How to Know What Skin Type You Have

Surely it’s happened to you before—skincare products didn’t work, let you down, or just didn’t give you the results you expected. And do you know the main reason why that happens? Because most likely, we didn’t choose the right products for our skin.

To make smart skincare choices, it’s essential to understand your skin type, to know how your skin is (or how it’s doing), and to be clear on what you want to improve. Because maybe in summer you have combination-oily skin, but in winter you start noticing dark spots and dehydration.

And of course, if you're buying a product that your skin doesn't need, or one that has ingredients that actually don’t work well with your skin, how are you supposed to see results?

But… Do You Really Know What "Skin Type" Means?

You’ve surely heard of oily, normal, dry skin… But do we really know what that means?

Without first understanding how skin works, let us tell you it’s very difficult to truly understand skin types — so if you want to dig a bit deeper into this topic, we recommend downloading our ebook.

To sum it up: skin types are defined by the fact that the epidermis (the outermost layer of skin) is covered by a hydrolipidic film. This film coats the outermost skin layer with an emulsion of water and lipids that helps keep skin healthy by acting as a barrier against harmful external agents and preventing dehydration. This film needs to have water and oil in balance to keep skin healthy and protected.

But the truth is, almost no one has a perfectly balanced hydrolipidic film. There are skin types that produce more lipids than needed — these are classified as oily or combination. And others that don’t produce enough lipids — these are dry skin types.

So what about normal skin, then? It’s a somewhat unrealistic concept, because it implies having a perfectly balanced film of water and oil constantly and throughout the year. That’s why we usually group skin into two categories: combination/oily skin and dry/normal skin. 

You’re probably wondering now — what about mature skin, or acne-prone skin, etc.? That falls under the different conditions a combination/oily or dry/normal skin type might have. We explain all of that in the ebook!

So, how can I know my skin type?

Are you really sure your skin is combination? You might be starting to doubt it — but don’t worry, because checking your skin type is super simple with this method.
At Two Poles we call it the “cleansing technique” — take note!

• Wash your face with a gentle cleanser, like our Cleansing Cream.
  
  

I hope this little trick helped you understand your skin, because giving it what it needs is crucial. If you don’t know it, it’s really hard for skincare to work — but once you do, and start choosing products based on it, you’ll definitely see results!

Big hug, I’ll see you at @twopolescosmetics & @partners.incream

Anna

xx