An in-depth guide to combination skin care, including what combination skin is, how to tell if you have it, what causes it, how to treat it, plus some of the best ingredients and skincare products for combination skin.
Combination skin is like a complex puzzle, with different areas of the face presenting varying needs and challenges. Striking the right balance between oily, dry or sensitive areas can often feel tiring.
On my beauty blog I talk a lot about combination skin. As I live with it every day. It’s been my skin type for as long as I can remember.
My combination skin is having a bit of everything. Dryness, sensitivity, texture, and a bit of T-zone oiliness, especially in the summer. Feeling almost like I’m dealing with all of the different skin types in one.
The challenge with combination skin is that many do not understand what it is, how to tell if they have it, or how to care for it in a way that benefits their skin.
If that’s you – I’m happy to finally share my detailed guide on combination skin. Let’s dive in!
✨ P.S. Bring your favorite coffee, tea, etc. I have my cappuccino. This will take a while. Feel free to use my Combination Skin Shortcut to navigate between the headings.
Combination Skin Shortcut
- What Is Combination Skin?
- How To Know If You Have Combination Skin?
- What Causes Combination Skin?
- How To Treat Combination Skin?
- Step-By-Step Skincare Routine For Combination Skin
- Best Ingredients For Combination Skin
- Best Skincare Products For Combination Skin
- Tips And Recommendations For Combination Skin
DISCLAIMER At El Beauty Finder, I strive to feature products that I personally test and recommend. However, I am not a licensed professional and cannot guarantee specific results nor the prevention or cure of any condition or disease. The information provided on www (dot) elbeautyfinder (dot) com is intended for informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional advice. Prices, availability, and product formulations may change over time, so it's advisable to verify product details and conduct your own research before making any purchasing decision or using any highlighted product, as well as look for professional guidance for personalized advice whenever needed.
What Is Combination Skin?
Combination skin is a skin type known by having areas that are both dry and oily. Typically, the T-zone (forehead, nose, and chin) tends to be oily, while the cheeks may be dry or normal. This skin type can also include areas with sensitiveness, roughness or unevenness, and vary depending on the season. (Source)
How To Know If You Have Combination Skin?
Figuring out if you have combination skin involves observing your skin across different areas of your face. Here is a friendly guide containing the most common signs of combination skin to know if you are part of the crew. (Source)
- Shiny T-Zone: if your forehead, nose, and chin have a little extra shine by midday, but the rest of your face is relatively normal or dry, that’s a classic sign of combination skin.
- Different Textures: running your fingers across your face might show different textures – some areas might feel smoother and more hydrated, while others could be a touch rough or tight.
- Breakouts: combination skin can also be prone to breakouts, especially in the oily areas.
- Enlarged Pores: you might notice larger pores in the T-zone and on the nose, even chin area due to increased oil production.
- Sensitivity: combination skin can also be sensitive and prone to irritations and redness.
- Seasonal Changes: your skin may change depending on the season, becoming oilier in the summer and drier in the winter.
- Makeup Meltdown: if your foundation seems to disappear faster in some parts of your face than others, you most likely have combination skin.
In addition to all of these indicators, combination skin may show a number of different signs and is unique to each person.
My combination skin, for example, is more prone to dryness, sensitivity, texture, and a bit of T-zone oiliness, letting aside the normal process of aging, aka wrinkles. Combination skin can check different boxes for each of us, and that’s normal.
What Causes Combination Skin?
Understanding the factors that contribute to combination skin type can help you better manage and care for it. Here is a breakdown of possible causes of combination skin:
- Genetics: your skin type can be influenced by genetics, with some people naturally predisposed to having combination skin due to familial traits.
- Hormonal Fluctuations: changes in hormone levels, especially during puberty, menstruation, pregnancy, or menopause, can impact your skin’s oil production.
- Climate and Environment: the environment you live in can influence your skin. For instance, exposure to dry or humid climates can affect how much oil your skin produces in different areas.
- Improper Skincare Routine: using skincare products that are too harsh or not suitable for your skin type can disrupt the natural balance of your skin. Harsh cleansers or overly drying products may strip the skin of its natural oils, triggering more oil production in certain areas.
- Lifestyle Habits: factors like stress, diet, and inadequate hydration can influence your skin health. Poor lifestyle habits may also contribute to imbalances in oil production and skin texture.
For me, it’s mostly about genetics.
Try to figure out what triggers the most for your skin and build from there. Visiting a specialist can also help you determine what is causing your skin to be out of balance.
How To Treat Combination Skin?
As someone who engages with beauty content regularly, I see this a lot in comments and reviews: how to treat combination skin? There is no way to treat combination skin and get rid of it.
However, it can be improved and balanced with a good skincare routine and products.
Step-By-Step Skincare Routine For Combination Skin
A. Morning Skincare Routine
- Gentle Cleansing: start your day with a mild, gentle cleanser – look for one that balances oil without stripping the skin.
- Balancing Toner: apply a toner to rebalance and soothe your skin.
- Lightweight Moisturizer: opt for a non-greasy, water-based moisturizer to hydrate without adding extra oil.
- Broad-Spectrum Sunscreen SPF 30+: finish off with a broad-spectrum sunscreen with at least SPF 30 to protect your skin from the UV rays.
B. Evening Skincare Routine
- Makeup Removal/ Double Cleanse: start your evening routine with a gentle makeup remover or cleansing oil, following up with a regular cleanser.
- Balancing Toner: apply a toner to rebalance and soothe your skin.
- One Treatment/ Active: if you are dealing with specific issues, apply a targeted treatment, like a Niacinamide Active to help regulate sebum production and improve the appearance of enlarged pores and uneven skin tone, Salicylic Acid Active to help with areas prone to breakouts, Glycolic Acid Active to help improve texture and uneven skin, Vitamin C Active to help brighten the skin and even out skin tone, Retinoid Active to help with texture and fine lines and wrinkles.
- Lightweight Moisturizer: opt for a non-greasy, water-based moisturizer to hydrate without adding extra oil.
C. Weekly Skincare Routine
- Deep-Cleansing Mask: treat your skin with a deep-cleansing clay mask once a week to draw out impurities.
- Leave-On Soothing Face Mask: a mask with repairing properties can help soothe and repair the skin. Use 2 or 3 times a week or as needed.
- Gentle Exfoliation (1-2 Times a Week/ As Tolerated): if you are dealing with skin issues or texture, using a gentle AHA/ BHA or enzyme mask 1-2 times a week or as tolerated, can add smoothness and improve the appearance of your skin overall.
In my skincare routine for combination skin, I go into more detail about the products I use for each stage, what to avoid, plus some recommendation and tips.
Best Ingredients For Combination Skin
Combination skin benefits from a balanced approach, with ingredients that address both oily and dry areas without feeling heavy. Here is a list of some of the best skincare ingredients for combination skin:
- Hyaluronic Acid/ Glycerin: hydrates without clogging pores.
- Ceramides: strengthens skin barrier – balances moisture levels.
- Aloe Vera: soothes and hydrates the skin – calms any redness or irritation.
- Jojoba Oil: mimics the skin’s natural oils to moisturize dry areas without causing breakouts.
- Hemp Seed Oil: moisturizes without clogging pores and balances sebum production.
- Honey: has natural antibacterial properties, moisturizes and soothes the skin.
- Green Tea Extract: an antioxidant that helps control sebum production and calm inflammations.
- Squalane: lightweight moisturizer that balances hydration without clogging pores.
- Niacinamide (Vitamin B3): regulates oil production – helps fade dark spots and even out skin tone.
- Salicylic Acid: exfoliates and unclog pores to control excess oil and prevents breakouts.
- Glycolic Acid: exfoliates by removing the dead skin cells to improves skin texture and reduces the appearance of fine lines.
- Lactic Acid: a gentle exfoliant suitable for combination, sensitive skin to improve skin texture.
- Vitamin C: brightens and evens out skin tone – provides antioxidant protection.
- Licorice Root Extract: reduces redness and inflammation and can help lighten dark spots.
- Panthenol: helps to calm and soothe irritated or sensitive skin.
- Rice Extract: balances excess oil production – calms irritated skin and reduces redness.
- Centella Extract: reduces redness and inflammation – strengthens skin barrier.
- Oat Extract: helps reduce inflammation to skin prone to eczema and psoriasis.
- Snail Mucin: promotes skin regeneration and repair, helping to heal wounds, scars, and blemishes.
- Retinol/ Tretinoin: boosts collagen production to address fine lines and improve skin texture.
✨ Pro Tip: My go-to platforms for learning about skincare ingredients: Cosmetic Ingredient Review and CosIng for detailed insights on ingredient safety and composition; PubMed to check peer-reviewed studies. Happy learning! 📚
In addition to choosing the right skincare ingredients for combination skin, the overall formulation is also important. Look for lightweight, non-comedogenic, and fragrance-free products, especially if you have sensitive skin.
Remember that skin is different, so it’s important to patch-test new products and incorporate them gradually into your skincare routine. Adjust your skincare routine according to how your combination skin reacts to different ingredients.
Best Skincare Products For Combination Skin
From gentle cleansers to lightweight moisturizers and SPFs, I’ve created a list of the top 3 best skincare products in each category for combination skin that I’ve tried and recommend.
1. Best Cleansers For Combination Skin
- La Roche Posay AP+ Gentle Foaming Moisturizing: a gentle cleanser that foams a little. Feels hydrating. It does remove normal, non resistant makeup and cleans up the skin beautifully without drying it out. A little goes long way. Also effective in calming irritation. Zero fragrance. I talk more about La Roche Posay products in my La Roche Posay skincare review.
- Purito From Green Deep Foaming Cleanser: a relatively thick in texture face wash, formulated with sodium cocoyl isethionate (coconut-derived surfactant), glycerin, coco-betaine (naturally derived surfactant), centella extract, green tea extract and licorice root extract to remove impurities from the pores and strengthen the skin barrier. I’ve got a Purito review covering all the products I’ve tested out.
- Geek & Gorgeous Mighty Melt Cleansing Balm: a lightweight balm with no scent that effectively removes any makeup without drying or clogging out the skin. Emulsifies with water well, it comes off completely from the skin, leaving no residue or oiliness behind.
2. Best Toners For Combination Skin
- I’m from Rice Toner: a soothing toner with 77.78% Goami rice extract + niacinamide to brighten and even out skin tone. With a milky consistency, it feels soothing on the skin, absorbs quickly, and leaves behind a natural, touch-dry radiant finish.
- Purito Centella Unscented Toner: a true serum-like toner with 10% centella, a somewhat non-runny consistency that goes a long way, and fully fragrance-free. Helps to lightly moisturize and reduce irritation.
- Isntree Green Tea Fresh Toner: contains 80% green tea extract and 0.01% Centella to control excess sebum. It does not feel drying and a little goes a long way. Ideal for combination to oily skin or the T-zone.
3. Best Moisturizers For Combination Skin
- Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Moist Cream: a gel-cream moisturizer with 10 types of hyaluronic acid that delivers intense hydration while feeling extremely light on the skin.
- La Roche Posay Double Repair Face Moisturizer: includes ceramide-3, niacinamide, glycerin and La Roche-Posay Prebiotic Thermal Water to help repair skin’s natural protective barrier with a lightweight creamy texture.
- Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel: provides lightweight hydration without clogging pores, suitable for both oily and dry areas of combination skin. I’ve shared my thoughts on my Neutrogena skincare review, in which I cover all of the products I tried from them.
4. Best Sunscreen For Combination Skin
- Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Watery Sun Gel: a no white cast SPF 50+ with hyaluronic acid, ceramide, centella asiatica and niacinamide to hydrate and protect the skin. Lightweight with non-greasy texture, fragrance-free.
- Missha M Perfect Cover BB Cream Spf 42 Pa+++: a tinted BB cream with a broad-spectrum protection with SPF 42 PA+++ to protect from both UVA and UVB rays. With a natural coverage to even out skin tone and conceal imperfections.
5. Best Targeted Treatments/ Actives For Combination Skin
- The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution: a gentle exfoliating toner that helps improve skin texture and tone without causing irritation.
- Loreal Paris Pure 0.2% Retinol Deep Wrinkle Night Serum: a lightweight gentle serum to reduce wrinkles, improve texture, minimize pores, even out skin tone and stimulate collagen production. Feels a touch moisturizing to me, which was unexpected; ideal for combination skin if you are just starting out.
- Timeless 20% Vitamin C + E Feluric Acid Serum: a lightweight serum with 20% vitamin C to brighten skin tone, boost collagen production and even out discoloration.
6. Best Face Masks For Combination Skin
- COSRX Ultimate Nourishing Rice Overnight Spa Mask: a light moisturizer with 68% rice extract to brighten, soften and moisturize the skin – fragrance-free with a lightweight texture and multi-functional use. Ideal for combination skin prone to texture and unevenness.
- Purito Dermide Cica Barrier Sleeping Pack: a great leave-on mask/ face moisturizer for hydrating, protecting and calming the skin. It’s lightweight but really moisturizing. Ideal for combination skin prone to dryness.
Most of the products are fragrance-free, with lightweight and non-comedogenic formulations. More tailored for combination skin like mine – prone to dryness, irritation, texture, and a little oiliness while using a retinoid for anti-aging.
You may also notice lots of Korean products. I discovered them a while back and fell in love with their formulations and per-quantity pricing. Much more affordable, durable and lightweight. More Korean products in my best Korean skincare products for combination skin list.
I’ve been really happy with each of them. Although these are my best discoveries for combination skin so far, feel free to explore with other similar formulas by looking at the ingredients to find products for your skin.
Check out my best ingredients for combination skin above to find examples of ingredients that address different skin issues.
Tips And Recommendations For Combination Skin
Many of these tips and recommendations have already been shared here on my beauty blog, but I’m including them again as they’ve been game changers for me managing my combination skin:
- Look for Lightweight, Non-Comedogenic Products: lighter, non-comedogenic formulas are more likely to work on your entire face, dry and oily areas, without clogging pores.
- Have Only 1 Active in Your Skincare Routine: active treatments target your skin’s specific needs. For example, you may address acne with salicylic acid, dark spots with a retinoid or vitamin C, uneven skin tone with glycolic acid, and so on.
- Double Cleanse at Night: benefits of it include removing everything from your skin, improving texture, and increasing product penetration.
- Use Sun Protection: using a broad spectrum SPF 30+ on a daily basis not only will protect your skin from UV rays, but also help you maintain the results.
- Mindful Makeup Application: when applying makeup to combination skin, try use products that are non-comedogenic and lightweight. A mattifying product in the T-zone to control excess oil is also helpful.
- Less is More: stick to a simple skincare routine for combination skin, or one that you can follow every day. Trust me, you don’t need a 30-steps skincare routine to have beautiful skin.
- Stay Consistent: try maintain your routine to allow your skin to adapt and show improvement.
- Be Patient with Results: understand that significant improvements often take time and consistent use of products.
- Listen to Your Skin: pay attention to your skin unique needs and responses to adjust accordingly.
- Consult a Professional: if you are unsure about your skincare routine or experiencing persistent issues, consult a dermatologist for personalized advice.
What helped me the most in taking care of my combination skin?
Building a skincare routine adapted to my needs, cutting down on the variety of products I use all at once, opting for lighter formulas, introducing a retinoid a couple of years back, double cleansing at night, reducing my sugar intake, and simply being more mindful of what’s my skin is telling me and adapting accordingly have made the biggest difference in achieving the skin I want.
A smoother, more balanced, even skin. Without excessive oiliness or dryness. ❤️
To Sum Up
Wrapping all up, this is my combination skin guide, based on the most reliable sources I could find and everything I’ve learned from years of living with combination skin.
I hope this has been helpful. I tried to organize everything in a simple structure for easy navigation. If there is anything else you would like me to include, let me know in the comments section below.
Also,
How do you handle your combination skin in your daily routine? Feel free to share your go-to routine, tips and favorite products!