Combination Skin Care
Combination skin can be characterized by having both dry skin and oily skin on different parts of the face for body. Most often, this occurs on the face and upper torso. The area that includes the forehead and the center of the face including the nose and chin (T-zone) is often oily while the cheeks exhibit dryness.
T-zone areas are usually where breakouts occur while the dry areas such as the cheeks and neck may experience tightness and flaking skin. Combination skin exists in both younger people as well as mature skin and is considered one of the most common skin types.
Combination Skin Care
A combination skincare regimen can be a bit trickier to implement than one created for a distinct skin type (dry, oily, aging or sensitive). It is often thought that you must treat the oily areas which are usually marked by enlarged pores and excess sebum one way and the dry skin which usually has moisturizing requirements another.
This situation however can be looked at another way and that is to try and keep the production of sebum, the oil produced by the skin, at a normal level. This can involve everything from the choice of a combination skin moisturizer to a mild cleanser and facial scrub to your dieting approach.
Cleansers - With combination skin it is preferable to use ones that are milk or water based. These mild cleansers deep clean and help to exfoliate and unclog pores. They also provide hydration benefits for both oily and dry skin. Soaps and other pure cleaning skin products should be avoided. Lavender essential oil and those from rosemary and chamomile are other gentle ingredients to help cleanse combination skin. Cleansing milk can also treat both types of skin without adverse effects.
Skin Toners - German chamomile lavender, rose hip and orange extract can add extra pH balancing qualities to toners for combination skin. These products also remove materials that can clog pores such as makeup and dirt which can produce excess oiliness in the skin and cause blemished skin. It is important to avoid those toners and astringents that contain alcohol as they can both dry out the skin cause the creation of too much sebum.
Combination Skin Moisturizer - When choosing a single moisturizer to treat both skin types, those with silicone oils can provide both a light layer on the skin as well as hydration without producing excess oil. Drier areas of the skin may need an additional lightweight moisturizer such as a treatment cream of hydrating gel for adequate moisturization.
Facial masks - combination skincare regimen can include facial steam and facial masks. Though some clays and creams can be used on most combo skin, a gel based mask is preferred since these mask may not draw as much oil out of the skin and are often designed for sensitive skin and uneven skin tone. Less irritation means less complications from dry skin while B vitamins, allantoin and cucumber extracts, commonly found in gel masks, can help to restore pH to oily skin or T-zone areas.
Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHA) - enlarged pores are very common with combination skin and this allows dead skin cells and other substances to accumulate and a facial scrub or exfoliating mask that contain AHA are very effective in removing them while avoiding dry skin. These acids can also help lessen skin discoloration (age spots) as well as reduce the depth of wrinkles if used in high enough concentrations.
