What is Your Skin Type?
So, do you know your type? What you need and what you want? Maybe you are clear when choosing your lunch order or even your significant other but how about when it comes to your skin?
It can be quite confusing when wandering the isles, or scrolling the website of your local pharmacy or beauty clinic to choose the correct product for you. I want to help you identify your individual skin type, what skin concerns you have and help you navigate the language used by brands to find the correct regime for you. So, to start with what is your skin type?
There are 4 main skin types so everyone will fall into one of these categories HOWEVER there are a multitude of skin conditions that generally most of us will fall into at different times e.g. you may have oily skin that is also dehydrated (where your skin type is oily and the condition is dehydration) or you may have dry skin and suffer from sensitivity ( your skin type will be dry and the condition you suffer from is sensitivity)
So, what’s my skin type?
Use this trick to find out your skin type in 4 easy steps
- Wash your face with a nice gentle cleanser and gently pat dry.
- Leave your skin completely bare don’t apply any further toners, lotions potions or creams. Wait for 30 mins and then go to the mirror and evaluate your skin.
- If your skin feels tight or uncomfortable in any area- note the area. If there is a noticeable shine on the skin is it all over the face or only on the T-Zone perhaps?
- Take a single ply tissue and press to your skin- do each area separately the forehead, nose and cheeks. Examine the tissue for oil, did the tissue stick to certain areas on the face?
| What You See | Skin Type |
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Does your face feel oily and look shiny, do you see your pores with the naked eye? Are some of them clogged and appear dark in colour, does your skin appear thickened? |
Oily Skin |
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Is your T-zone shimmering and dewy, but the rest of your face is mostly matte or tight? Do you have particular areas of your face that breakout? |
Combination Skin |
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Is your skin flaky or tight? Are you super aware of your expression lines? |
Dry Skin |
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Do you have minimal oil, flakiness, or redness, or none at all, are your pores small and clear? |
Normal Skin |
Whether your skin is oily, dry or combination you might also recognise some of these characteristics
Redness, Broken Capillaries, Prone to Irritation any areas of itchy, red or inflamed skin = Sensitive
Loss in elasticity, dullness, fine lines and crepe like appearance = Dehydrated
Areas of the skin is a darker colour, pronounced groups of freckles = Pigmentation
It is worth noting that our skin types generally don’t change, however as we go through life, changes in environment, periods of stress, fluctuations of hormones and changes in diet our skin can react in different ways. You may never have had oily skin before but suffer from adult acne in your 40’s or never have suffered from pigmentation before and experience a mask of pigment during pregnancy. You may even start to develop sensitivity of the skin after an illness or a period of stress in your life.
When it comes to skincare routines, I am a big advocate of keeping it as simple as possible. If you get the basics right you can add on additional products as you need them to address any particular areas of concern as they arise.
Click your skin type below to find the perfect routine for you
