What’s The Best Skincare For Combination Skin?
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Our Complete Guide To The Best Skincare For Combination Skin
Estimated Read Time: 3 minutes
You probably know what dry skin and oily skin are – they’re both pretty self explanatory, right? Because of this, these skin types are typically well catered for in the skincare industry! But, combination skin…? That’s a whole other story!
You may have combination skin without realizing it, and be using the incorrect products accidentally. You may know you have combination skin, but don’t know where to look in terms of appropriate skincare. You may be through with trying and failing with so many skincare products to attempt to tame your combination skin!
If you think your skin doesn’t ‘fit in’ to the typical dry/oily categories, you probably have combination skin. So, read on for our complete guide to combination skin. We’ll cover the ‘whats’ and ‘whys’, as well as the best skincare to use on combination skin…
What Is Combination Skin?
Combination skin is when your skin doesn’t fit into the typical categories of ‘oily’ or ‘dry’ and it’s actually a little bit of both!
Usually, combination skin is typically categorised by having an oily T-Zone (the nose, chin and forehead area), but the rest of the face is vulnerable to becoming dry and chapped.
This can be a real nightmare to deal with, as products for oily skin won’t be moisturising enough for the dry parts, but products for dry skin will add excess oil to the already greasy T-Zone!
Using the wrong skincare for combination skin can lead to the face feeling uncomfortable, clogged up or overly dry/overly oily. It can also have negative effects on any makeup applied over the skin. Makeup might spontaneously vanish from the middle of the face, and perhaps appear flakey or become caked on the sides. Thankfully, some makeup and skincare brands are cottoning on and starting to invest in developing their skincare for combination skin…
What Are The Signs of Combination Skin?
Combination skin is not a negative reflection on anything you’re doing at all. Your skin type can usually be put down to your genes!
You can usually tell you have combination skin quite easily. This can be done by reading the factors you can see on your face, and also how your skin feels. Check for these signs to work out whether you have combination skin:
- Flakey or drier areas on the cheeks
- Uncomfortable, tight feeling skin
- Enlarged pores, and more spots around the nose, chin and forehead
- Oily forehead or nose throughout the day
- Makeup doesn’t last throughout the day or sit well on the skin for long
So, What Is The Best Skincare For Combination Skin?
Rest assured, supporting your combination skin is easier than you may think!
The first key step to looking after combination skin is to treat it gently and to avoid exacerbating the oiliness or the dryness – the goal is to get it to a nice, neutral place!
A great, easy step for better skin is to always avoid touching it, as much as possible. This way bacteria doesn’t transfer from your hands to your face which can infect or aggravate spots, and make grease levels worse.
If you’re wanting to invest in a new skincare routine, you definitely don’t need to buy lots of different products for different areas of the face so you can breathe a sigh of relief!
If you’re looking to find the perfect skincare for combination skin, you just need a few targeted products.
- A “purifying” face wash
- An “exfoliating” toner
- A “light, yet hydrating” moisturiser, with SPF
- A “purifying” face mask to be used once a week
Products should be labelled with these targeted words. If they aren’t, leave well alone!
What Order Should I Apply My Skincare For Combination Skin?
If you want to improve the balance of your combination skin, it’s actually the order in which you use your skincare products that help!
Applying your skincare products in the appropriate order can definitely support in controlling the oiliness and banishing the dryness. Yes, the order of skincare for combination skin can make a bigger difference than you may think!
Both morning and night, begin with your “purifying” cleanser. Then, sweep a “suitable-for-all-skin-types” toner over your face, to remove any built-up oil and grease. At night, switch this toner out after cleansing for an “exfoliating” toner. This will help get rid of any lingering dead skin cells or grime, and improve dryness.
After this, apply a lightly hydrating moisturiser (with SPF in the morning!) all over the face – enough to hydrate the skin, without causing a build up of oil in the sensitive T-Zone’s pores. You can also add an “anti-aging” eye cream here, should this be something you also wish to target.
Finally, apply an “oil-control” gel cream to seal all your hard work in. A gel formula is important as these are designed to help keep the skin more balanced.
Cel Pro Tip: At night, if you’re feeling particularly dry in the cheeks, you can add a tiny drop of facial oil to them, which is more intensely moisturising, if needed. You may find this is needed more in the winter months.
See! Your combination skin doesn’t have to be as confusing as you thought. Once you know the right skincare products for combination skin, and which order to use them in, you can get back to going about your day with confidence!
