If you’re getting a little over skincare not delivering on its promises, or when you apply skincare you get all the feels including the stingy ones, you might be using skin and hair care that isn’t right for you
BUT we’ve got you. There are many ways to test your skin and hair type – at home.
Skin test
1. Take the day test
The easiest means to determine your skin type is to see how it performs from morning to evening on a typical day.
| Results (at the end of the day) | Skin type |
|---|---|
| Does your face feel oily and look shiny? | oily skin |
| Is your T-zone shimmering, but the rest of your face is mostly matte? | combination skin |
| Do you have minimal oil, flakiness, or redness, or none at all? | normal skin |
| Is your skin flaky or tight? | dry skin |
| Is your skin itchy, red, or inflamed? | sensitive skin |
2. Try the wash test
A day-long test may not make sense if you shower midday after a quad-killing session of indoor cycling or if you’re exposed to irritants like wind, nasty weather, or raging sun on your evening commute. At any time, you can try this assessment and achieve similar results.
Wash your face with a mild cleanser and don’t apply any product or makeup. Wait 30 minutes and examine how your skin feels.
Try this test when your face feels relatively calm, meaning it’s not red hot after a run or stinging from a fruit-enzyme peel or feeling tight after shoveling snow off the walk.
3. Get your picture taken
A dermatologist may have certain photographic methods for helping to evaluate your skin’s behavior further if necessary.
Vascular filters can analyze excess or unhealthy blood vessel distribution — indicating sensitive, irritated, or rosacea-prone skin. UV-like filters can demonstrate sun damage and pigmentation.
Other methods can highlight subtle changes in skin texture or pore size or even indicate oil production.
More of a watch and learn type – we found this great tutorial Learn Your Skin Type by Susan Yara
If you’re still unsure, or you’d like a second opinion – consider making an appointment with a Naturopath or Dermatologist.
We recommend – Evie Ryan Naturopathy – Gold Coast Naturopath
Determining your hair type can help you choose the best products and styling techniques. Here are a few factors to consider:
- Curl Pattern: This is generally categorized into straight (type 1), wavy (type 2), curly (type 3), and coily (type 4) hair.
- Straight (Type 1): No natural curl.
- Wavy (Type 2): Loose S-shaped waves.
- Curly (Type 3): Defined curls or ringlets.
- Coily (Type 4): Tight curls or coils.
- Porosity: This refers to your hair’s ability to absorb moisture.
- Low Porosity: Hair repels moisture and products sit on top.
- Normal Porosity: Hair absorbs and retains moisture well.
- High Porosity: Hair absorbs moisture quickly but tends to lose it just as fast.
- Density: This refers to how much hair you have per square inch of scalp.
- Low Density: Sparse or thin hair.
- Medium Density: Average amount of hair.
- High Density: Thick or full hair.
- Elasticity: This determines how much your hair can stretch without breaking.
- High Elasticity: Hair can stretch significantly and returns to its original shape.
- Low Elasticity: Hair stretches and breaks easily.
- Thickness: This is about the diameter of each individual hair strand.
- Fine: Thin hair strands.
- Medium: Average thickness.
- Coarse: Thick hair strands.
To figure out your hair type, you can conduct a few simple tests like the strand test for thickness, the float test for porosity, and the stretch test for elasticity. If you’d like more specific advice, feel free to ask!
