Even before touching the first cleanser, toner, serum or mask, your skin observation starts by looking at the skin surface without any intent on what needs changing. Is it shiny in spots, does it feel tight around the cheek area, is it flaky around the nose or somewhere in between, and are the patterns of dry, oily or combination skin clearly visible from one point of the face to the next? The goal, at a beginner level, is not to diagnose a skin condition. Instead, your aim is to make simple cosmetic notes so that you can make the next step in your skin care process with confidence.
Dry skin often feels tight, especially after a face cleanse or when in a dry area. Dry skin looks flat, is sometimes a bit flaky or less flexible, and facial expression can feel tighter. At a beginner level, dryness can be misread for skin that needs more exfoliation, though it is easy to make your skin more uncomfortable by scrubbing or adding more active product ingredients. In basic facial skin care, dryness signals that gentle facial cleansing should be used, harsh cleansing is removed, and clay masks and exfoliating products should be considered before being added to a skin care process.
Oily skin can show shiny skin sooner, especially in the forehead, nose and chin. It can show large pores and a feeling of heaviness on the skin with the application of thicker moisturizers. Oily skin can mean that the face is over-cleansed and does not mean it has to be cleaned with too much product and then no moisturizer applied. A lack of product can cause skin to feel tight, then be oily again a few hours later. An oily skin is a great place to start noticing the amount of products applied, type of face cleanser and lighter moisturizer, which feels better than a heavier moisturizer, as a beginner practice.
Combination skin is a mix of more than one type of skin. The T-zone (where there is an area that shows oily or dry/normal skin type, and the skin on either side is considered dry or normal) can often cause beginner skin types to feel frustrated, where one product application feels different from the rest of the skin. A clay skin mask can be beneficial on oily noses but is too drying to dry/normal skin cheek areas. A cream skin mask can be soothing to dry areas but is too thick for T zones. Learning skin zones helps to make your facial skin care easier to practice, and lessens a common beginner mistake to treat all parts of the face equally with one application.
A useful skill for beginners to practice is making a few observations before and after cleansing the face. Before cleansing, note if your face looks shiny, if skin is feeling dry, are there any visible flaking, redness, tight or sensitive facial skin. Then clean skin with a light, gentle pressure on the application, remove cleansing with soft towel or cotton pads without excessive pressure. Allow the skin to breathe a few minutes and observe whether it is comfortable, feels tight, greasy, warm or dry skin feeling. It is amazing what is learned when taking a moment, before applying the next product (toner, serum, mask, moisturizer) on to the face to learn what is needed, rather than moving straight into the next product application.
Other clues are found in product textures. A gel cleanser can feel light and fresh to the skin, as cream cleansers can feel softer and more moisturizing. A clay skin mask can be effective at oil absorption but can be too drying on skin that already feels tight. A basic moisturizer should be able to help the skin feel comfortable but not heavy. When practicing, use a small amount of product, and see how the product texture spreads on the skin. Skin that feels uncomfortable, sticky or loaded with product can be a signal that the product quantity and amount of products are not quite what is needed for the skin at that time.
The safest way to begin is by practicing skin observation, fewer products in your skin care practice, and a record of any notes made about skin observations. Your skin type is never a label on every person or face at all times, but a starting point of what product choices you make for today. Skin type, oiliness, dryness and combination changes with weather conditions, product usage, cleansing and other skin type sensitivity. Before beginning a skin treatment process like using a skin mask, exfoliating facial products or changing skin treatment, take a quick skin observation, and ask, “How is my skin feeling right now?” This simple question can go a long way to make your skin care practice more practical, gentle and adaptable for all.