Most people have no idea what their actual skin type is. They read one article in high school, decided they were "oily" or "dry," and have been buying the wrong products ever since.

Here's the truth: your skin type changes. Season, age, diet, stress, medications — all of it shifts what your skin needs. That "oily skin" you've been fighting for years? It might actually be dehydrated skin overproducing oil to compensate.

How to actually figure out your skin type:

Wash your face with a gentle cleanser. Don't apply anything. Wait 2 hours. Then look in the mirror.

• Shiny everywhere → Oily

• Tight and flaky → Dry

• Shiny T-zone, normal/dry cheeks → Combination

• Comfortable, no shine or tightness → Normal

• Red, stinging, reactive → Sensitive/compromised barrier

Why this matters more than any product you buy:

An oily skin type using heavy cream moisturizers is making things worse. A dry skin type using foaming cleansers is destroying their barrier. A dehydrated combination type using mattifying products is creating a cycle of overproduction.

The product doesn't matter if the foundation is wrong.

The 3-step fix:

1. Correctly identify your type using the bare-face test above

2. Strip your routine back to basics — cleanser, moisturizer, SPF

3. Choose each product based on your ACTUAL type, not what you assumed at 16

This is exactly what DermaBot does in 60 seconds. Tell it your concerns, your current routine, and your environment — it'll tell you what your skin actually needs and what to stop doing immediately.

Stop guessing. Start knowing.

Most skincare advice online is terrible. People are layering 10 serums, over-exfoliating, and wondering why their skin is worse than when they started.

Here are the 3 biggest mistakes I see constantly:

1. Over-cleansing

You don't need to double cleanse twice a day. If your skin feels "squeaky clean" after washing, you're stripping your moisture barrier. Use a gentle cleanser once at night. In the morning, just splash with water.

2. Too many actives at once

Retinol + vitamin C + AHA + BHA + niacinamide... all in one routine? Your skin is not a chemistry experiment. Pick ONE active that targets your main concern and use it consistently for 8 weeks before adding anything else.

3. Skipping SPF (or using the wrong one)

This is non-negotiable. UV damage is the #1 cause of premature aging, hyperpigmentation, and texture issues. If you're using actives without SPF, you're literally making things worse. Use SPF 30+ daily, even indoors.

The best skincare routine is the simplest one. Cleanser, moisturizer, SPF. Everything else is bonus.

I built DermaBot to cut through the noise — personalized routines, ingredient analysis, and real answers to your specific skin concerns. No 12-step routines. No product pushing. Just what actually works for YOUR skin.