skin might be less susceptible to cancer, the sun can damage your skin if you spend too much time in the sun.
Does that mean you shouldn’t spend time outside? Absolutely not. However, when you plan on going outside, I recommend that you should use sunscreen.
For best results, you can add layer that with a moisturizer. Always put on sunscreen, even when there is an overcast (cloudiness)
On top of that, you can wear a hat or use an umbrella to provide extra protection to your face. Moreover, sunglasses can go a long way in protecting your eyes too.
2) Hydrate
Your skin has to be hydrated at all times, and twice as much when you spend your day out in the sun. Hydrating your skin is very simple.
Just drink lots of water regularly. Once you have maintained hydration, your skin will remain hydrated too. This is actually the world’s cheapest way of taking care of your skin.
3) Moisturize you skin
Make sure that you keep your skin moisturized, and the best way of doing this is to buy a moisturizing lotion that will lock the moisture on your skin. In this way, your skin won’t get dry.
Conclusion
Caramel skin is very beautiful and special. The best part about this skin type is that it is less susceptible to health problems such as skin cancer, but that doesn’t mean your skin won’t need as much protection and care as the other skin types do.
On top of that, it worth knowing is that caramel skin is mildly sensitive, so you have to pick your products very carefully, and introduce them to your skincare routine slowly.
So, don’t stay for too long in the sun, keep your skin hydrated at all times by drinking water, and keep your skin moisturized with a mist-locking moisturizer.
