How to Determine Your Skin Type

Have you ever held someone’s hand and thought that their skin felt different from yours? Do you ever wonder if it’s normal to see red patches on your chest while showering? Does your cousin’s favorite make-up mysteriously leave you broken out? Skin types may explain all these curiosities.

If you don’t know yours, you can always consult a dermatologist. With that said, determining your skin type is something you can do at home. This article will show you how to find out for yourself just by using common household items.

A Quick Crash Course

We’ve written about skin types before, but we’ll give a brief refresher for anyone who needs it. There are four basic kinds:

· Dry skin: Itchy, When you do not naturally produce enough moisture, your skin get itchy, scaly, cracked … dry. People in this category may develop conditions like eczema. Cold weather, hot water, and harsh soaps can set off severe urges to scratch.

· Oily skin: Some people’s sebaceous glands release more sebum than the norm, leading to oily skin. This overproduction can create an ideal environment for acne, blackheads, open pores, and more blemishes. The skin often looks shiny as a result.

· Combination skin: It’s not always one or the other. Many people have areas of skin that are dry and other areas that are oily. This skin type requires spot treatment, meaning a careful application of different products to different parts.

· Low-maintenance skin: It’s not always … either one at all. If your skin isn’t noticeably oily or noticeably dry, you have much less to consider when shopping for care products. It tends to be called “normal” skin, though the other types are just as normal.

Blotting Paper

Now that you know or remember the different common skin types, we can move on to the first method for learning yours. All you need is some blotting paper.

This kind of sheet is designed to absorb liquids. Normally, people pick up spilled water or drinks off surfaces with it. For this test, you will gently dab it over your face instead. Use different areas of the paper on different areas of your face. When you finish, hold it up in front of a light source and observe the spots.

If you see next to no residue, you probably have dry skin. People with oily skin will see that oil everywhere on the likely damp sheet. If the wetness is concentrated on the nose and forehead, the “T-zone,” that’s evidence of combination skin. Finally, if you see oil throughout but not much of it, take heart that your skin is low-maintenance.

Cleanser Test

The cleanser test takes more time to produce its results. Those results, though, may be easier to interpret than blotting paper. Instead of just looking for signs of your skin type, you will also feel it.

Take a mild cleanser and rub it over your face. After you pat it dry, try not to touch it for half an hour. As you wait, practice some mindfulness and observe how it feels – if you feel anything at all. Look in the mirror when the time runs out.

Combination skin will leave only your T-zone shiny. Oily skin will make the whole face glow. Dry skin won’t require you to gaze at your reflection – you will already feel the tightness and discomfort from the cleanser. If your face simply feels hydrated and looks normal, you have low-maintenance skin.

Why Does Skin Type Matter?

Dry and oily skin are practically opposites. The former is the result of low oil production from your glands, while the latter is the result of too much production. All skin types require different treatment and care. Otherwise, the products you use would have no effect – or worse, a negative one.

Take moisturizers as an example. People with dry skin count on these items to mitigate their conditions and make them literally feel comfortable in their own skin. People with oily skin don’t need any assistance with moisture. Applying these lotions can do them more harm than good.

Your skin type affects your entire skincare, beauty, and anti-aging routines. Be careful to only get products whose properties and formulas make up for your type’s weaknesses and reinforce its strengths.

Shop for Your Skin Type at NADIA Skincare

After learning how to determine your own skin type, feel free to give both the blotting paper and cleanser tests a try. You may still want an expert opinion, but these experiments are easy enough to pull off and interpret. With that done, you can now shop for products that can provide your skin with the care it needs.

NADIA Skincare is home to excellent supplies for all skin types. Whether yours is oily, dry, both, or neither, you can get exactly what you need for your health and your beauty. Browse our online store today and learn what we can do for you.