How To Figure Out What Your Skin Type Is

Once in a while, we bump into a customer who has queries about skin type. She typically falls into one of three camps:

1) She doesn’t know anything about skin types at all,
2) She has classified herself wrongly as another type, or
3) She knows her skin type but is clueless about what to do with this knowledge.

Not everyone knows about skin type, and this can be grave, because you may not be using the right products for your type. At best, your skin just won’t be as clear as it can potentially be. At worst, you could be causing damage to your skin that is difficult to reverse.

Alas, be confused no longer! In this post, we will teach you how to determine your skin type and how you can personalise your skincare routine to it.

It’s simpler than you think.

Wash your face with a cleanser. And don’t do anything to your skin for an hour.

If your skin feels oily and shiny at the end of the hour, you have oily skin.

Oily skin makes too much sebum. Sebum refers to the oil which is naturally produced by our bodies, and it prevents moisture from evaporating out of the skin. The good thing about oily skin is that it is less likely to show signs of aging. However, acne-causing bacteria consumes sebum as a fuel source, which is why oily skin is more prone to acne.

As acne-causing bacteria thrive in high-pH environments, people with oily skin are best suited to low-pH cleansers like SKIN 1004 Centella Ampoule Foam. To keep the skin moisturised without adding oil to it, water-based ampoule like SKIN 1004 Centella Ampoule are your best bet. 

If your skin remains dry and feels tight, you have dry skin. Dry skin doesn’t make as much sebum, so it’s prone to losing moisture, and often feels stretched, flaky, or itchy.

For dry skin, we recommend heavier cream that prevent hydration from leaving your skin, like SKIN 1004 Tone Brightening Capsule Cream.

If your skin is oily in certain places (typically the T-zone, sometimes the chin as well) and dry in others (the cheeks and jawline), you have combination skin.

As different areas of your face have different needs, feel free to use your light, water-based serums and gels all over your face and richer products on the drier parts of your skin.

It’s also normal for your skin type to change, depending on the weather, temperature, humidity, environment, and your hormone levels, among other factors. Instead of classifying yourself as a particular skin type set in stone for the rest of your life, it might be wiser to start keeping daily tabs on the condition of your skin, and tailor the products you use for that day to your findings.

The Takeaway

Don’t rush to buy the latest names raved about within the beauty circle. Rather, be prudent and look for products formulated specifically for your skin.

Disclaimer

Without a doubt, the most accurate way to find out what your skin type is, is to visit a dermatologist and have them analyze your skin with a machine. Our method (eyeballing) is a more cost- and time-efficient alternative that we find is reliable enough.