SKINCARE 101: COMBINATION SKIN
DENIZ AKKAYA
Some people may see their skin type affected by environmental factors such as weather changes and altitude, or internal factors such as hormonal periods and aging. Choosing the right skin care product for your skin type and having a regular skin care routine is essential to keep your skin healthy, firm and supple.
If you haven’t read it yet, you should definitely check out our Magic Wand: Skincare Routine text to discover what ingredients to include in your routine and in what order you should use them!
Combination skin type is the combination of two main skin types, oily skin and dry skin. Combination skin is typically oily on the nose, chin and forehead, the T zone as we all know it, and dry on the cheeks and rest of the face.
When your skin type is a combination, you need to create a skincare routine that solves multiple issues at the same time. So you have to find a middle way between the ideal routine for oily skin and the ideal routine for dry skin. Fortunately, we are here to solve this problem 🙂
Best Cleansers for Combination Skin
Using a cleanser is like turning your face into a blank canvas ready to take over the world. During the night, your face had a chance to collect dirt and produce excess oil. A morning routine that starts with a gentle cleanser is very important so you can remove these impurities and prepare your face for the next step of your skincare routine.
In the evening, you can make sure that your skin is clean by first using an oil-based cleanser and then a foam cleanser to remove dirt, makeup and sunscreen that accumulate on your skin throughout the day. Foam and gel cleaners are a good choice as they are lightweight. However, cream cleansers or cleansing lotions are the absolute best for the combination skin!
Our Picks
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Purifying Foaming Gel:
While deeply cleansing the excess oil in your T zone, your skin does not feel dry after washing; This gel cleanser, which leaves the skin clean and refreshed, is paraben, alcohol and oil free and keeps the pH balance of your skin at 5.5.
Clarins Gentle Foaming Cleanser:
The best cleanser for combination skin is one that cleans as well as a soap but is as gentle as a cream, and this cleanser does exactly that. A cleanser that is the savior of combination skin!
Neutrogena Hydro Boost Cleanser:
This moisturizing gel cleanser is formulated with patented cleansing technology to remove oil from your T-zone and Hyaluronic Acid to provide the necessary hydration to areas in need.
Best Exfoliators for Combination Skin
Don’t overdo it with exfoliation. A gentle exfoliator is perfect for opening pores and removing the dead skin, but if you use an aggressive exfoliator, you will eliminate any positive effects and probably cause great damage to your skin. Regular exfoliation treatment helps increase cell renewal, helping to smooth your skin and even out your skin tone.
You can try exfoliants containing BHA as a gentler alternative to rubs or brushes to reduce oil, open pores and smooth dry and flaky skin. We recommend turning to a gel or water-based formulation.
Our Picks
La Roche-Posay Ultrafine Scrub:
Specially formulated for sensitive skin, this exfoliator cleanses the skin from dead skin cells through very fine pumice particles; Contains a blend of both physical and chemical exfoliants.
The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Solution:
Designed to offer a powerful solution of 2 percent salicylic acid and witch hazel, this product is highly effective as a spot treatment and exfoliating the skin. It helps you to deeply cleanse the dirt accumulated in your pores with its anti-inflammatory formula.
Best Moustrizers for Combination Skin
Hydrating combo skin can be difficult. You should not use a heavy moisturizer, it will only make your T zone shine brighter than a diamond. However, you should also make sure that the drier areas of your skin get plenty of hydration.
By using a light moisturizer in your morning routine, a hydrating serum in your nighttime routine, or a gel moisturizer rich in antioxidants, you can overcome this problem.
Our Picks
Bioderma Hydrabio Gel Creme:
If you have acne problems and your skin is oily but rather dry in places, this gel moisturizer is for you. With its light formula, it removes the oil of your T-zone without overdrying and also fights acne with the salicylic acid it contains. It also contains many moisturizing agents such as squalene and niacinamide.
CeraVe Moustrizing Lotion:
Thanks to hyaluronic acid, this lotion is both super light and moisturizing. It’s one of our favorites because it’s gentle, non-greasy, moisturizing, and generally really effective at calming and balancing combination skin.
Neutrogena Hydro-Boost Water Gel:
This super light gel moisturizer is non-greasy and quickly absorbs into the skin while providing adequate moisture support. The water-based formula contains hyaluronic acid to lock in moisture and soften the skin’s texture; The gel is also non-comedogenic (meaning it doesn’t clog pores) and never leaves the face oily.
Best Serums and Essences for Combination Skin
Essences and serums give your skin an extra boost of nutrition and hydration to help strengthen and stabilize your skin’s barrier. Strengthening your skin’s natural barrier helps your skin stand firm against environmental irritants and toxins. Serums are often used to target specific issues such as redness, skin tone disparity and fine lines, and they play a big role in customizing your routine. Both are a great step to add to your skincare routine.
Our Picks
MISSHA Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence:
One of the best-selling essences, this product is formulated with more than 90 percent fermented ingredients that are the cornerstone of Korean skincare to plump, soften and reduce redness.
Kiehl’s Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil Herbal Concentrate:
The lightweight, soothing oil helps to improve the appearance of skin prone to skin imperfections. It helps to balance the moisture of the skin and soothe the irritated skin with its formula containing hemp seed oil and oregano oil obtained from hemp.
Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence:
This essence helps prevent acne and also reduces the marks that acne may leave behind. It contains naturally softening glycoproteins, moisturizing hyaluronic acid, exfoliating glycolic acid and 96% cruelty-free snail secretion permeate.
Best Sunscreen For Dry Skin
If you have sensitive skin, mineral sunscreens would be a better option than those with chemical filters (oxybenzone, avobenzone, octizalate, and homosalate are popular examples in chemical formulations). These chemical filters, especially oxybenzone, do great damage to your skin as well as to our planet. The damage oxybenzone caused to coral reefs even led the state of Hawaii to ban the sale of all sunscreens with this ingredient! Instead, you should choose sunscreens with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, which protect by creating a physical shield between the skin and the sun’s harmful rays.
Our Picks
Klair’s- Soft Airy UV Essence SPF 50 PA ++++: by far the best sunscreen on the market. Formulated with physical (mineral) filters, this sunscreen calms the skin with its light and moisturizing structure and suitable even for the most sensitive skin. SPF 50 + PA+++ + developed with zinc oxide and titanium dioxide to protect skin against UVA/UVB rays thanks to strong sun protection.It is ideal for skins that want to protect the skin from UV rays while at the same time soothing irritated, warmed up skin, providing tone evenness and using it as a make-up base.
Cosrx – Aloe Soothing Sun Cream SPF50 Pa+++: the main ingredient of the product, Aloe arborescens leaf extract, soothes and moisturizes the skin. The texture of the cream is similar to a mild moisturizer, unlike other sunscreens that dry and peel the skin. This moisturizing sunscreen is quickly absorbed by the skin without leaving an oily feeling or a white cast.
