Know your skin type

For achieving a beautiful and flawless skin, dreams aren’t enough. You need to follow a proper and regular skin care regime. But do you even know which product will suit your skin? Do you have thorough knowledge about your skin? Or you are still struggling to know what is your skin type? Your skin is the largest organ and it is as complex and smart as your heart, lungs, liver and other vital organs of the body.

Not every skin is same. It has few common skin types that may help you to know in which category you fall. Know your type by using one of the methods stated below:

1. The bare-face method
2. Clean your face thoroughly with a mild cleanser and gently pat dry.
3. Leave skin as it is and don’t apply any product
4. After 30 minutes, examine your cheeks, chin, nose and forehead for any shine.
5. After another 30 minutes, evaluate whether your skin feels parched, especially if you smile or make any other facial expressions. 
6. If your skin feels tight, your skin is likely dry. If there is noticeable shine on your nose and forehead, your skin is mostly likely normal/combination. If there is shine on your cheeks in addition to your forehead and nose, you most likely have oily skin.

1. The blotting sheet method
2. Gentling pat a blotting paper on different areas of face.
3. Hold the sheet up to the light to determine how much oil is visible.
4. You most likely to have dry skin if the sheet picked up with little or no oil.
5. If it shows oil from the forehead and nose areas, you have a combination/ normal skin.
6. If the blotting paper is saturated with oil, it is extremely likely that you have oily skin.

Types of skin

1. Oily skin type

Oily skin is characterized by a greasy appearance. This skin type is more prone to breakouts. Excess sebum production process is high in this skin type. Usually people have open pores. It is suggested that exfoliation shouldn’t be done too much as it stimulates the skin cells to produce more sebum.

Reasons behind having oily skin:

• Hormonal changes
• Climate
• Genetics
• Large pores

Tips for oily skin

• Moisturize regularly
• Stay hydrated
• Wash your face twice a daily

2. Dry skin type

Flaky and rough textured skin is recognized as dry skin. People having this type of skin face irritation and skin tightness.

Reasons behind having dry skin:

• Genetics
• Long showers
• Age
• Season

Tips for dry skin

• Moisturize regularly
• Don’t take showers for long
• Gently pat dry your skin
• Stay hydrated
• Use sunscreen always

3. Normal skin

An ideal skin type that everybody wants. It neither too dry nor too oily. It has a good blood circulation process and balanced sebum production.

Tips to maintain healthy skin:

• Stay hydrated
• Wear sunscreen always
• Moisturize deeply
• Remove makeup before sleeping

4. Combination skin

A mixture of oily and dry skin is known as combination ski. Usually the T-zone of your face is oily and cheeks area is dry. Breakouts appear only on forehead, chin and nose.

Reason behind having combination skin:

• Genetics
• Climate
• Products

Tips for combination skin:

• Use gentle face cleansers.
• Exfoliates gently
• Wear sunscreen always
• Buy oil free products

5. Sensitive skin

If your skin flushes with spicy food and adversely reacts to new products, you may have sensitive skin. You feel itchiness and tightness. Parts of the body have uneven texture.

Tips for sensitive skin:

• Don’t overdo your skincare routine.