People with combination skin are well aware of the challenges of taking good care of their skin. For the uninitiated, a combination skin type is partly oily and partly dry. Precisely, the T-zone - forehead, nose and chin are oily, and the rest of the face - cheeks and jawline are dry. When you are dealing with combination skin, it can get tricky in a lot of ways even after using skincare products. To help you conquer the constant battle between you and your skin type, we've compiled some highly recommended skincare tips for combination skin:
7 Best Tips for Combination Skin
1. Use an Oil-Balancing Cleanser:
If your skin is prone to getting breakouts in specific areas of your face, you'd want to reach out for a product that removes the excess oil from those areas. But, make sure you go for a cleanser that is made with natural ingredients and contains no chemicals so that it can do more good to your skin than damage it. Avoid harsh, skin-drying chemicals like denatured alcohol so that it doesn't dry out your T-zone completely. For the uninitiated, denatured alcohol is basically ethanol that contains additives to make it bad-tasting, foul-smelling, nauseating or poisonous to discourage its recreational consumption. You can pick the Pure Sense Rejuvenating Grapefruit Revitalising Face Cleansing Gel as it is completely natural and made with organic ingredients. It is formulated with vitamin C-rich grapefruit that helps get rid of dirt and boost collagen production while bringing a natural glow to your face. This cleansing gel will deeply and gently cleanse each area of your face without drying out the oily areas. As it contains grapefruit, it even helps transform dull complexion as vitamin C is a skin brightening agent.
2. Exfoliate Without Fail:
The main focus of exfoliation is to remove dead skin cells from your face. But overdoing anything can harm your skin more than doing any good. So, make sure you exfoliate the skin on your face twice a week without fail. While exfoliation sounds like a great idea for combination skin care, it can also irritate dry skin. So, look for the gentlest exfoliant possible for this step. Skincare for combination skin can get tricky but once you know what to pick for your skin, it gets easier.
3. Always Carry Blotting Pads:
For the ones with a combination skin type, you know how your T-zone keeps getting oily after every few hours. How do you keep the oil-prone areas of your skin looking fresh all day? Well, you simply carry blotting pads or wipes with minimum ingredients so that they won't disturb your skin's natural lipid levels. They're light in weight, easy to carry and help you mattify your oily T-zone from time to time. This is easily one of the best tips for combination skin care.
4. Find a Multi-Tasking Moisturiser for the PM:
It is crucial for people with combination skin to pick a moisturiser that can keep the dry areas moisturised without weighing down the oily ones, even during the night. Your skin needs as much hydration at night as it does throughout the day. Alternatively, it's okay to mix and match your moisturisers by picking a lightweight one for the oily T-zone and a heavier cream for the cheeks and jawline. Although, if you're looking for an all-in-one kind of a product, we'd suggest you go for the Pure Sense Hydrating Sleeping Mask. It is a perfect blend of cucumber, aloe vera, niacinamide and hyaluronic acid, which hydrate your skin immensely throughout the night. This overnight sleeping mask is brimmed with natural ingredients good for skin and will soothe dry skin, moisturise the skin and treat acne, hyperpigmentation, fine lines and more. Along with being a natural skincare product, it is chemical-free, cruelty-free and earth-friendly.
5. Apply a Mattifying Primer In the AM:
Before stepping out in the morning, make sure to prep your skin with a mattifying primer on your combination skin before applying any makeup. Priming your skin prevents your makeup from becoming too oily and shiny around the clock. For those who use makeup regularly, you might have surely suffered from makeup slippage around your T-zone. This is why it’s important to use a mattifying primer, preferably the one that contains natural ingredients like aloe vera, seaweed collagen, rice starch, etc., to keep your skin looking plump, moisturised and mattified all day long. This tip for combination skin care will go a long way as it will help make your makeup routine go smoother.
6. Avoid Touching Your Face:
Touching your face frequently will only add more and more germs, and dirt to your acne-prone oily T-zone. You'd be surprised to know that your hands carry a lot of invisible germs and dirt among other things that you'd not want to transfer to your face. And when you keep touching your face constantly, all the dirt and grime ends up clogging your pores and before you know it, you start breaking out. And no matter what type of combination skin care you have in place, all of it will go in vain if you don't stop touching your face from time to time.
7. Choose a Broad Spectrum Sunscreen:
Applying a generous amount of broad-spectrum sunscreen, preferably with an SPF of 30 or higher is one of the best skincare steps for combination skin. Don't go a day without applying a layer of SPF to your face. It protects your skin from sun damage, signs of ageing, fine lines and wrinkles.
Conclusion
It's true that dealing with a combination skin type can feel like an uphill battle. But if you have combination skin care in place, it will get a lot more manageable. No matter how bad your skin feels, once you know how to take care of combination skin, we promise you, it only gets better with time!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What does combination skin look like?
Combination skin is basically a combination of dry skin and oily skin. Commonly, the T-zone i.e. the forehead, nose and chin are the areas that produce more oil in comparison to the cheeks and jawline that are dry. Some people experience combination skin around the year while some face it seasonally.
2. What causes combination skin?
Very simply put, combination skin is characterized by overactive oil glands, particularly in the forehead, nose and chin. These are usually the areas that are more prone to clogged pores that result in breakouts. When sebum starts to build inside these pores, they expand to account for the excess oil, which in turn gives them an enlarged appearance.
3. Is oil cleansing good for combination skin?
Cleansing oils that are made of a single oil or oil blend without surfactants or emulsifiers are strictly not recommended for anyone with a combination skin type. These kinds of cleansers will only damage the skin further by adding to the skin's oiliness issues. Instead, for best skincare for combination skin, include a cleanser that is water-soluble, gel-based or mildly foaming as it is better than oil cleansing and won't leave your skin feeling tight and dry.
