There are five types of skin based on the balance between sebum production and dryness. They include oily skin, dry skin, normal combination skin and sensitive skin. Identifying your skin type is the first step to improving and maintaining healthy skin.
This short blog will walk you through how to tell your skin type at home with five practical steps. Following these steps will help you to understand your skin type and determine the proper skincare routine for your skin type.
5 Practical Steps to Test Your Skin Type at Home
Knowing your skin type helps you cultivate the proper skincare routine for yourself. It will also help you identify the kind of habit to avoid and the food that can worsen your skin health state. Below are five practical steps to tell your skin type at home.
1. Relax
When stressed, your body produces hormones that make your skin oily and sweaty. When checking for your skin type at home, ensure you carry out the steps when your body is relaxed.
Checking your skin type in the middle of house chores or other activities at home may give you misleading results. Ensure your body is calm and relaxed, probably at night, before you go off to bed. Also, ensure you aren't feeling heat or dehydrated.
Wash your face with a facial cleanser of your choice. Gently massage the facial cleanser to your face with your fingers to get rid of dirt that might have clogged your pores. If you sense that your face is oily before the wash, you may wash your face twice to ensure you remove all dirt and oil. Rinse your face with clean water.
3. Wait
After rinsing your face, avoid cleaning it with a face towel. Allow the excess water to dry off on its own. Wait for about 30 minutes for your skin to dry completely. This may be a perfect time to watch a relaxing movie.
4. Visible Observation Method
After 30 minutes, your skin appears shiny or greasy throughout - you have oily skin. Dry skin may feel tight, scaly or flaky. Normal skin will usually look relaxed after washing without feeling dry or too oily. You have a combination skin type if you notice oil on your T-zone and dryness on your cheek. Your T-zone is your forehead, nose and chin.
5. Tissue Paper Method
Another method for checking your skin type at home after washing is the tissue paper technique. Place a dry tissue paper on your face and hold it in place for a few seconds.
Remove the tissue paper and hold it up to see if it absorbs oil. If you notice oil all over the tissue paper - you have oily skin. If the oil is only visible in the area of your T-zone, you have a combination skin. You have dry skin if the tissue paper does not absorb any oil. And, if the oil is hardly noticeable, you have normal skin.