Do you know that feeling when you buy that amazing skincare item everyone was praising, only to discover that it made your skin condition even worse? There’s a reason why such a thing often happens. It turns out that people often purchase products unsuitable for their skin type without realising it. As a result, many people struggle with breakouts, dry skin, excessive sebum production, and irritated skin surfaces. Not to mention unnecessary expenses.
The key to a proper skincare routine lies in your skin type. If you pick a cleanser, a toner, a serum, or a moisturiser based on your skin type, you won’t experience the problems listed above. On the contrary, by following the steps we suggest below, you’ll start noticing positive changes almost immediately!
Here we provide you with all the necessary information concerning the five major skin types and tips on how to determine yours. Besides, you’ll learn the reasons why you have a certain skin type and get some advice concerning its appropriate care.
What Are the Different Skin Types?
Before you even think about splashing out another dime on any other skincare product, there is something crucial you must do: figure out your skin type. It may seem obvious, but most of us tend to ignore this and simply go for products that are all the rage at that time or those that our friends swear by. The issue with doing so is that what suits someone else’s skin may very well wreak havoc on yours.
According to dermatologists and specialists who deal with skin care, there are five skin types: normal, oily, dry, combination, and sensitive. They are unique in their behaviour and product reactions and require different approaches to care. Some individuals will clearly identify with one skin type, while others will be between types. It is normal to have two skin types.
Normal skin is a perfect balance; it is neither oily nor dry but rather balanced and smooth. Oily skin is characterised by excessive production of sebum, which causes a shining face with clogged pores and acne. Dry skin has insufficient moisture levels in the epidermis layer, leading to irritation, tightness, and flakiness. The combination skin type combines features of dry and oily skin. It involves having an oily T-zone (forehead, nose, and chin) and dry cheeks. Sensitive skin is very reactive to various stimuli, such as weather, fabrics, and certain products.
We will analyse these skin types in subsequent sections to help us determine our skin type. However, before that, we need to conduct a skin test at home that helps us identify our skin type.
How to Test Your Skin Type at Home
The best part about this test is that you don’t have to make an appointment with a dermatologist or purchase specialised equipment to determine your skin type. This process can be carried out in the comfort of your home within one hour using two easy ways. All of which are quite simple, free of charge, and accurate.
The Bare-Face Test
This method provides the best results when trying to determine your skin type at home. You should begin by cleansing your face using a gentle fragrance-free cleanser. Pat the skin dry and do not put anything else on your skin. This means that you need to skip applying any kind of makeup or skincare products like a moisturiser or a serum during this time and leave your skin bare for an hour.
One hour later, you should examine the state of your skin while looking into a well-lit mirror. Should your skin feel comfortable, look clear and not show any signs of either being too oily or too dry, it indicates normal skin. Should the skin appear oily all over, it may mean that your skin type is oily. Should the skin feel tight and look dull or dry, you should expect it to be dry skin. If you have a shiny nose and forehead and cheeks, which can be characterised as normal or dry, you should expect it to be combination skin.
The Blotting Paper Test
If you require a faster method of finding out your skin type, consider the blotting paper test. You can easily buy some blotting papers at any chemist or cosmetic store, as they are quite cheap. All you need to do is take a fresh sheet of paper and press it on your skin in various places, such as your forehead, nose, cheeks, and chin, before lifting it and looking at the outcome under the light.
In case the paper absorbs large amounts of oil from all places where it was applied to your skin, you are probably one of those people who have oily skin. If the paper shows no oil whatsoever and your skin seems to feel tight during the test, you have dry skin. When oil shows only in the T-zone part of your face, but the rest of the skin is clear, your skin type is a combination one. Finally, when the amount of oil is small and equal across all areas, and the skin feels fine, you belong to the normal category.
Please note that both of these tests should never be performed by someone who currently experiences irritated, sunburnt, or sweaty skin due to inaccurate results.
The 5 Skin Types Explained
Since you’ve taken the test and gotten an initial assessment of your skin type, let’s delve further into this topic. The fact that you know your skin type is important, but comprehending your skin’s behaviour, reasons for behaving the way it does, and its requirements will be a true turning point in your skincare routine. Below are comprehensive analyses of all five skin types.
Normal Skin
If you have normal skin, count yourself fortunate – but don’t get too smug about it. Normal skin is balanced, meaning that it only creates just enough sebum to maintain its moisturization without getting carried away. Those with this skin type are unlikely to experience any problems with acne, and their skin will typically look fresh and be quite comfortable all day long. Their pores will be small, texture uniform, and their skin won’t negatively react to most products.
Nevertheless, even normal skin requires constant care. Without a regular skincare routine, even the healthiest skin may end up with premature wrinkles, a dull complexion, or sensitivity. The task for your normal skin is maintenance.
Oily Skin
Oily skin is one of the most prevalent types of skin, and it is also among the most misunderstood ones. If you find yourself applying blotting papers after just an hour of washing your face or notice that your pores appear larger than normal and your face is greasy, then you probably have oily skin. This condition is caused by the overproduction of sebum by the sebaceous glands on your skin.
There is one interesting thing about oily skin that many people do not know: it ages more slowly than any other type of skin. The excess oil provides natural hydration and postpones the appearance of wrinkles. Even though you might feel frustrated with your oily skin from time to time, there is always a bright side. One important thing to remember about oily skin is to be gentle when cleansing it and to always moisturise, no matter what anyone else tells you.
Dry Skin
Dry skin feels rough and lacks moisture, often resulting in flaking, especially on areas such as the nose, cheeks, and forehead. Dry skin does not have enough oil produced by the body to maintain the right hydration levels, hence a weak skin barrier. Individuals with dry skin usually react poorly to harsh chemicals and cold temperatures, as well as taking hot showers, because all these factors worsen dryness.
One of the commonest mistakes made by individuals with dry skin is using rich and heavy creams and believing that they would be enough. The truth is that hydration and moisture are two separate entities and require different approaches. While substances such as hyaluronic acid attract water into the skin, oils and other heavy creams seal the moisture. Failure to adopt these two measures will only lead to continued dryness.
Combination Skin
The combination skin type could probably be the most difficult one because your face has to be treated like different territories with various conditions. Usually, the T-zone (your forehead, nose, and chin) gets oily, shiny, and may suffer from acne problems. However, your cheeks may get dry, tight, or flaky sometimes. This is the reason why people with combination skin find it hard to maintain proper skin health, because the moisturisers for the oily T-zone may dry their cheeks, while the creams for cheeks will only make the T-zone oilier. It is important to learn that different zones of your face require different treatments, and you need to apply various products to them.
Sensitive Skin
The sensitivity of one’s skin should not be linked to how oily the skin is but to how sensitive it becomes when faced with certain irritants. In case your skin easily becomes flushed, gives burning sensations whenever you introduce something new to it, becomes irritated when exposed to sun or wind, or experiences rashes for no apparent reason, you have sensitive skin.
One needs to know that it is possible to have sensitive skin together with other skin types. For example, it may be both oily and sensitive at the same time, or dry and sensitive as well. It is separated from other types of skin since sensitivity refers to your skin’s reactivity rather than the presence of oil in it. If one has sensitive skin, he or she should always be aware of what he or she uses. Fragrances, alcohols, abrasive scrubs, and some preservatives may irritate.
What Causes Your Skin Type?
Many individuals believe that their skin type was selected by themselves or that they have the power to entirely transform their skin type. However, your skin type is mostly predetermined prior to birth, and although specific circumstances may alter the way your skin acts, the basics remain the same. Being aware of why you have the skin type you do will enable you to stop trying to fight it and to work with it.
Genetics
And when it comes to your skin type, the primary contributor is genetics. If one or both of your parents are known for having either an oilier or drier skin, you will likely follow the same trend. Genetics will determine the amount of activity your sebaceous glands will have. This is where the whole concept begins. There may be no way to go beyond what your genes have predetermined for you, but there certainly are ways to influence the result.
Hormones
There’s no doubt that hormones affect the performance of your skin in a big way, and thus, it’s only natural that there will be times when you think you are seeing a different skin type depending on where you are in your life. The reason behind this is that during the teenage years, a rise in the production of hormones makes the sebaceous glands function more effectively, hence causing people who are in this age bracket to suffer from oily skin.
Your Environment
The location where one resides and the kind of environment one lives in have a major effect on the state of one’s skin. People residing in warm and humid environments usually tend to have oily skin, whereas in cold environments, where it tends to be dry, skin tends to lack moisture. The environment also includes pollution, which is an aspect that most people fail to consider, as it has a tendency to damage the natural barrier of the skin.
Lifestyle and Diet
It’s clear that when you eat unhealthy foods, don’t drink enough water, don’t get proper sleep, and deal with stress. An unhealthy diet full of processed food and sugar will lead to acne and inflammation, but eating a lot of good fats and antioxidants will help you maintain your skin barrier. Stress leads to an increase in cortisol in the body, which leads to increased sebum production, making you more susceptible to skin issues. Sleepless nights will leave your skin dry and tired. While your diet and genetics have an impact on your skin, it’s important to remember that your lifestyle habits are one of the few areas you can really influence.
Age
With age, one’s skin gradually transforms. It is during the twenties and thirties that one has the most stable skin type; however, once one reaches the age of forty years and above, the skin stops secreting as much oil, meaning that individuals with oily skin will have increasingly balanced skin types or even dry skin. The production of collagen in the skin decreases with age, making the skin lose some of its elasticity and texture. However, all these are natural processes that should not worry anyone since everybody experiences them.
Can Your Skin Type Change?
It is one of the most frequently asked queries regarding one’s skin, and the straightforward response to it would be both yes and no. One’s basic skin type is innate, meaning that it remains unchanged for the most part. However, that does not imply that one’s skin remains unchanged for eternity. In fact, throughout a person’s lifetime, his or her skin changes, and there are distinct reasons behind such an occurrence.
Age and Skin Changes
It is quite common for your skin to transform into something else due to ageing. Those whose skin was heavily oily when they were young tend to notice that their skin condition has transformed to being more balanced or dry once they reach their thirties or forties. This is because our bodies tend to produce less oil as we grow older, and at the same time, they lose some capacity to lock in moisture. At the same time, those with normally conditioned or dry skin will tend to notice changes in sensitivity and skin texture as they continue ageing.
Seasonal Changes
If you have ever experienced a dramatic difference in how your skin behaves during winter and summer, then you know what we are talking about. Seasonal variations are among the most widespread causes of changes in people’s skin type. The skin dries up in the winter because of the dryness and the effects of heat indoors. It becomes dry regardless of whether it was oily or combination previously. Summer conditions may stimulate the skin to produce more oil, so people experience a change in their skin type because it becomes too greasy and sensitive. The thing is, your skin is not really changing; it reacts to the external conditions.
Hormonal Changes
As stated in the previous section, hormones play an extremely significant role in dictating the behaviour of your skin. Pregnancy, menopause, use or stopping the use of contraception, and even menstrual cycles might result in unusual behaviour of your skin, which is not something you are used to. There are those women whose skin suddenly becomes oily during pregnancy, while others complain about dry skin and sensitivity. This can continue for many years after hormones settle down, making it seem as if you have a completely new skin type.
Skincare Habits
As strange as it sounds, the products that you use can play a role in determining how your skin functions. Constantly stripping your face of moisture through excessive washing, applying harsh products, failing to moisturise, or overloading yourself with active ingredients can cause your skin to become upset. An oily skin that is washed daily with strong cleansers may feel like it needs to produce more oil to make up for it. On the other hand, dry skin that is never moisturised is likely to react poorly to anything that touches its surface. Whatever your skin issues, chances are it is related to your behaviour towards your skin.
All in all, no matter what your skin type is, your skin is always adapting to changes both inside and outside of your body. This means that regularly checking on your skin’s condition and adjusting your routines as necessary can only help you.
Common Mistakes People Make About Their Skin Type
Even seasoned skincare devotees can commit these blunders. What makes skin care complicated is the fact that your skin may not always give you clear indications of what it requires, which means you might actually be hurting your skin by trying to help it. The following are some of the most frequent skin type misconceptions, along with what you should be doing differently.
Confusing Dehydrated Skin With Dry Skin
This is definitely the biggest misconception about the skincare process. When we talk about dry skin, we mean skin type — which means that your skin lacks sebum by nature. On the contrary, dehydration is a condition that refers to the lack of water in your skin. But here comes the trick: your oily skin can get dehydrated as well. In other words, your skin might look very oily while still being in desperate need for moisture. People confuse these concepts all the time, so they start using heavy oil-based creams when what they need are water-based formulas such as hyaluronic acid serum. If you have a dull, tight appearance despite oily skin, you definitely have dehydration issues.
Over-Washing Oily Skin
In case you have oily skin, you may think it makes sense to cleanse your face as much as possible to remove all the oiliness. However, this is among the most detrimental actions you can take against your skin. Excessive cleansing or using abrasive skincare products that would dry out the skin only deprive it of its own oils that it requires to maintain its balance. Your skin becomes frantic and overcompensates for the oils it has lost by producing even more oil, thus trapping you in an endless loop of cleansing and overproduction of oil. Twice-a-day cleansing is already too much for oily skin.
Skipping Moisturiser on Oily Skin
It is another common error that is closely associated with the previous mistake. Many individuals with oily skin choose not to use moisturisers because they believe that their skin is making sufficient amounts of oil and that it is not necessary for them to apply anything else. However, moisture and oil cannot be equated. Skin requires water-based hydration, and the absence of this can cause it to produce even more oils. Oil-free moisturisers are highly crucial for people with oily skin – no ifs or buts about it.
Using the Wrong Products for Combination Skin
Individuals suffering from combination skin often fall into the trap of using the same approach for their whole face. Using one product over their whole face and then complaining about how they have an oily T-zone with dry cheeks can become frustrating. To properly care for combination skin, one needs to adopt a different approach – applying a lighter lotion or gel to the oily parts and applying something richer to the dry sections.
Ignoring Sensitive Skin Triggers
Individuals with sensitive skin tend to waste a huge amount of money on different types of products, hoping to stumble upon something that might work, but they never stop and think about the root cause of their skin sensitivities. The main triggers include fragrances, alcohol, some preservatives, and harsh exfoliants. In order to solve this problem, you do not have to purchase many products; instead, it is much more efficient to narrow the range of skincare items used and add products slowly, step by step. In this case, you will immediately understand which of the products caused your skin irritation.
Assuming Your Skin Type Will Never Change
We had discussed this previously as well, but this should be highlighted here because it is another error that is often made by many. Most individuals understand what their skin type is once they turn 20, and they continue using the same products without ever evaluating their skin type again. This leads them to wonder why their skin looks the way it does when they have been using certain products all this time. You need to remember that your skin changes with time based on various factors, such as your age, the season, your hormones, and even your lifestyle.
People May Ask
By now, you probably know all there is to know about your skin type and how best to take care of it. There will always be a few FAQs related to skin types, which we will tackle right now before concluding.
How frequently should I assess my skin type?
Generally, a good practice is to test your skin after every three to six months. This will allow for a different response from your skin due to various factors such as seasons, lifestyle habits, changes in your diet, hormones, and skincare products that you are using. It is important to be keen on how your skin responds every day and be flexible in your skincare practices accordingly.
Is it possible for me to have two types of skin simultaneously?
Definitely! The term “combination skin” denotes having two distinct skin types on two different parts of the face – the oily T-zone and dry cheeks being the most common. But that’s not all – there are many people out there who struggle with oily and sensitive skin or dry and sensitive skin simultaneously. That is why it is crucial to know your skin well and treat it accordingly, because simply classifying it as one of the five types might be misleading.
Is sensitive skin a skin type or a condition?
What an interesting question! Indeed, sensitive skin doesn’t refer to the type of skin but rather its reactivity level. Hence, sensitive skin can go hand in hand with any other of the remaining four skin types: you may be struggling with dry sensitive skin, oily sensitive skin or combination sensitive skin. The treatment of both the skin type and the sensitivity issue is essential to achieve satisfactory results.
How come my skin feels oily in summer but dry in winter?
It is simply adapting to the changes of its environment. As temperatures go up and there is higher humidity during summertime, your skin will naturally produce extra oils. During winter, when there is colder weather and central heating inside the home, skin is often drier due to lack of moisture. None of these conditions should be taken as evidence that something is wrong with your skin type. Instead, they are simply a natural response to changes in climate. What needs to be done is adjusting your skin care regimen depending on the season.
Could I alter my skin type with the wrong skincare products?
Not permanently, but certainly temporarily! It goes without saying that the application of too harsh products may contribute to oilier skin. Excessive use of heavy creams might cause blockage of pores and lead to breakouts on skin that was perfectly healthy before. The application of too many potent active substances may cause irritation regardless of your skin type. While your skin type cannot be altered permanently, it still depends to a certain extent on the products used.
Conclusion
Knowing your skin type is not a simple task to complete before heading to buy any skincare product. It is the basis upon which you will make decisions about what you need in the way of taking care of your skin, from the cleansing products used in the morning to the nighttime moisturiser. When you know your skin well enough, you get rid of the wastage of your hard-earned money purchasing ineffective products and invest instead in building a skincare regimen that works.
The main lesson one should learn from the above article is that their skin is not an adversary. Whether you have oily skin, dry skin, combination skin, sensitive skin or normal skin, there are things good about your skin. You need to learn to understand what it needs without trying to change your skin type, but make it healthy.
Having learned what your skin type is as well as its driving factors, it is now time to think about creating a proper routine for your skin.
