How to Determine Your Skin Type

Skim through fashion and beauty magazines looking for the best products for your skin, but you’re so confused. Everyone’s skin type is different – some have oily skin, some have dry skin, but most have combination skin, and lucky people have normal skin.

How do you take care of skin that doesn’t fit a pattern? Remember that all skin types benefit from using quality products like moisturizers and cleansers, but how well they work will depend on your skin type.

There are five primary and unique skin types. These are oily, combination, normal, dry, and sensitive. Once you understand what skin type you have and the areas where your skin is different, it will be easier to find the best product to keep your skin glowing and healthy.

What are some ways to determine what type of skin you have?
The best way to determine your skin type is by simple observation. You can do two types of tests at home to help you determine what type of skin you have, and it takes just 30 minutes of your time.

The first test is just watching and waiting. You can relax at home and observe how your skin reacts after cleansing.

⦁ Wash your face with a gentle cleanser.
⦁ Gently pat it dry. Do not rub or scrub at your skin.
⦁ Wait 30 minutes. Read a book, close your eyes, and relax, or meditate.
⦁ If your skin appears shiny after 30 minutes, you have oily skin.
⦁ Tight, scaly, or flaky skin means you have dry skin.
⦁ If there is shine only in your T-Zone, you have combination skin.
⦁ If your skin feels comfortable and hydrated, you probably have normal skin.

You can also determine your skin type by using blotting sheets. Blotting sheets absorb oil and will help you determine what type of skin you have.

⦁ Wash your face with a gentle cleanser.
⦁ Pat it dry.
⦁ Allow skin to rest for 30 minutes.
⦁ Press blotting sheets to different areas of your face.
⦁ Hold the sheets up to the light to find oil markings.
⦁ Blotting sheets with an abundance of oil in all areas of your face reveal oily skin.
⦁ Little to no oil means you probably have dry skin.
⦁ Blotting sheets showing a small amount of oil from your t-zone means you have combination skin.
⦁ Minimal oils from every area of your face equal normal skin.

How to Take Care of Oily Skin

The most common oily skin occurs on the T-Zone or the forehead, nose, and chin. Your skin feels greasy, looks shiny, and you often have blemishes and breakouts. This type of skin is frustrating, but you can keep it looking great with just a few tips, products, and some patience. Your skin is oily because the skin barrier produces an excess of sebum or oil that causes blemishes and clogged pores. You may already know this, so what do you do?
⦁ Look for products to balance excess oil and doesn’t clog pores.
⦁ Exfoliate 2-3 times a week to remove dead skin cells.
⦁ Wash your face at least twice a day.
⦁ Use a gentle foaming face wash. Ensure the product specifies “for oily” skin since harsh products will irritate your skin and cause more oil problems.
⦁ Go easy on the moisturizer.

What Do I Do About Dry Skin?

Your skin flakes and cracks. Do you have dry skin, or are you washing your skin too much? Dry skin produces less sebum than oily or even normal skin.
The best way to care for dry skin is to keep your skin barrier hydrated. The more moisturized your skin is, the healthier it will be. Without sufficient moisture, dry skin will have a weakened skin barrier, and dry areas will seem wrinkly and old. Look for products to nurture, moisturize, and hydrate your skin. Make sure these products are free from added chemicals, fragrances, dyes, or alcohol.

What is Sensitive Skin?

⦁ Sensitive skin often feels patchy, itchy, and sometimes it stings. Cleaning your sensitive skin can often trigger irritation, and your skin might feel a bit dry.
⦁ Taking care of sensitive skin means a little more care.
⦁ Moisturizer is required, but it cannot be easy to find a moisturizer that doesn’t irritate and cause skin reactions.
⦁ You may have normal pores, but often your pores are larger. Reactions to products or environmental irritants cause large pores.

Do You Have Combination Skin?

Combination skin may be oily in the T-Zone area – your nose, forehead, and chin – but normal all over the rest of your skin. If you have pores that are often clogged and seem large around your nose, but pores are small and unnoticeable on your cheeks, you probably have combination skin.
After cleaning your skin, your combination skin will feel clean, refreshed, and oil-free around the t-zone area. The skin on your cheeks, however, may feel tight and dry. Combination skin requires that you apply moisturizer to some areas of your face that dry out – like the cheeks, rarely need a moisturizer on oilier areas. Not knowing exactly where to apply moisturizer can be challenging.

Normal Skin

Those who are fortunate to have normal skin only need to use moisturizer once a day. Your skin stays moisturized throughout the day. You can tell if you have normal skin by thinking about how your skin reacts. Skin that is not too dry, oily, or sensitive, then it is probably normal. Normal skin will have unnoticeable pores, and your skin feels clean and clear after your daily cleansing. You will probably need a moisturizer to keep it from wrinkling or becoming too dry, but usually, your skin feels fine – not too thirsty, oily, or and sensitive.
Skincare Products

Once you know your skin type, you need to visit Skinflair Beauty Shop to find your skin type’s best products. Skinflair Beauty Shop carries the absolute best in Korean skin care products for multiple skin types.

Korean culture emphasis using the best products regardless of your skin type. Korean skincare products use a gentle approach, and each product has a specific purpose. Korean products focus on putting nutrients back into your skin instead of exfoliating, scrubbing, or using harsh acids