• Types of skin
• Sensitive vs Sensitised skin
• How to identify your skin type?
• Explore Coco Soul’s toxin-free treats
• FAQs 

Even before you develop a skincare routine, the most important step is to identify your skin type. Understanding the nature of your skin allows you to make more informed decisions about how to care for and protect your skin now, and in the future. It can help you find products that work well for you and combat your concerns without causing any harm or side effects. Excess oil production, breakouts, acne, and even dryness can all be caused by misdiagnosing your skin type. So, let’s understand how many types of skin  there are and how to identify yours!

Types of skin

Although everyone's skin is different, there are a few common types of skin that can help you figure out where yours belongs. So, your skin can be classified into the following categories:

 

1. Oily Skin:
   Due to the skin's tendency to overproduce sebum, oily skin has a persistent shine, especially around the face and neck. Excess oil production can clog pores or make them appear enlarged, resulting in acne breakouts. Blackheads and whiteheads are common skin problems for oily skin caused by the accumulation of dead cells, dirt, and oil in the pores. However, because natural oils protect the skin's barrier and prevent the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines, you will likely age more slowly.
   
   
2. Dry Skin:
   Dry skin is characterised by tightness, brittleness, and even roughness. Common skin problems include patchiness and itching. This is due to a lack of natural oil production, which is influenced primarily by our genetics and external factors like hormonal changes, climatic conditions, and lifestyle choices.
   
   
3. Combination Skin:
   An oily T-zone (forehead, nose, and chin) and drier areas around the cheeks and jawline define combination skin. This is a difficult skin type to treat because multiple issues must be addressed at the same time to achieve optimal skin balance. Different skin problems faced by people with this skin type include dry cheeks, mild acne breakouts, and clogged pores.
   
   
4. Normal Skin:
   Normal skin is a blessing in disguise because it is the ideal balance of oily and dry skin. Fine pores, good blood circulation, and an even skin tone resulting from the balance of moisture and sebum: yes, these are the perks. Even minor breakouts and periods of dryness fade quickly. Common skin problems include acne, eczema, psoriasis, etc., but they tend to fade away quickly.

Now irrespective of the fact whether you have oily skin, dry skin, a combination of both of them or normal skin you may have sensitive or sensitised skin. Let’s understand the difference between them.

 

Sensitive vs Sensitised skin

Sensitive Skin	Sensitised Skin
It’s a genetic condition caused by intrinsic factors.	It’s a skin condition caused by environmental stressors, lifestyle and stress and external factors.
Symptoms of skin problems include flushing, dry/chapped skin, itching and burning sensations, and redness.	Symptoms of skin problems include dehydrated skin, acne or unusual breakouts, redness, flakiness and exacerbated skin lines and pores
The skin experiences symptoms perennially.	The skin experiences symptoms temporarily and can be resolved by eliminating the triggering factors.

 

How to identify your skin type?

There are two different and simple processes that you may use. Let’s discuss them:

• The Bare-faced method: Firstly, clean your face, gently pat it dry and leave it bare, i.e., avoid applying any additional products. After half an hour, examine your forehead, nose, chin, and cheeks for any shine. Evaluate whether your skin feels parched after another half-hour, especially if you smile or make  other facial expressions. Your skin is possibly dry if it feels tight. Your skin is possibly a combination type if there's a plain shine on your nose and forehead. You have  oily skin if there is a shine on your cheeks as well as your forehead and nose.
  
  
• The Blotting sheet method: This method is way faster and sometimes a wonderful differentiator between oily and dry skin types. Gently pat a blotter on the various areas of your face. Hold the sheet up towards the sunshine to see what proportion of oil is visible. If the sheet picked up little to no oil, you possibly have dry skin. If the blotting sheet reveals oil from the forehead and nose areas, your skin is a combination of both. Finally, if the blotter is saturated with oil, it's extremely likely that you  have oily skin.

Our skin's needs change over time, and it's critical to take steps to best identify them so that they can function and look their best. Remember that you don't need a lot of products to see results; all you need to do is find the right ones for your skin type.

Explore Coco Soul’s toxin-free treats

If you’re wondering what products suit your skin type, we’ve curated a short guide of non-toxic skincare and hair care products from Coco Soul, a toxin-free brand, curated with the goodness of coconuts and the magic of Ayurveda.

• Coco Soul Melt-In Balm

  An ideal multi-tasker, this is a pure coconut melt balm that is basically nourishment packed in a jar, which melts into your skin as soon as you apply it. The versatile melt balm is your hair and scalp nourisher, makeup remover, baby oil massager and perfect for every skin type.
  
  

• Coco Soul Natural Face Scrub

  A gentle exfoliator that has all natural ingredients, the Coco Soul Face Scrub has the goodness of organic coconuts, sandalwood and potent Ayurvedic herbs. The ingredients are 100% natural and penetrate deep into the skin and clear off dead skin cells whilst providing instant hydration and natural glow. 

• Coco Soul Revitalising Face Wash
  

  Powered with Virgin King Coconut Oil, Gotukola, and Neem, this natural face wash is gentle and safe for all skin types, including sensitive skin and restores moisture while purifying its pores. Besides these products, you can also make use of these ayurvedic remedies for sensitive skin to help calm down any flare ups you have!

Conclusion

To know your skin type and if you have sensitive skin, you can perform two simple tests at home to identify your skin type, the bare-faced method and the blotting sheet method. It then becomes easier to identify different skin problems and deal with them accordingly. 

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are the different types of skin and how to identify your skin type?
   

   Skin can be broadly classified into oily, dry, a combination of oily and dry and normal skin. You  can easily identify your skin type using either of the two methods, the bare-faced method or the blotting paper method.
   
   

2. What is the difference between sensitive and sensitized skin?
   

   Individuals having sensitive and sensitized skin experience somewhat similar symptoms but the fundamental difference between the two is that one is genetic caused by intrinsic factors and the latter is a skin condition caused by environmental, lifestyle and stress, and external factors.

3. Can your skin type change over time?
   

   Various factors such as water content, oil content, and sensitivity can cause your skin type to change over time. Hormones, ageing, seasonal changes, and medications are all factors that influence these changes.