How to Find Your Skin Type and Best Skincare Tips

Whether you're a newbie looking to dip your toes into the world of skincare or a K-beauty aficionado seeking new horizons, one thing's for sure: knowing your skin type is the very first step to radiant, clear, and healthy skin! But hey, this guide isn't just for rookies. Even seasoned skincare enthusiasts will want to rewind to the basics with these top-notch tips. It's like hitting the refresh button on your skincare routine! So, what do you say? Are you ready to dive headfirst into the world of skincare, unlocking your skin's full potential? Let's do this! 

How to Find Your Skin Type

Determining your skin type is an essential step in establishing a skincare routine tailored to your specific needs. Here's a simple guide to help you identify your skin type:

1. Cleanse Your Face

Start with a clean face. Gently remove any makeup or skincare products you may have applied.

2. Wait a Few Hours 

Your skin can change throughout the day, so it's best to assess your skin type when it's in its most natural state. Ideally, wait for a few hours after cleansing or do this assessment in the morning after waking up.

3. Observe How Your Skin Feels

• Dry Skin

If your skin feels tight, flaky, or rough, you likely have dry skin. Dry skin can sometimes appear dull or have red patches.

• Oily Skin

If your skin looks shiny, particularly in the T-zone (forehead, nose, chin), and feels greasy to the touch, you have oily skin. You may also be prone to acne or enlarged pores.

• Normal Skin

Normal skin feels comfortable, not too oily or too dry. It's generally clear without many blemishes or sensitivity.

• Combination Skin

Combination skin is the most common type. It may be oily in the T-zone but dry or normal on the cheeks and other areas.

Best Skincare Tips for Each Skin Type

Dry Skin

It's vital to differentiate between dry skin and dehydrated skin. Dry skin results from a deficiency in natural skin oils, leading to a sensation of tightness and dryness if not supplemented with skincare products. On the other hand, dehydrated skin is caused by inadequate water content in the skin and is typically a temporary condition, often triggered by various factors like environmental conditions, cosmetics, lifestyle choices, and water quality.

Skin Features:

• Persistent tightness in the skin (please note that dehydrated skin is temporary).
• The pores appear small.
• Fine lines may become noticeable.

Top Tips:

• Hydration is essential. Opt for richer creams that prioritise moisturisation.

Try: PYUNKANG YUL Nutrition Cream (100ml) - £26.00

This PYUNKANG YUL Nutrition Cream offers deep hydration and enhances elasticity while reducing signs of ageing, leaving your skin with a radiant glow. It absorbs effortlessly without any greasiness, and its ingredients are safe and free from artificial fragrances and irritants.

• Consider using sheet masks or overnight masks to boost hydration levels.
• Steer clear of prolonged exposure to water, including lengthy showers, especially in chlorinated, hard, or hot water, as this can deplete your skin's natural oils.

Try: COSRX Ultimate Nourishing Face Overnight Spa Mask (60ml) - £20.00

This COSRX Ultimate Nourishing Face Overnight Spa Mask, enriched with over 68% rice extract, deeply hydrates and brightens your skin while you sleep, leaving it softer and glowing in the morning. Rice extract's natural exfoliating properties gently remove dull, flaky, and dead skin, revealing a baby-soft complexion.

• Avoid harsh foaming cleansers, as well as products containing alcohol and sulfates, which can exacerbate dryness and dehydration.

  Try: ROUNDLAB 1025 Dokdo Cleanser (150ml) - £13.95

ROUNDLAB 1025 Dokdo Cleanser is an award-winning cream cleanser that delicately eliminates impurities while preserving skin's moisture. Infused with Triple Hyaluronic Acid, Ceramide NP, and enriched with over 70 minerals from Ulleungdo Deep Sea Water, it soothes, hydrates, and fortifies all skin types, making it ideal for enhancing skin strength and vitality.

Oily Skin

Resulting of an excess production of sebum, the skin's natural oily substance, often due to genetic or hormonal factors, oily skin tends to have congested and clogged pores. This predisposes those with oily skin to acne and blackheads. On a positive note, this skin type tends to age more gracefully in the long term, thanks to its naturally higher moisture content, which makes it less susceptible to wrinkles.

Skin Features:

• Pores appear larger and more prominent.
• The skin has a noticeable shine or sheen.
• Prone to the development of blackheads, whiteheads, and acne.

Top Tips:

• Rebalance your skin by using oils and avoid products that excessively remove all oil, leaving your skin excessively dry.

Try: HARUHARU WONDER Black Rice Moisture Deep Cleansing Oil (150ml) - £18.99

Formulated with 95% natural ingredients, HARUHARU WONDER Black Rice Moisture Deep Cleansing Oil effectively cleanses and refreshes the skin. Featuring Rice Bran Oil, Olive Fruit Oil, and Jojoba Seed Oil that it provides hydration, nourishment, and strengthens the skin barrier. Powered by WONDER's U.D.T patented technology, it utilizes fermented black rice with antioxidants for deep skin penetration and anti-ageing benefits.

• Opt for lighter serums and oil-free moisturisers to prevent excessive oil buildup.

Try: COSRX Oil Free Ultra-Moisturizing Lotion with Birch Sap (100ml) - £25.00

This COSRX Oil Free Ultra-Moisturising Lotion with Birch Sap is a lightweight lotion that deeply hydrates without causing pore congestion. It prominently features Birch Sap, comprising 70% of its ingredients, rich in skin-nourishing components like amino acids, minerals, enzymes, antioxidants, and vitamins.

• Keep your skin well-hydrated, possibly through the use of sheet masks, as dehydrated skin can trigger increased sebum production.
• Consider gentle exfoliation once or twice a week, being cautious not to over-exfoliate, as this can lead to an overproduction of oil by your skin.

Try: COSRX One Step Original Clear Pad (70 Pads) - £24.00

This COSRX One Step Original Clear Pad is an award-winning acne-fighting pad, formulated through extensive dermatological research. The pads pre-soaked with Willow Bark Water and a naturally derived BHA ingredient, Betaine Salicylate. They gently exfoliate the skin, eliminating excess sebum and dead skin cells that clog pores and trigger acne, resulting in clearer and brighter skin.

Normal Skin

If you have balanced or normal skin, you enjoy the advantage of not dealing with any excessive skin concerns. Your skin maintains a neutral equilibrium, although you may notice a slight shine after a full day.

Skin Features:

• Fine pores.
• Maintains a healthy balance, neither too dry nor too oily.
• Generally free of blemishes.
• Less prone to sensitivity.

Top Tips:

• Prioritise preventive measures like antioxidants, SPF, and Vitamin C to maintain your skin's health.

Try: SOME BY MI Galactomyces Pure Vitamin C Glow (30ml) - £19.99

SOME BY MI Galactomyces Pure Vitamin C Glow, featuring 3% pure Ascorbic Acid, Niacinamide, Adenosine, and 10 vitamins, effectively brightens and evens skin tone for a radiant complexion. It's free from artificial fragrances, colours, parabens, sulfates, animal products, mineral oil, silicone, and 20 other harsh ingredients, making it suitable even for sensitive skin types.

Try: HEIMISH Artless Glow Base SPF50+ PA+++ (40ml) - £18.99

This HEMISH Artless Glow Base is the best 2-in-1 primer for all you glass skin enthusiasts! This anti-aging primer with SPF 50+ offers a poreless, luminous, and translucent finish, ideal for prepping your skin before makeup or achieving a radiant, silk-like look when used on its own. Get that inner and outer glow effortlessly!

Combination Skin

Managing combination skin can be a bit challenging, as it often seems like your skin has contrasting tendencies. Therefore, it's crucial to discover products that strike a balance – not too heavy, yet capable of effectively moisturising where needed.

Skin Features:

• An oily T-zone (comprising the forehead, chin, and nose).
• Enlarged pores, notably on the nose.
• Occasional dryness on the cheeks.

Combination skin is typically associated with an oily nose/forehead and dry cheeks. However, it can also manifest as either an oily nose/forehead with normal skin in other areas or solely as dry cheeks.

Top Tips:

• Seek out lightweight, yet hydrating skincare formulas.

Try: DR CEURACLE Vegan Kombucha Tea Gel Cream (75ml) - £32.00

Experience the benefits of DR CEURACLE Vegan Kombucha Tea Gel Cream, enriched with a potent 78% concentration of their signature Vegan Tea Complex. This complex, comprising 20% fermented Kombucha (black tea) Extract and 58.9% Camellia (green tea) Leaf Water, detoxifies, purifies, and hydrates, promoting a balanced skin tone, suppleness, and protection against free radicals. The cream's water-like gel texture provides instant freshness and rapid absorption, ensuring lasting hydration.

• Consider incorporating a balancing toner into your routine.

Try: BEAUTY OF JOSEON Green Plum Refreshing Toner : AHA + BHA (150ml) - £17.00

This BEAUTY OF JOSEON Green Plum Refreshing Toner is a unique bubble toner, enriched with 25% freshly picked Green Plum Water, 3% Glycolic Acid (AHA), and 0.5% Salicylic Acid (BHA), offers gentle daily exfoliation and deep pore cleansing to balance, brighten, and clear the skin. Free from artificial fragrances, parabens, sulfates, artificial colours, alcohol, mineral oils, essential oils, and silicone, it promotes skin radiance and clarity while addressing various skin concerns.

• Sheet masks are a great choice to replenish moisture in dry areas and provide hydration to oily regions.

Try: AXIS-Y Mask Now Glow Later Duo Set (2 items) - £16.00

AXIS-Y Mask Now Glow Later Duo Set contains the brand's popular masks designed to detoxify, unclog pores, brighten the skin, and combat dullness. You can tailor your treatment by placing the two masks based on your skin concerns. Utilize them simultaneously, such as the Mugwort Pore Clarifying Wash-Off Pack for your oily T-zone and the Gel Mask for dry areas, providing your skin with a dual treatment. Alternatively, you have the flexibility to use one mask for your entire face, adapting to your specific skin type and concerns.