Building Your Routine: How to do an at Home Skin Analysis
Since you’re reading this, hopefully it means you’ve decided to take the challenge and start on your own journey to great skin!
When it comes to building a routine, you may have a lot of questions, “What’s my skin type?”, “what products should I use and how much?”, “what order do I apply everything?!” It can be very overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be!
In this three part series, I’ll break it down and show you how easy it is to build a great skin care routine. From skin type to product choice, together we will find a routine thats perfect for you.
Photo by Phil Hearing
TYPES OF SKIN
The first step to figuring out your routine is determining your skin type. There are five different types of skin.
Dry: meaning flaky and dull
Oily: meaning shiny and prone to breakouts
Combination: meaning oily in your t-zone and dry everywhere else or vice versa
Normal: meaning smaller pore size and overall clear skin
Mature skin: which will look thinner and be more prone to wrinkles and sun damage.
TRY THIS
Here’s a little exercise for you. All you’ll need is a clean face and hands, a mirror, and some decent lighting. Now, look at yourself in the mirror and take note of what you see and what you feel. The appearance, texture, and temperature of your skin are key factors in figuring out exactly what type of skin you have. Make sure you look at different sections of your face as well as looking at it as a whole.
FOREHEAD AND DRYNESS
Let’s start with the forehead. Notice the texture of your forehead. Built up keratin can cause uneven texture and can be the result of not enough exfoliation. Also take note of the overall appearance of your skin. Do you see fine lines? Is the skin thinner or duller in this area? Do you find it feels tighter after washing your face? These are key clues in spotting dry skin. Dry skin occurs when there is a lack of “sebum” or “oil” production. Typically those with dry skin will also experience a heightened sensitivity and are more prone to fine lines and wrinkles.
Photo by Brad Helmink
CHEEKS
Next, we’ll look at the cheeks. With the cheek area there is a lot more to look out for. What do you see? If your pores are enlarged and congested, this could be a sign of oily skin. Oily skin often appears thicker and can have a shiny appearance. Those with oily skin are usually less likely to show signs of premature aging.
TRY THIS
Take your fingers and gently push your cheeks upward. This is a way to test how firm our skin is. Skin that is mature will move easier and feel thinner than younger skin. As well as looking at texture and appearance, we’re also going to look closer at temperature. Touch the tips of your fingers to the apple of your cheeks. Does it feel warm? Warm temperature means there is an increase in circulation or blood flow. This often is the case with normal, oily, and sensitive skin types.
SENSITIVITY
If you have sensitive skin, you’ll often notice your face becoming flushed and red as a result of sun exposure, exercise or certain products. Along with general redness, you may notice couperose skin. Couperose is a condition caused by trauma made to the skin. This trauma could include scrubbing too hard when you wash your face, or maybe just a bad sunburn. It will result in small broken capillaries found most often on the cheeks and inner corners of the nose. These broken capillaries and flushed tone can be soothed by using more gentle products and cutting down to a gentle exfoliation once a week.
Photo by Derek Thomson
THE NOSE AND CLOGGED PORES
After the cheeks we’ll move inward to the nose. On the nose you want to pay special attention to pore size. As mentioned before, enlarged and congested pores on the nose typically mean oily skin, but clogged pores that are smaller can actually mean dehydration. Contrary to popular belief, our skin can, in fact, be oily and dehydrated at the same time. Often times, when dehydrated, our oil glands will become confused by the lack of moisture and therefore overcompensate and produce twice the oil than actually necessary. Thus leading us to believe we need to combat the oil but in reality we just need more moisture. Dehydration can be caused by environmental factors, low water intake, or even product misuse.
MOUTH and CHin
Finally we move on to the mouth and chin. This area is where we will look for signs of premature aging and hormonal breakouts. Look for discoloration in the top lip or fine lines surrounding the lip area. Cracked and scaly lips can also be a sign of lack of moisture or dehydration. The skin on our lips is very thin and can be susceptible to wrinkles or sun damage. It is important to use a lip balm with SPF to protect against signs of premature aging and discoloration. Be careful about smoking and using plastic straws. Not only are they bad for our health and the environment, but they can also cause “smokers lines”. A group of vertical lines surrounding the lip area. Smokers lines can be prevented through healthy lifestyle choices and vitamin A but once they are there, it can be difficult to get rid of them. As for the chin, clogged pores and breakouts along the jaw line can indicate your monthly period or a hormonal imbalance. Breakouts in this area don’t necessarily mean you are oily and should resolve themselves in a few days.
By now, you’ve learned how to analyze your skin like a professional. Maybe you’ve discovered the reason your makeup wasn’t setting properly was because you have dry skin, or maybe that excess shine you’ve been noticing isn’t actually oily skin but really and underlying condition of dehydration. This is the first step in building you skin care routine. Your skin type and any underlying skin conditions are important things to consider when choosing products. Tune in next Friday when we discuss what types of products you’ll want to choose for your skin type. Still unsure about your analysis? Head to the contact page and I’ll be happy to talk one on one with you about any questions you may have!