How to Identify Your Skin Type?

How many skin types are there?
Generally, there are five skin types: normal, dry, oily, combination, and sensitive. Knowing your skin type helps you understand how to deal with issues like acne, dryness, and skin cleansing. Skin types are usually determined by genetics, but your daily habits, how you treat your skin, and environmental conditions can influence changes in your skin type.
To learn how to identify your skin type at home, care for oily and sensitive skin (or other types), and treat skin sensitivities, read this article to the end.

To identify your skin type, you first need to forget everything you've previously heard—what your beautician told you, what you've read on social media, or advice from an old friend—because those may have confused you or just been marketing tactics to sell products.

Methods to Identify Your Skin Type

Method 1:

First, wash your face thoroughly with a gentle facial cleanser, then pat it dry softly with a towel. Let your skin rest for 30 minutes without applying any creams or other products—and don’t touch your face during this time.
After 30 minutes, observe your forehead, nose, cheeks, and chin. Do they appear shiny?
Wait another 30 minutes, and then pay attention to how your skin feels, especially when smiling or raising your eyebrows.

• If you feel dryness or tightness, you likely have dry skin.

• If only areas like your forehead, nose, and chin are shiny, your skin is combination.

• If there’s slight shine across the face, you likely have normal skin.

• If your cheeks are also shiny like the rest of your face, your skin is oily.

Method 2:

This method is good for distinguishing between oily and non-oily skin.
After gently washing your face, dab off excess water with a soft towel—avoid rubbing. Wait 45 to 60 minutes without applying any creams, lotions, toners, or serums.
Then, use clean tissue paper to gently press on different parts of your face. Use a separate tissue for each area, and hold each one up to the light to check for oil stains:

• If the tissue shows oily spots, that area of skin is oily.

• If the tissue remains clean, that area is dry.

• If all tissues are oily or have a yellowish tint, your skin is oily overall.

• If only some areas (like the forehead or nose) are oily, and others leave just a bit of moisture, your skin is combination or normal.

Make sure to distinguish between oil stains and moisture marks.