Everyone deserves a good skin care routine. Using products that suit your skin is the key to getting healthy skin. Using random products that are not meant for your skin type may be ineffective or even cause your skin more trouble. Therefore the first step to building a proper skin care routine is to know your skin type. Based on your findings, you can pick the right products and ingredients for your skin type and / or concern. ‘How do I do that ?’ you may wonder. Lucky for you, in this blog you can read how to determine your skin type, but first, some background information:
DIFFERENT SKIN TYPES
The skin is usually classified into 5 different skin types; normal, oily, dry, combination and sensitive. Every skin type is caused by genetics as well as external factors, so it is in fact possible for your skin type to change over time due to for example age or the weather.
Normal skin, well-balanced
Normal skin is skin that doesn’t necessarily need extra care. It’s neither too dry nor too oily, but simply well-balanced and not sensitive.
Oily skin, too much sebum
Oily skin produces excess oils, which makes the skin appear shiny and porous. This skin type can be extra prone to acne.
Dry skin, not enough sebum
Dry skin is generally characterised by itching, cracking and flakes. It may feel tight or rough. It is caused by a lack of sebum produced by the skin. External factors that can cause dryness are for example low air humidity.
Combination skin, oil production in different areas
Combination skin is when some areas of the face are dry and others are oily. Usually the T-zone (forehead, nose and chin) is the area with more oils, while the skin on the cheeks might appear dry or normal.
Sensitive skin, every skin type can be sensitive
Sensitive skin is a skin type that is more prone to reactions. It can be accompanied by heat, redness or itching. This type of skin has a weak barrier and needs more care.
HOW TO DETERMINE YOUR SKIN TYPE
Method 1
Cleanse your face thoroughly with a cleanser and pat it dry. Leave your skin as it is for about 30 minutes, DO NOT apply any moisturiser, serum or any other product ! Now it’s time to check your skin. If it feels tight your skin is most likely dry. If there is a shine on your T-zone, it could be normal or combination skin. If the shine is also on your cheeks, then you might have oily skin.
Method 2
Pat a blotting paper on different areas of your face and examine the paper. If there is little to no oil on the sheet, your skin is most likely dry. If there is some oil on the paper, especially from the T-zone, your skin might be normal or combination. If the blotting sheet is very oily and also picks up oil from the cheeks, you might have oily skin.