The first step towards knowing how to care for your skin is to identify your skin type. This will enable you to focus on using products specifically addressing your skin's unique needs. It will also help you avoid sensitivity and allergic reactions and save time and money on products that just won’t work you. A beauty product might do wonders for someone else and do absolutely nothing for you or even worsen your skin. It is important to regularly analyze your skin every six months or so as the nature of your skin will change over a period of time and adjust your skin care routine accordingly.
Here is a simple way of testing your skin at home:
- Tone your skin.
- Blot the skin dry with a soft flannel cloth.
- Allow 30 minutes for skin oil to return and examine skin in a mirror under broad daylight or white light to identify your skin type.
Skin types
1. Normal skin.
After a wash it feels smooth and comfortable irregardless of cleanser used. It has a nice glow, looks clear and tone is even; never feels oily or dry. It has a fine texture and free of blemishes (with the exception of periodic break out in spots perhaps before or during your period or when you are under a lot of stress). It is firm and feels comfortable after applying a facial toner or a rich night cream. Pores are visible but not large or clogged.
2. Dry skin
This skin type has a fine and thin texture. It feels dry to touch; it also feels tight and drawn after washing and may have dry patches. It tends to have fine lines around the eyes and mouth. It rarely suffers from acne outbreaks. It feels stingy on applying a toner and comfortable after applying a rich night cream. The pores are very fine.
3. Combination skin
This is a normal skin with a few dry and oily skin patches; the extent of the dry and oily patches varies. After washing, some areas feel smooth and others dry. Dryness is usually on the cheeks and oiliness on the T-zone namely the forehead, nose and chin. This skin often breaks out in spots in the T-zone and requires a separate cleaning routine to balance it. Most women have this type of skin.
4. Oily skin
Oily skin has a greasy and sallow complexion, with thick and coarse texture. After a wash, it feels fine but oiliness appears within hours and make up is absorbed quickly. It often breaks out in spots and tends to have pimples, black heads and white heads. It feels fresh after applying a facial toner and oily after applying a rich night cream. It has large and visible pores.
5. Sensitive/problematic skin
Sensitive skin is easily irritated and has a lot of trouble with environmental factors. It burns easily in the sun and is very sensitive to perfumed cosmetics. Typical reactions include itching, burning, chaffing and stinging. This skin is usually oily with large pores and red blotches and becomes more irritated under stress sometimes requiring the attention of a dermatologist.
