When you ask the majority of people what their skin type is, regularly they will reply, “dry” or “combination”. Non-surprisingly not everyone falls into these same 2 categories. Often people don’t know how to determine their skin type and so not realising, misdiagnose their skin type and ultimately make their skin worse by treating it with the wrong products. so I’m going to walk you through a few simple steps to work out your skin type, highlighting some indicators to specific skin types.
Everyone wants to have nice skin, ultimately skin is not just about your appearance. Your skin is your body’s largest organ and is the first thing anyone can see, having great skin can really boost your confidence, feel more comfortable and ultimately leads to better health.
How to determine Your Skin Type
Maybe you are here because you don’t know your skin type, maybe you think you know and want to confirm your suspicions. Perhaps you’ve just stumbled upon my post, either way I am going to highlight some key indicators for all of the skin types to be aware of when trying to determine yours.
Keep in mind that in winter our skin will act differently, changes in our hormones whether it be in your teen years or if you’re a woman, during your monthly cycle or menopause. It is also possible to be a combination of multiple skin types and if that is the case it is fairly easy to treat multiple conditions in your routine.
Dry Skin Type
- Dry skin can feel tight or uncomfortable after cleansing or showering
- Is dry at the end of the day even after good moisturising in the morning.
- Makeup is patchy
- Skin becomes tighter in cold weather and is aggravated by central heating too.
- Shows fine lines earlier than others the same age as you
- Can be dull or flaky especially around the eyes and cheeks.
- Small pores
- Wake up with dry tight skin even after wearing a rich night cream to bed.
Some dryness is usual however a lot of us don’t know what it is like to have true dry skin. true dry skin needs moisturiser first thing in the morning to help hydrate and make the skin feel more comfortable, especially following a shower. For those with dry skin I recommend oily cleansing balms, rich creams and gentle exfoliants.
Sensitive Skin Type
- Sometimes feels hot and itchy after cleansing
- Flares up easily after introducing new skin products
- Can be any skin type
- Prone to blotchy, red sore patches
- Usually fair skin types and burns easily in the sun.
My skin has a little sensitivity and generally I find a lot of fragrance or alcohols in a product can be irritating to my skin however I am fairly lucky that my irritation is mild. having sensitive skin if you love beauty can be a real nightmare because often active ingredients and fragrances aggravate the skin. often sensitive skin types are, like me, mainly sensitive to 1 or 2 ingredients. Identifying the key offenders means trial and error. Really stripping your skin routine right back and introducing one product at a time back into your routine until you find the culprit.
Combination Skin
- cheeks are generally normal but can suffer mild dryness
- pores can be enlarged around the nose and chin
- can have more oily/ spot prone skin in the T-zone (this is the central forehead, nose and chin) especially around a certain time of the month.
- makeup can become patchy through the day
Combination skin is more likely to be seen around times when hormones are changing. I.e. teen years, periods, pregnancy and menopause. the main goal is to be gentle and not try any extreme treatment for any particular concern. Using an oil free moisturiser through the day is often nice, I love the one from My Clarins, find my post about it here. Using gentle liquid exfoliants will also help. Generally I would just avoid a foaming facial wash.
Oily skin
- shiny skin especially in the T-zone
- often suffer from black heads, spots and/or acne
- fewer fine lines than others your age
- following a shower or cleansing there is no real need to moisturise the skin
oily skin can be a hindrance in your youth but ultimately you will be glad to have it as time goes on. In younger years when hormones are less stable, you can often suffer a lot from break outs and acne. It can be hard to get your makeup to stay in place all day, however as you get older your skin will wrinkle less quickly than those with dryer skin types. Oily skin gets a lot of bad press and it can be hard to know what to use if you’re an oily skin type. I would recommend using a facial oil without mineral oil, or an oil free moisturiser. Regular gentle liquid exfoliant. find out all about exfoliating acids here. I would also avoid anything rich or heavy including shea butter.
Normal Skin
- Not oily or dry
- comfortable and smooth with small pores
- balanced and hardly ever breaks out
If this is you, you are very lucky. Generally you will have little to no problems finding the right skincare and makeup to suit your skin. You may at some point become more dry-combination, however mostly having little to no issues. over zealous treatment of any issues when there is any changes may undo your otherwise great skin so be gentle. Learn the symptoms of blood dyscrasia and what one can do to find a cure.
Dehydrated skin
- prone to dullness
- fine lines which appear to come and go
- plumper after showering, in steam rooms or in more humid climates
- feels desparate for moisturiser after showering
- dry lips
for a long time dry and dehydrated skin were linked together as the same problem, however they are infact different. Dry skin lacks oil where dehydrated skin lacks water which is why you can be dehydrated and oily. If you’re dehydrated your skin looks fab after the shower until you dry off and then you can look dull and lackluster. Adding humectant ingredients which bind water to the skin will help. Glycerin, and hyaluronic acid are brilliant for this. One of my favourite and affordable skin serums with both of these ingredients is from Vichy. Read about it here.
