How to Identify Your Skin Type
To have glowing skin is the ultimate goal for the modern woman. But, to have glowing skin means you understand and love your skin. It means you are familiar with your skin type and understand its triggers and also what it loves. Our skins are different and so before you buy any skincare products, first identify your skin type.
There are seven basic skin types: oily skin type, acne-prone skin type, dry/dehydrated skin type, normal skin type, combination skin type, mature skin type and sensitive skin type. Learn how to identify your skin type and care for your skin by reading on.
Oily Skin Type
Oily skin means that your skin has excess oils and appears to be shiny even when you haven’t applied any oils on it. Your skin may also feel greasy. Unfortunately, that also means that your skin is prone to acne breakouts now and then. Oily skin produces more sebum hence why the skin looks shiny.
Skincare Tips: Controlling shine is a major concern for people with oily skin. While having oily skin has advantages, such as fewer wrinkles, you should avoid ingredients such as mineral oil, petrolatum, and alcohol. Non-comedogenic products are ideal for oily skin because they do not clog the pores. Oil-free moisturizers, as well as chemical exfoliants and clay masks, are your best friends. Be sure not to over-wash your face, as this will cause your pores to generate even more oil to compensate.
Acne-Prone Skin Type
You probably have acne-prone skin if you have regular breakouts or ones that never seem to go away. This indicates that the pores clog quickly, making you more prone to whiteheads, blackheads, and pustules/pimples than other skin types. Acne may affect people with oily or dry skin.
Skincare Tips: Make use of acne-specific cleansers, as well as exfoliants and moisturizers to help reduce breakouts. Gently cleanse your face to prevent damage to current breakouts, and treat and lighten acne scarring with topical gel. Look for ingredients that combat acne, such as salicylic acid, clay, benzoyl peroxide, or retinol.
Dry and Dehydrated Skin Type
Dry skin means that your skin is dull and flaky and may feel tight and rough. This is because dry skin can’t keep moisture in. Unlike oily skin, dry skin produces less sebum. It could result from lifestyle and environmental causes, resulting from a chronic illness in eczema or related conditions.
Dehydration occurs when the skin does not retain enough moisture. When your skin is pinched together, it can feel tight, have a papery appearance, or show thin, fine lines.
Skincare Tips: When you have dry skin, you can seal in moisture by applying a rich moisturizer several times per day, particularly after washing your hands or bathing. Avoid using harsh soaps or products with a lot of fragrance oils.
On the other hand, if your skin is dehydrated, look for water-based products, as oil-based products will aggravate the condition. Most importantly, make sure you drink enough water every day!
Normal Skin Type
Normal skin means that your skin isn’t dry, nor is it oily. It has a balance of moisture, and its texture is smooth. This means your skin is less problematic compared to the other skin types.
Skincare Tips: You have almost no sensitivity, dryness, or oiliness with normal skin. Since your skin can handle most ingredients, you can get creative with makeup products and have a lot of fun trying out different cleansers, moisturizers, and masks before you know what works best for you.
Combination Skin Type
Combination skin means that you have oily skin on some parts of your face and dry skin on others. Your T-zone tends to be oily and your cheeks dry.
Skincare Tips: You should avoid the same toxic ingredients to oily and dry skin, such as alcohol-based products if you have combination skin. Balance is the name of the game when it comes to combination skin. Spot treat trouble areas and use toners or balancing cream to balance out the skin.
Mature Skin Type
Although not everyone’s skin ages at the same rate, the symptoms are pretty similar. You can find a few wrinkles or more dryness than you did when you were younger. Sagging, dark spots, dullness, and dehydration can be visible in more mature skin.
Skincare Tips: Mature skin requires more intensive skincare to address both past and future damage. There is no wrong time to start an anti-ageing regimen that includes restorative therapies that can increase collagen while also protecting against environmental aggressors and cell turnover.
Sensitive Skin Type
Sensitive skin means your skin is irritable. It can react to new environments or new products. Sensitive skin might sting or burn after using a skincare product, has patches of dry, flaky and irritated skin or reacts negatively to fragrance.
Skincare Tips: You should exercise caution when selecting makeup because you are more susceptible to pain, redness, stinging, burning, or acne breakouts. Avoid fragrances and irritants such as alcohol or antibacterial ingredients. Look for products with fewer additives and those that have soothing, healing, or anti-inflammatory effects.
If by now you haven’t figured out what your skin type is, you can take these two simple tests at the comfort of your home.
Cleanse and Observe
Using a mild cleanser, wash your face clean for at least a minute and then pat it dry.
Then wait it out for 30 minutes without applying anything to your face. Now observe your skin.
If your skin looks shiny on all parts of your face, you likely have oily skin. If your skin feels tight and flaky, you likely have dry skin.
For normal skin, your skin will feel comfortable and hydrated. It will also have the right amount of shine.
If your face is only shiny on the T-zone and your cheeks feel tight, then you likely have combination skin.
Using Tissue or Blotting Sheets
Another way to test your skin type at home is by using blotting sheets or thin tissue.
Wash your face with a gentle cleanser, pat it dry and wait out for 30-60 minutes without applying anything.
Then attach the thin tissue or the blotting sheets on your face and tap on your forehead, chin, nose and cheeks.
Then take a close look at the tissue or the blotting sheets near a light. If you have dry skin, the tissue will have no oily stains, and your face will feel tight and rough.
If the only part that’s oily is the part that was on your nose, forehead and chin, then you have combination skin.
If the tissue or the blotting sheets has oil all over, it means you have oily skin.
And if there is only a slight shininess on the tissue or blotting sheets, you have normal skin.
Knowing your skin type helps you shop for the best products and develop the proper skincare routine for it.
It is also important to note that the state of your skin changes depending on certain factors. These factors include diet, environment, pregnancy, hormones, stress and ageing.
This means it’s important to keep observing your skin to know when a particular routine needs to change.
