July 25, 2024

What is combination skin?

All of us have had to watch a commercial in which a smiling model applies a single product to their already-perfect skin? But you know this. We know this. Skincare commercials can definitely be fake news! There’s no magic cure-all formula that will be perfect for every inch of every single person’s face.

More importantly, our skin is a dynamic creature, both person-to-person and zone-to-zone. In fact, most of us will experience skin change and experience different skin types in our lifetime.

It’s also entirely possible to experience a few skin types at the same time on different parts of your face, depending on things like sensitivity and hydration levels. For example, your T-zone can feel very oily, while your cheeks may feel like it needs extra layers moisturizer. But lets first review the different skin types:

Normal is exactly what you might think it is: balanced, imperfection-free, and subtly pored. Also, low key annoying for the rest of us!
Dry skin is also pretty self-explanatory. Skin lipids are depleted and skin feels tighter, flakier, and duller. This skin type can also be more prone to skin irritation and sensitivities.
Oily skin is, you guessed it: shiny and more prone to acne thanks to an over production of sebum.

Unless you experience dry skin or oily skin on the reg, there’s actually a solid chance you actually have combination skin type. Most of us will probably experience a period of combination skin at some point in our lives. But exactly what is combination skin? And what are some things those with combination skin should keep in mind when going through their daily skincare routine?

Read on to learn about the quirks of combination skin and how to unlock the perfect combo of ingredients to keep this fussy skin type happy and looking its best!

Common Traits of the Combination Skin Type

From dry skin patches to zones that are more sensitivity prone, here are the things to look out for with the combination skin type:

The Battle of the Zones

If you’ve ever heard of the T-zone, you’re on the right track. The T-zone is the area of the face that covers the forehead, down to the bridge of your nose. If you were to trace a line on your face with your finger, you’d form an uppercase T shape.

From a human biology standpoint, this zone actually has more pores and is naturally programmed to produce more sebum in general. But you might be surprised to learn this is true even for those with dry skin! So, if you’re looking for the telltale sign of the combination skin type, consider the stark difference between the T-zone and the C-zone (area that hugs the underneath eye area and above the cheek bone). These two skin areas can have polar opposite hydration scenarios.

Clogged pores and an oily T-zone often indicates an oily skin type. However, if you find that you have this skin trait and additionally, have dry patches on your cheeks or chin, this is textbook combination skin.

Tight Fit

If there’s little difference across your face, that doesn’t mean you don’t have combination skin. If your skin feels both shiny and tight, this can also indicate combination skin. That’s because skin can be both oily and dehydrated. It’s a confusing concept, but just because a person has oily skin does’t equate to overly hydrated skin. In fact, as controversial as it sounds, this is why oily skin types can even benefit from water-loving humectants and the right lightweight plant oils.

Oil is merely a part of the skin moisturization equation. When trying to decide which moisture type and amount is balanced for your skin, ingredients are a good start.

I Feel it in my Pores

For combination skin, the oily skin portion really starts at the pore level. Remember, that overactive sebaceous glands (located in our pores) can lead to excess oil production. This starts a cascade of events from visibly enlarged pores, extra shine, blackheads, and ultimately acne breakouts.

And I Still Have Dry Patches?

Dry prone areas are common and dry patches of flaky, itchy areas can flare up sporadically with this skin type. Annoyingly, that’s what makes combination skin so infuriating to live with. Managing both dry skin areas and oily skin woes makes all combination skin types feel like skin just really doesn’t know what it wants.

Based on these traits, it can make you feel like building a skincare routine feels downright impossible, but not to worry! Let’s talk about the ideal skincare strategy to make a combination skin routine feel more manageable while helping skin look and feel its healthiest.

How to Care for Combination Skin

Congratulations, you’re about to be a skincare layering pro! This doesn’t mean your skincare routine will require a lot of effort, but you will be the best hacker of skincare users.

First, let’s start with what is not ideal for combination skin. To tackle all your skincare needs, the routine will most likely not be a one & done scenario. All-in-one skincare products sound great from a hassle free standpoint but will be difficult to cover all of this skin types needs well.

Instead, we recommend having an arsenal of layering tools to cover all of your needs while still keeping your skin barrier happy:

Cleanse with a gentle cleanser. Despite the oily skin aspect of this skin type, the key is still to use an effective cleanser that doesn’t aggravate and overstrip your dry zone. Cleansers start every skin routine with a blank slate and essentially prep skin for the rest of the good stuff you’re about to put on your face.

Moisturize via layers! This step can be especially tricky for those with combination skin! Refer back to our Moisturizing Ingredients Decode Guide. We recommend finding a moisturizer that ideally can cover the oily skin portion of your moisturizing needs. These will typically be light lotions or gel cream textures. This moisturizer will serve as your moisturizing foundation. For the dry skin areas, consider adding in a humectant-forward hydrating serum underneath or even a face oil to finish to ensure your dry skin-prone areas are covered.

Exfoliate (gently). As much as exfoliating doesn’t sound glamorous, the act of exfoliating happens to be a crucial step in ensuring general skin health and skin function. However, combination skin can make exfoliating slightly more complex. Starting with a 10% mandelic acid or 2% salicylic acid AHA product just a couple times a week can ensure you’re getting the benefits without upsetting your dry and oily patches. If you want to learn more about exfoliating toners with AHAs and BHAs, checkout our guide here.

Consider retinoids. Retinoids have been found to help a variety of skin benefits such as acne, hyperpigmentation, and wrinkles. Although the initial retinization period and side effects makes this category sound daunting, combination skin types can still take advantage of this category. Remember to start slow and low - low frequency of 2-3 times a week and at a lower concentration (ie. 0.1% retinol). Also top tip! Consider keeping a balm handy to spot treat your dry skin prone areas while using retinoids to minimize initial flaking and dryness.

For makeup users, oil-free and mattifying products can help minimize shine. However, just be aware that sometimes these products can contain too much mattifying, oil absorbing powders which can actually throw off skin even more.

Final Thoughts

Managing combination skin can sometimes feel like a never ending journey, but it doesn’t have take that much work or effort to manage. Its simply about being savvy in having the right skincare tools in your arsenal to manage both your oily skin needs and dry/non-oily skin needs.

When in doubt, approach tweaking your skincare routine step wise to ensure each tweak is helpful and doesn’t possibly cause unwanted skin irritation.

If, after reading this, you realize you have the combination skin type, help is on the way! We have assembled a few trustworthy skincare tools that can help you wrangle in your combo skin and keep it glowing.

Here are some combination skin routine essentials from our Chemist Confessions line to help you get started: