Does your combination skin confuse you? Are you tired of trying products that just aren’t right?

Come on; it’s not that hard! Today we’ll show what your sneaky combination skin needs in a few simple steps. The goal behind this skincare routine is to nurture your skin without increasing the sebum production in the oily parts or drying out the skin too much in the dry ones and preventing the normal area form drying out or getting all oily as its prone to such things without the right kind of protection, sound good? Alright, let’s get started!

First thing you need to know is that combination skin has two types:

1. Oily T-zone and dry everywhere else.
2. Oily T-zone and normal everywhere else.

Now let’s talk about the daily morning and evening routine for each part in the right order then we’ll break down each step for a better understanding of what you’re doing.

In the morning:

Dry area:

• Cleanser (Daily)
• Toner (Daily)
• Serum (Daily)
• Moisturizer (Daily)
• Eye cream (Daily)
• Primer (Daily)
• Face oil (Daily)
• SPF (Daily)

Oily area:

• Cleanser (Daily)
• Toner (Daily)
• Serum (Daily)
• Moisturizer (Daily)
• Eye cream (Daily)
• Primer (Daily)
• Face oil (Daily)
• SPF (Daily)

Normal area:

• Cleanser (Daily)
• Toner (Daily)
• Serum (Daily)
• Moisturizer (Daily)
• Eye cream (Daily)
• Primer (Daily)
• Face oil (Daily)
• SPF (Daily)

In the evening:

Dry area:

• Makeup remover (Daily)
• Cleanser (Daily)
• Exfoliator (Once a week)
• Toner (Daily)
• Serum (Daily)
• Moisturizer (Daily)
• Sheet mask (every two days)
• Eye Cream (Daily)
• Face oil (Daily)

Oily area:

• Make up remover (If you’re using a single cleanser but in case of double cleansing you can skip this step)
• Cleanser (Daily)
• Exfoliator (Once a week)
• Toner (Daily)
• Moisturizer (Daily)
• Mask (Every other day)
• Serums (Daily)
• Spot treatments (On a case by case basis)
• Eye cream (Daily)
• Face oil (Daily)

Normal area:

• Makeup remover (Daily)
• Cleanser (Daily)
• Exfoliator (Once a week)
• Toner (Daily)
• Serum (Daily)
• Moisturizer (Daily)
• Sheet mask (Every two days)
• Eye cream (Daily)
• Face oil (Daily)

CLEANSER

Cleansers are perfect for combination skin because they don’t mess with the balance of oily and dry skin but make sure not to choose one that could dry out normal skin.  Start by washing your face with a mild cream cleanser as it hydrates and calms dry skin while clearing clogged pores and controlling sebum production.

TONER

Your skin might feel tight after cleansing, or in some cases, it may still be oily. That’s why toner is essential here. Soak a cotton pad with it, and then move it over the whole face, as it helps to balance skin’s pH levels, get rid of traces of oil, and hydrates the skin.

SERUM

Using your fingertips, spread the serum all over the face.  To avoid any unwanted results, go with a serum that suits both skin types, dry and oily and that will give normal skin exactly what it needs without any unwanted effects, like a one that’s Retinol based. It will keep the dry areas hydrated while preventing clogged pores from happening!

Moisturizer

Balance is everything when it comes to hydrating combination skin. Pick a lightweight, non-clogging texture that is ideal for fast hydration without a shiny finish. Put a small amount on different areas of your face using your fingertips, and then spread it evenly.

Eye Creams

You can choose an eye cream depending on the problem you desire to fix, whether fine lines and wrinkles or dark circles and puffiness. After moisturizing, pick up a tiny amount of the eye cream on your ring fingers and tap it gently on the under-eye area!

(We recommend reading this blog about eye creams to know which eye-cream ingredients you need to look for according to your needs). (link)

Primer

An important step before makeup that needs to be done just the right way. Just make sure to choose a primer that won’t irritate dry areas, won’t cause any problems to the normal area and finally one that won’t clog pores and make the oily area even more oily.

Makeup remover

Our personal favorite for this step is micellar water because it’s good for all three skin types. It doesn’t irritate dry or sensitive skin it doesn’t add any extra oil to oily skin because it’s light and water-based and finally it’s good for normal skin cause it provides it with the light hydration it needs.

Exfoliator

Time to get rid of dead skin cells, dirt and other harmful things off your face. Shall we try to give each skin the ingredient it’s looking for? Okay. For dry skin all you need to do is use lactic acid as its hydrating and almost leaves zero side effects. Let’s use something a bit heavy but not too harsh for oily skin like salicylic acid or some retinoids. Finally, for normal skin let’s use something light so we don’t cause any harm like jojoba beads because they’re very mild and gentle on the skin.

Face oil

Water-based oils are the oily skin friend because they balance the skin’s oil production and get rid of excess oil so that should definitely be on your T-zone’s wish-list. As for dry skin they’ll require a bit heavier oil so let’s stick with some oleic acid or some almond oil to hydrate and lock in all the moisture needed. On the other hand, normal skin doesn’t need a lot of hydration so water-based oil would be good to provide it with just the right amount of hydration.

SPF

An easy yet important step in your routine to keep your skin away from all the harmful effects of sun rays. Just make sure to get a sunscreen with at least 30 SPF that has a hydrating effect for normal and dry areas and that won’t irritate sensitive areas and finally one that won’t cause any problems or add some extra oil to the oily areas.

Spot treatments

They’re basically a product you use to get rid of a specific problem and for this case we’d recommend you to consult a dermatologist about what product you should use and for how long to get the best result.

Sheet mask

sheet masks hydrate and moisturize the face along with their other beneficial effects. They help lock in all the moisture and prevent it from evaporating off your face. So instead of getting your face all messy with creams and liquids try a sheet mask every two days.

*Ingredients to avoid:

Dry area:

Sodium laureth sulfate, ammonium lauryl sulfate, soaps such as sodium tallowate or cocoate, salicylic acid, willow bark.

Oily area:

Heavy and pore clogging ingredients, harsh scrubs, vegetable oil, coconut oil, petroleum jelly, cocoa and shea butter, alcohol-based products, silicones.

Normal area:

Mineral Oil, Petrolatum, Isopropyl Myristate and Isopropyl Palmitate, Sodium or Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate.

And voila! Your face is now clean and happy!

Here at Embrace, your satisfaction is our main concern, and we are always here to keep searching and provide you with the right information and tips!