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GOOD SKIN Blog

How to Keep Your Combination Skin Balanced

If Goldilocks had a skincare routine, it would be for combination skin. That’s because this skin type is not too oily, not too dry, but somewhere smack dab in the middle.

Unlike her “just right” bowl of porridge, however, combination skin can be a bit of an enigma. How do you treat the dry patches without encouraging the shine? Can you sop up the T-zone without leaving the cheeks stripped? Does the moisturizer aisle even have solutions for dealing with a combo complexion’s frequent mood swings? We dive into all that—and more—below.


WHAT IS COMBINATION SKIN?

Combination skin is one of the five skin types, the others being dry, oily, balanced (sometimes referred to as “normal”), and sensitive. (Learn what yours is by taking the “blot” test.) If you have combo skin, you’re genetically inclined to produce more oil in some areas than others. Hormones, the climate, and medication (like birth control) can also cause these levels to fluctuate. For example, you may notice parched cheeks but a greasy jawline. If that sounds familiar, you have a combination skin type.

HOW TO TAKE CARE OF COMBINATION SKIN

The number one trick to taking care of combination skin is placement. Apply richer creams and balms on dry patches and use sebum-absorbing clays on oilier sections. If that sounds too complicated, look for hybrid products like our Moisturizing Gel-Cream, which extracts the best benefits from both the “dry” and “oily” worlds and packs them into one, combo skin-approved formula.  

Combo skin types may also benefit from multimasking—a.k.a. applying different masks to every area of the face. For balanced skin, you can smooth on a dollop of our Purifying Mask wherever you’re feeling clogged or greasy, then fill in the thirsty gaps with our Hydrating Plumping Mask.


WHAT INGREDIENTS ARE GOOD FOR A COMBINATION SKIN

Being dry and oily can make building a skincare routine for combination skin challenging, but certainly not impossible. It all comes down to choosing the right ingredients that can help balance your skin’s oil production to mimic “normal” levels. Here are some of our recommendations for combination skin:

Hyaluronic and/or Polyglutamic Acid

Every skin type needs hydration, even combination ones. If the skin feels thirsty, it’ll overproduce oil to compensate for the moisture loss. To avoid that, pat on lightweight hydrators like polyglutamic or hyaluronic acid (our Moisture Maker serum contains both) wherever the skin feels parched. 

Niacinamide

This vitamin B3 derivative has many talents, like clearing acne, fending off premature aging, and brightening hyperpigmentation; of course, it would be a must-have for combination skin, too. Apply our Clarifying Serum’s blend of niacinamide and willow bark extract to sop up excess oil and clear out troubled pores. 

 

Cloudberry Seed Oil

Most moisturizers are made for either dry skin or oily skin—but not both. Cloudberry seed oil, however, is a non-comedogenic ingredient that softens the skin without weighing it down. That’s why we recommend our Daily Brightening Moisturizer (which is jam-packed with cloudberry, vitamin C, and carrot root extract) for combination skin types. 

Lactic Acid

This AHA is one of the few skincare ingredients that exfoliates and hydrates the skin at the same time, making lactic acid an ideal one to incorporate if you have combo skin. Reap its benefits by applying our Overnight Facial during your PM routine to diminish dullness, tighten the appearance of pores, and soften skin texture.

Shop combination skincare below.