In This Story:
How many times has social media lured you into buying a trending skincare product? It’s perfect for dry skin, they’ll say. And just like that, they’ve got you hook, line, and sinker. ‘It’s not for me, it’s for my dry skin’, you’ll think to yourself. Before you know it, it’s added to your cart and delivered to your doorstep. But then a few applications later you realize that it isn’t for you or your skin type. And the hunt for another perfect replacement begins and quite frankly, seldom ceases to end.
That’s when you ought to question yourself. It just doesn’t add up that a beauty hero for dry skin works on everyone else but you. Ask yourself if you’ve identified your skin type properly. And how did you identify it in the first place? ’Cause we all know what happens when a doctor botches his diagnosis. Similarly, the damage you do to your skin when you detect your skin type inaccurately is massive. It’s every doctor’s nightmare.
You cannot buy products for your skin before being 100% sure of your skin type. There’s no doubt about it. Best case scenario? Ask your doctor. But on occasions you don’t have that privilege, the Beauty Book team ropes in celebrity dermatologist Dr Jaishree Sharad to show you how to put your skin type to the test before you come to any conclusions. You know you’re in safe hands when you’ve got the Vice President of the Cosmetic Dermatology Society of India (CDSI) and CEO of Skinfiniti Aesthetic Skin and Laser Clinic helping you understand your skin type better.
And while she’s at it, she also gives you a lowdown on all the necessary ingredients your skin requires based on various skin types.
So, are you ready to get tested? We sure are!
Importance Of Understanding Your Skin Type
Before you ask yourself how to check your skin type, here are a few reasons to know why understanding your skin type is important.
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Tailor-Made Care
If you have oily skin, acne-prone skin, dry, or even sensitive skin, you need a different type of care. This means different ingredients, formulations, and solutions. Someone with dry skin can’t use an oil-free moisturiser, because dry skin needs that extra hydrating and nourishing oils that oil or acne-prone skin doesn’t need.
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Prevents Skin Issues
By understanding your skin type, you avoid buying the wrong products, hence avoiding any side effects or breakouts that those products can cause. This way you can prevent skin concerns you never had.
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Budget-Friendly
Once you understand your skin type, you can stop trying and testing with new products and stick to the ones that work. This way you save money on researching while also helping your skin.
Achieving healthy, glowing, and cost-effective skin by first understanding your skin type.
Different Types Of Skin Type
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Oily Skin
People with oily skin produce excess sebum in the inner layer of the epidermis that trickles down to the outer surface and makes your skin appear oily. It also leads to enlarged open pores that can clog the excess oil and sebum and cause acne and pimples. But people with oily skin often think they don’t need moisture, which in fact, is a myth. When we don’t replenish hydration, our skin produces more oil to overcome the loss leading to excess oiliness on the surface. You need gentle, water-based, and oil-free cleansers that hydrate, curb oil, and don’t strip your skin of its natural chemistry.
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Dry Skin
As the name suggests, people with dry skin produce less sebum leading to a rough texture, tight pores, flaky skin, and itchy sensations. Dry skin also appears taut and photoaged due to lack of hydration and dullness. The best way to treat dry skin is to hydrate it with an oil-based or gel-water cleanser and other skin essentials to replenish lost moisture. Another thing to remember is to not over-exfoliate, it can strip away the little oil and moisture from your skin.
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Combination Skin
Combination skin is when some parts of your skin are dry and some parts are oily. The most common form of combination skin type is when you have an oily T-zone, where your nose and forehead are oily but the rest of your skin is dry. This type of skin can be challenging to treat but the key is to find the right balance which controls oil on the oily areas and adds moisture to your dehydrated areas.
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Sensitive Skin
Sensitive skin is when your skis react to external factors such as environmental impurities like dust, dirt, pollution, weather change, makeup, and internal factors such as hormones, diet, lifestyle, and stress. Sensitive skin can be prone to acne, redness, itchiness, irritation, and other skin concerns. You need to make sure your skincare products are fragrance-free, gentle, and hypoallergenic.
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Normal Skin
This skin type is actually the most common, where your skin produces the right amount of oil and sebum, and with a regular diet, lifestyle, skincare products, and routine you can maintain your skin’s natural beauty without too many issues to deal with. This skin type is also known as God’s-favourite-child skin type.
How To Identify Your Skin Type
There are three ways in which you can identify your skin type, two of which can be done right at home. Let’s explore all options:
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Bare Face
A freshly cleansed face can reveal a lot about your skin. Start with a gentle cleanser that won’t strip away any of the natural oils from your skin. Let it air-dry and wait for 15–20 minutes. Don’t apply any cream, moisturiser, or sunscreen as the name suggests, let your face be bare for that time. Your skin will tell you what it needs when left untouched.
Oily Skin: If you have oily skin you will start seeing a glazed appearance on your nose, chin, forehead, and upper lips. You will also see visible pores that are clogged with sebum leading to whiteheads and/or blackheads. All these signs indicate that you have oily skin.
Dry Skin: If your cheeks, outer corners of your mouth, and chin start appearing flaky, dull, dehydrated, and rough, this means you have dry skin.
Combination Skin: If your T-zone appears oily but your cheeks appear flaky, that would be a sign of combination skin.
Normal Skin: If your skin appears usual, without any signs of oiliness, dryness, redness, or white flakes, then you have oily skin.
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Blotting
A blotting paper is a really good method because it can instantly tell you your skin type. Use a Blotting Sheet on a freshly cleansed face. The way the paper reacts to your skin will tell what your skin type is.
Oily Skin: When the blotting paper becomes completely translucent it means your skin is oily.
Dry Skin: If there is no change on the paper then your skin is dry.
Combination Skin: If the paper turns oily on the T-Zone and normal on the rest of the part then you have combination skin.
Normal Skin: If there is a little oil on the blotting paper then you have normal skin.
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Dermatologist
If you want extremely accurate results, then consult a dermatologist. They will test your skin cells and give you accurate results and products to treat your concerns.
How To Identify Your Skin Type
Under The Scanner: Oily Skin
Test It: “In the morning when you wake up, wash your face with a gentle cleanser. Wait for about one hour, then take a basic, thin tissue paper and dab it over your entire face. If you see that the tissue paper is now blotchy and translucent, you mostly have oily skin. Be sure to check if your entire face is secreting oil, and not just parts of it.”
Treat It: “To maintain the oil balance of your skin, you can use a salicylic acid-based face wash. It will unclog your pores and is lipid soluble which will help dissolve all the oil. Or you can use scrubs that have a glycolic acid or a mandelic acid base. Grapeseed extracts or Tea Tree oil are also known ingredients that help in reducing oil. Use water or gel-based moisturisers and sunscreens. One thing you should definitely reduce or avoid altogether is sugar in your diet.”
Try It:
Under The Scanner: Dry Skin
Test It: “Wash your face with a gentle cleanser and wait for an hour. If you have dry skin, when you dab your skin with a tissue it remains intact and doesn’t get blotched or translucent. You can even apply a mild foundation or concealer without using any moisturiser – the result will be caked and lined residue on your skin. Another quick test: scratch your skin gently, if it leaves behind a white or pale line when you do so, you definitely have dry skin.”
Treat It: “To tackle dry skin, make sure you drink at least 3 litres of water every day. Fruits, seeds and nuts are good for you, especially ones high in Omega 3. Vitamin E is also a good addition to your diet. Avoid hot and long showers. Also, stay away from soaps and use glycerin-based products instead. Look for ingredients like hyaluronic acid, centella asiatica, dimethicone, and panthenol along with the classics like almond oil, coconut oil and jojoba oil.”
Try It:
Under The Scanner: Combination Skin
Test It: “In the morning, wash your face and wait for about an hour. If you feel you have combination skin, use two different tissue papers. Dab one over your ‘t-zone’, i.e. your forehead, nose and chin. The paper will be blotched and translucent. Then use the second paper to dab on your cheeks and sides – this paper will be intact and dry. When your t-zone is oily and the rest of your face is dry, you have combination skin.”
Treat It: “It is hard to balance combination skin and the routines are a little harder. I recommend using a Tea Tree Oil face wash in your t-zone and a normal skin face wash for the rest of your face. You can use salicylic acid serums on your t-zone overnight to reduce the oily residue when you wake up in the morning. You can use a light cream for your cheeks, but be sure not to extend it to your t-zone.”
Try It:
Under The Scanner: Sensitive Skin
Test It: “If you have sensitive skin, you probably already know it. Sensitive skin will easily burn or break out into hives or rashes at the drop of a hat. Soaps may cause a lot of itching or burning, and hot water will dehydrate your skin. Sun damage is very common on sensitive skin as well.”
Treat It: “You should avoid excess smoking and alcohol as they might react to your skin condition. Sun exposure should also be kept to a minimum. Do not use fragrance-based products as they tend to increase skin sensitivity. Don’t exfoliate your skin too much either. All your face washes and cleansers must be 100% soap-free. Also, avoid all products that have parabens or sodium laureth sulphate. Always, always, always, use a sunscreen!”
Try It:
Parting Thoughts
Understanding your skin type is the first step you need to take in your skin health journey. Once you understand your skin type you can make better and informed decisions about the formulation, ingredients, and concentration you need for your skin. Your skin is going to thank you for hearing it out and giving it the love it deserves. And with the methods shared above, you never need to ask yourself, how to check your skin type, again.
FAQs
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How to take care of your skin as the weather changes?
Weather is integral in identifying your skin tone. Always compare the weather to your current living climate. If you are travelling to a cooler area, the climate tends to make your skin drier. So, if you have oily skin, it will turn to normal skin. If you have normal skin, it will turn dry. And dry skin will turn drier. Always opt for more hydrating or moisturising options than you usually use when you move to colder weather. Try WOW Skin Science Vitamin C Face Cream, Biotique Bio Sandalwood Ultra Soothing Face Lotion 50+ SPF UVA/UVB Sunscreen.
And if you are looking at a hotter or more humid setting, your skin type tends to move towards getting oilier. So, dry skin will become normal, normal will turn oily, and oily skin will still become oilier. My little trick is to carry an overnight serum with salicylic acid or glycolic acid when I’m travelling to a hotter climate that will help keep the oil in check. Opt for Neutrogena Deep Clean Blackhead Eliminating Daily Scrub and Avimee Herbal Salicylic Acid Face Serum.
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How to find the skin type?
Use the bare-faced method or blotting method to identify your skin type. If you want more accurate results, then visit your dermatologist.
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Can my skin type change?
Yes, with changing climates, lifestyle choices, diet, hormonal changes, and age your skin type can change.
