If you have a hard time categorizing your skin type, it may be because you have two.
If you’ve noticed that you experience dry areas of skin on certain parts of your face, with an excess of oils in areas like the T-zone or your chin, you might have combination skin. It can be tricky to figure out how to care for your skin properly considering that different parts of your face have entirely different needs.
When you have combination skin the only way to achieve balance is by following a skin care routine that addresses all of your skin concerns. Ahead, learn how to tell if you have combo skin, plus tips on how to treat combination skin and the best skin care products to add to your routine.
What is Combination Skin?
Combination skin is when the skin has a mix of oily and dry skin characteristics. This means your skin may be dry in areas like the cheeks, while it may be oily in areas like the T-zone, forehead and chin.
The duality of combination skin can make it difficult to identify the right skin care and makeup routines for your unique skin type. The reason is that you have two issues to focus on rather than one and a routine for dry skin typically does not work for oily skin. Rather than picking and choosing which issues you address, the best way to balance your combo skin type is by confronting both.
How to Identify Combination Skin
You’ll know you have combination skin when you feel like you’re dealing with two different skin types at the same time. When you have oily skin, you can expect to deal with a greasy-looking complexion, blackheads, frequent breakouts and enlarged pores in the T-zone. With dry skin, you can expect dry patches, skin that feels tight, flaking and dullness.
What Causes Combination Skin?
The main cause of combination skin is the presence of overactive oil glands in the T-zone. However, the overproduction of oil can be caused by a number of different factors, such as hormones, stress, weather and genetics. While these factors are often out of your control, you can adjust your skin care routine for combination skin and lifestyle choices to make your combination skin more manageable.
How to Care for Combination Skin
Check out these helpful skin care tips to help you create a skin care routine based on your combination skin’s needs.
1. Use a Gentle Facial Cleanser
Many people with oily skin think that they need to use a harsh cleanser to dry out their skin’s natural oils, but according to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), it’s actually the opposite. A harsh cleanser can irritate your skin, leading to a spike in oil production — the exact thing you’re trying to avoid.
2. Add Routine Exfoliation to Your Routine
If you have combination skin, exfoliating dead skin cells is key to keeping your complexion smooth and glowy. Whether that be with a serum, a toner or a face scrub, routine exfoliation will help to buff away the layer of dead skin, revealing a velvety and radiant complexion.
3. Never Skip Moisturizer
Regardless of your skin type, moisturizer is non-negotiable if you want your skin to look and feel its best. For combination skin, opt for a non-comedogenic moisturizer that’s hydrating without feeling sticky or greasy, like a water cream. This way, it won’t feel heavy on the skin, but the formula will allow you to address both the dry and oily parts of your face.
4. Avoid Touching Your Face
This is easier said than done since many of us don’t even realize that we’re doing it most of the time. Your hands carry a lot of bacteria and dirt, and you don’t want to transfer that to your face, as it could end up clogging your pores.
Source: L'Oréal
