How to Treat Combination Skin: What is it and what to do
Understanding your skin type is key to figuring out which skincare products work best for you. But while dry and oily skin almost automatically mean a certain skincare protocol, combination skin demands balance as you address varying degrees of oil production across your face.
What is Combination Skin
Combination skin is when part of your face is oily and part of it is dry. Oiliness is most common in the T-zone—the t-shaped area encompassing your forehead, nose and chin— while the cheeks, hairline, and jaw tend to be drier.
What Causes Combination Skin?
Combination skin is caused by overproductive oil glands in the T-zone and underproductive oil glands elsewhere on the face. While skin type is often inherited, a number of other factors can also influence how much oil your skin produces. These can include:
- Hormonal fluctuations - Seasonal changes - Stress - Medication - Skin treatments and products
How to Tell if You Have Combination Skin
- Wash your face, then wait an hour. If your t-zone is oily but your cheeks are dry, you have combination skin.
- A moisturizer designed for normal skin quenches your cheeks but turns your t-zone into an oil slick.
- The pores on your nose are visibly larger than the ones on your cheeks and jawline.
- You get breakouts and dry patches at the same time, on different areas of your face.
- You notice that hot weather increases the oiliness in your t-zone.
How to Care for Combination Skin
5 Tips for Healthy Combination Skin
Spot treat oily areas. While treatments targeting excess sebum can help your oily t-zone, your dry areas need all the natural oils they can get. Instead of buying completely separate products, use oil-controlling ingredients only where you need them. Be gentle. Your skin has a natural protective layer—the moisture barrier — that works hard to insure that healthy, natural moisture stays in and bacteria and irritants stay out. One of the best ways to balance your skin is to use soothing ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, ceramides, and sugarcane-derived squalane to help strengthen your moisture barrier and help your skin better regulate its oil production.Exfoliate. Gentle exfoliation using a hydrating chemical exfoliant such as lactic acid can help improve the look of enlarged pores and slough off dry, flaky skin to help your skincare penetrate better. Use lightweight hydrators. While your dry areas are obviously crying out for hydration, the right moisturizer can also help bring balance to your t-zone. Look for lightweight gel or gel-cream formulas that use ingredients such as hyaluronic acid to deliver deep hydration without feeling sticky or greasy. Don’t skip the sunscreen. Sun exposure can throw your skin even farther out of balance, so be sure to protect it daily with a non-comedogenic SPF 30 sunscreen. Your skin (and your dermatologist) will thank you!
The Best Routine for Combination Skin
Step One: Cleanse with Squalane + Amino Aloe Gentle Cleanser
Lather this calming gel cleanser into a satisfying foam to deep clean pores without overstripping. Amino acids dissolve dirt and makeup while aloe soothes and sugarcane-derived squalane delivers a burst of hydration.
Step Two: Balance with Squalane + BHA Pore Minimizing Toner
Step Three: Treat
AM: Brighten with Squalane + Vitamin C Dark Spot Serum
PM: Refine with Squalane + 10% Lactic Acid Resurfacing Serum
Step Four: Moisturize
If your skin is super oily in the T-zone and only slightly dry on the rest of your face, our
If you have a slightly oily T-zone but your cheeks are on the drier side, our
Step Five (AM): Protect with Squalane + Zinc Sheer Mineral Sunscreen
As a lifestyle writer and journalist, I love sharing my passion for ocean conservation and obsession with clean beauty. I’ve tried almost every trend and ingredient, and Biossance’s science-backed formulas are the only ones that consistently calm my reactive skin and make it smoother, clearer, and healthier. I’m so excited to be on this journey of skincare innovation with Biossance, and to share it with you!
