Determining your skin type can make all the difference when it comes to your beauty routine! It can help you know which products to use or stay away from, which ingredients will actually benefit your skin, and how to get your makeup looking its best. Check out these tips to learn how to figure out your skin type below!
Skin can be very complex and change over time, but it’s always good to know whether your skin is “normal, dry, oily, combination, or acne-prone.” As your body’s largest organ, it’s important to understand it and use the correct products to keep it healthy and happy! Luckily, there’s many methods you can try to figure out where you stand.
First, let’s identify the different skin types.
Dry Skin:
If you have dry skin, it can often feel tight and you may have some flakiness. Winter and matte foundations are your worst enemy! If you have dry skin, be sure to drink lots of water and moisturize twice a day. Daily gentle exfoliation can also remove the layer of dry, dead skin and actually allow any product you use to absorb into your beautiful face!
Normal/Combination Skin:
Combination skin is the most common skin type. If you have normal or combination skin, you likely experience dryness more in your cheek area but have a well-moisturized t-zone. You’re also not prone to many breakouts. With this skin type, use a light moisturizer and exfoliator in your skincare routine. You can also swing either way when it comes to foundation finishes. Whether you’re a matte or dewy kind of girl is up to you!
Oily Skin:
If you have oily skin… you likely already know it. Excess oil can often clog your pores and give you unwanted shine, but the good news is that oily skin can make you look more youthful and less prone to wrinkles! Contrary to popular belief, you should still moisturize your face even if you have oily skin to keep it hydrated. You can also exfoliate daily to promote cell turnovers and prevent buildup in your pores.
Sensitive skin:
Sensitive skin can often feel patchy, itchy, dry, and prone to reactions. If you have sensitive skin, be sure to use hypo-allergenic products and pay extra attention to ingredients used in your skincare routine!
Now… how do we actually determine what we have?
Blotting Sheet Method:
This method is extremely easy and will only take a few seconds! Grab some blotting paper from your local beauty or drugstore and gently pat it along different areas of your face. Inspect the sheet or hold it up to the light to see how much oil is visible. If it picked up little oil, you likely have dry or normal skin. If it shows oil on your t-zone (forehead and nose), you likely have normal/combination skin. If the sheet is loaded with oil, you probably have oily skin.
How does it feel after cleansing?
Cleanse your face and pay attention to how your skin feels after cleansing. If you have dry skin, your skin can feel tight and dehydrated after a wash, so go for moisturizing cleansers. For combination skin, your skin will feel oil-free and hydrated around your t-zone, but dry around the cheek area. With oily skin, your skin will likely appear normal and oil-free right after the wash, but the oil will return throughout the day. With sensitive skin, a range of products can make your face feel irritated or itchy.
How often do you need moisturizer?
Pretty much everyone should use moisturizer daily, but the amount of times a day you find yourself needing it can help you determine what skin type you have.
If you have dry skin, you find yourself using a lot of moisturizer throughout the day and likely have a bottle of it with you at all times. With combination skin, you rarely need to put moisturizer on your t-zone and focus on your cheeks instead. If you have oily skin, you find yourself only needing to apply a light layer of moisturizer once a day. Any more than that makes you feel slimy!
Now that you know your skin type, you can figure out which ingredients you should be looking out for, what kind of makeup primers and foundations to use, and how to get your skin looking and feeling it’s best! Leave some of your tips for your skin type down below.
Stay glam!
xoxo
Lanie Edwards