Skin problems are faced by many of us to varying degrees, and as a teenager going through adolescence I suffered from severe acne. My mom told me not to worry since eventually it would go away by itself. Big deal! For me it was a traumatic problem which affected my self esteem and which many people including my peers were quick to notice. Almost everyone had a different opinion about what I should try from creams, to soaps, to capsules and even the temperature of the water I was using.
In my desperation I tried as many suggested remedies and products as I could afford, assuming that what had worked for one girl also might work for me. Fast forward… As I entered adulthood and my skin started clearing up, it dawned to me that mommy was right! Some of these things which most teens deal with just need time, but the long term effects of all the products I had used as a teenager had left their visible traces on my skin.
During one of my first visits to a dermatologist as an adult, it turned out that one of the first things he did was to check my skin type, and I realized how important this solid knowledge is. It will help you to select products accordingly, and to adopt a skin care regime that works for you. It is both funny and sad how I overlooked this for so many years as I was hoarding skin care products that worked on others.
My skin analysis was done by a professional, but times have changes and its now possible and so much easier to find out your skin type from a simple skin analysis test, which you can do yourself at home. The tester below which is made from a unique type of bloating paper is able to give you a quick and accurate result of your skin type in a few seconds.
To take the skin type test:
-Make sure your skin is cleansed at least an hour before; do not apply any products. Place the grey strip on your forehead and the green one on the cheek.
-Hold them on your skin for 15 seconds and compare your results with the table below to find out your type
My skin is oily as you can see from the results.
The test is easy and the results are pretty straight forward and once you figure out your skin type, you can head out and seek products that are best suited for you.
The skin testing kit retails at Kshs 60 and comes with strips enough for 6 tests. So pretty good value for money if you ask me.
The kit is available at Oriflame stores in Nairobi at the Kenya Cinema, Sixeighty and in Goodman Towers in Westlands and in Mombasa at TSS building.
