Identifying your Skin Type in 4 Easy Steps

There are 5 skin types used to describe the condition of one's skin recognized by the American Academy of Dermatology: dry, normal, combination, oily and sensitive. Simply put, your skin type is correlated to the amount of sebum (oil) produced by your skin used to lock in moisture. Identifying your skin type is the key feeling empowered to find the best products to develop a skincare regimen that will nourish your skin with what it needs and give you the healthiest version of your skin.

Here are the 4 steps you can complete to figure out your skin type today:

Step 1: Wash your face using a gentle cleanser with no active skincare ingredients

(AHAs/BHAs/retinol, etc.) and lukewarm water (not hot or cold).

Step 2: Pat your face dry using a clean towel. It is very important that the towel is clean and you dry using a patting motion, no rubbing or tugging.

Step 3: Immediately take a close look in the mirror to observe how your skin looks and feels.

Step 4: Write down your observation and be sure to take notes on if/how your skin changes over the next few hours.

What you see and feel on your skin in the minutes and hours after completing the steps will ultimately determine which skin type you currently have. Yes, currently. It is important to understand that your skin type can and will likely change throughout your life. You may have already figured that out when your favorite skincare product no longer gave you the results you were used to or you went through a hormonal change such as puberty, pregnancy or menopause--to name a few.

Dry skin will feel dry or tight shortly after washing and may look dull, rough, or flaky.

Oily skin may look matte immediately after washing but will become shiny/greasy over the next few hours. The oil will be visible if a person blots their nose with tissue.

Combination skin typically involves an oily T-zone (forehead, nose and chin). and normal to dry cheeks. It is important to understand that combination skin will never have oily cheeks.

Normal skin will look clear (tone and texture) and will not feel tight or irritated after washing and will not change much over the course of a few hours or even the day.

Sensitive skin may sting, burn, or itch after step one. It may develop physical symptoms such as bumps, hives or red patches as well.

Did you complete these steps and figure out your skin type? Did your tween/teen? Tell me in comments if this was helpful to you.