Learn More About Skin Types and Find Your Own

Your skin is your largest organ — so it’s safe to say that knowing how to take care of it properly is a big investment into your health and well-being. However, finding the perfect combination of products for your skin may be challenging — especially if you’re unsure of which type your skin belongs to.
In this article, we’re sharing some useful info to help you learn which of the four skin types your skin belongs to. If you want to find out which skin type you have, your face is usually the best starting point.

4 Main skin types

There are four common skin types: oily, dry, combination, and normal. The general structure of your skin classifies the type of skin you have, and different skin types react in different ways to makeup, skincare products, treatments, and your external environment.

1. Oily skin

If your skin looks oily, sallow and coarse; has large pores and tends to have pimples, blackheads and whiteheads — this might be your skin type. The texture of the skin is thick, and can feel sticky to the touch. Individuals with this skin type have a propensity to develop acne in their teen and post-teen years.

The good part is that this type of skin is mostly youthful-looking, due to the excessive presence of oils which protect it from drying out. Within just hours of cleansing the skin, the oiliness will reappear, sometimes causing the makeup (especially foundation) to look cakey.

2. Dry skin

This skin type has a transparent-looking, fine texture. It may lack natural oils and look rather flaky with small pores, blackheads and blemishes. It feels particularly dry after cleansing and may have whiteheads and dry patches around the eyes.

This is the skin type that needs the most moisture, as without moisturizing sufficiently, it can easily become chapped and wrinkly.

3. Combination skin

This type can be characterized as oily on the T-zone (forehead, nose, and chin) and dry on the rest of the face surface (cheeks and eye areas). If this is your skin type, keeping your skin healthy and balanced is a bit of a greater challenge, as this skin type needs separate skincare routines for its dry areas and its oily areas.

4. Normal skin

If this is your skin type, you’re very lucky — because less than 20% of women have this skin type. It is the easiest type of skin to take care of, as it is naturally the most balanced one. If this is your skin type, your skin should feel smooth, soft, and supple; not too dry and not too oily.

It is characterized by few blemishes and a nice glow. Nevertheless, this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t take care of it.

Determine your skin type!

Now that you know what characterizes the four main skin types, it’s time to find out which one your skin belongs to. Naturally, the safest way is to see a dermatologist who will do an in-depth analysis of your skin — after all, we’re all unique, and seeing a professional is your best bet at getting a personalized skin analysis.

But if you’re anxious to learn about your skin and don’t quite know where to start — here’s a very simple at-home test you can do right now:

1. Clean your face with a neutral cleanser
2. Wait for an hour without applying any skin care product
3. Take a white, dry tissue and gently wipe each of the following areas of your face: your forehead, nose, chin, and cheeks.

If oil appears on the tissue, you have oily type skin. If skin particles can be seen on your skin, or remain on the tissue, you have dry type skin. If you see oil in some areas (T-zone: forehead, nose and chin) and none in others, then it’s safe to say that you have combination type skin. Lastly, if you don’t find any oily residue or flaking left on the tissue, you have normal type skin.

Conclusion

There are four main skin types — dry, oily, mixed, and normal — and each has its own characteristics and needs personalized care. With this test, you can easily determine your skin type and see what type of care it needs.

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