Assessing the type of skin you have can be essential for purchasing the right products and knowing the right remedies to use to improve your skin. The determining factor to your skin type is sebum, an oily substance secreted by the sebaceous glands. The amount of sebum your skin naturally produces will determine how oily your skin will be, how much water it can hold, and hence how quickly your skin can become dry.
Try washing your face and wait an hour without applying any skincare products. Or, try assessing your skin in the morning after you wake up. By doing so, you can analyze your skin’s normal oil production levels, without interference. Then, see which type most closely resembles your skin:
NORMAL
- skin does not appear shiny/oily
- skin does not feel tight/dry to the touch
- few visible enlarged pores
- no signs of flaking skin
- tend to have very few breakouts/blemishes
OILY
- skin is shiny with visible oil
- can see enlarged pores
- tend to have frequent acne breakouts and blackheads
DRY
- skin feels tight/dry to the touch
- skin appears dull
- visible flaky skin
- red patches
- wrinkles/lines on face seem more pronounced
COMBINATION
- noticeably dry in some areas but oily/shiny in other areas
- enlarged pores in the oily areas
- oily areas have frequent breakouts/blackheads
- dry areas have flaky skin and/or red patches
SENSITIVE
- skin feels irritated
- apparent redness
- burning sensation
- itching
Now that you have an idea of what your skin type is, remember to follow up with remedies that apply and are beneficial to your specific skin type. However, no matter which skin type you have, don’t forget to moisturize! For example, if you have oily skin, hydration is just as important to your skin, although it may not seem like it. Just be smart in the products you use and avoid heavier creams and stick to light formulas.
But also know that your skin type can change over time and the skincare routine that worked wonders for you once, may not always be applicable throughout your life. Some factors like age, lifestyle patterns, medications, hormonal changes, and weather may impact your skin and call for reassessments of judging your skin type. In fact, seasonal changes are a great time to reevaluate the type of skin you have.