Some parts of your face being oily and some parts of your face feel dry? It is quite confusing, yet very common. It only means you have a combination skin type. Combination skin is mainly a combo of oily T-zone area and dry cheeks and jaw area. This is one of the most common skin types and there’s not much of genetics role here. However, external factors like stress, environmental pollution and also hormonal changes play a vital role. Having a balanced skincare routine is the key for healthy combination skin. I, myself, having a combination skin might a little about my journey in this post as well.
Combination skin care routine is all about experimenting different kind of products meant for dry skin and oily skin, and figuring out what works for you. All my life, I’ve been doing this and trust me, there’s not a specific routine that I follow. It keeps changing. Oh, I am talking about combination skin – without acne; that’s my skin type. But if you’re someone with combination skin type with acne condition, then you should first consult your dermat and not rely on other influencer’s routines.
MORNING SKINCARE ROUTINE –
- Cleanse : A gentle gel cleanser will remove all the impurities and freshens the skin without stripping the natural oils. Choose non-comedogenic cleanser if you’re acne-prone that does not clog the pores rather look for deep pore cleansing product.
- Tone : Balancing should be the key. Swipe away any extra dirt from the cleansing step and balance skin’s natural pH level. Depending on personal preferences, choose between an exfoliating toner or a calming toner. In case you separately exfoliate post cleansing, avoid exfoliating toners or peels as a toner.
- Serum and/or Moisturizer : Hydrating serum paired with a lightweight moisturizer. Or just keep it simple with a light weight gel-based moisturizer. If you have acne -combination skin, use treatments first and then top it with moisturizer.
- Sunscreen : Don’t forget to apply your sunscreen. Choose a gel-based sunscreen with a PF of 30+ even if your indoors.
NIGHT SKINCARE ROUTINE –
- Double Cleanse : A gentle oil-based or balm type cleanser as the first cleanse, and a mild hydrating cleanser as the second cleanse gives a fresh start for the night routine.
- Tone : An alcohol-free calming or soothing toner would be suggestible. If you use any (recommended) treatments or use active acids, using a calming toner helps balance the skin.
- Eye care : Dark circles? Tired eyes? Puffy eyes? Choose a coffee/caffeine based eye cream to tame all under eye issues. Coffee is one of the star ingredients to keep all the under-eye problems at bay. If you hardly have any under-eye issues, you might want to skip this step, or do this at the end. But if you have serious issues, try to keep it at first so that the ingredients seep in at your targeted area and works best.
- Treat : If you’re a teen and just started with skincare routine, and struggling to know what to apply as your serum step; you might start with gentle Hyaluronic acid based serums which hydrate the skin. Leveling up, you might want to use Niacinamide or any lightweight serums. Vitamin C is also recommended, provided do not use with any AHA/BHA’s. Acne-prone skin people will definitely need their BHA’s, Salicylic acids as treatments.
- Night Cream : Finish the routine with a generous application of barrier protecting night moisturizer.
- Lip care : Don’t forget your lips. Lips also need the same TLC as your entire face has had. Apply a thick layer of non-tinted, non-fancy moisturizing lip balm/butter for a whole night lip hydration.
WEEKLY ROUTINE –
Chemical exfoliation is best suggested once-twice a week. If new to it, use a clay mask avoiding the dry areas to pull out the daily gunk out. Sheetmask – yes, if you are a sheetmask person. They are best (temporary) way for a hydrated and plump skin.
P.S. This is only a simple guide to build your skincare routine. Choosing the ingredients and products is purely dependent on the individual.
Hope you find this guide helpful. Will be updating more skincare routines for other skin types in coming posts. Lemme know your thoughts on it.
