Having combination skin can be a little tricky to treat when you have both oily and dry areas of your face. Do you use the same products as an oily skin type or those of a dry skin type? Or do you have to use both?
First off, how do you even know if you have combination skin?
A good way to determine your skin type is by observing how your skin looks after washing it and applying no product. If you notice that you have an oily t-zone but also dry areas on your face like on your cheeks or jaw, then you have combination skin.
While you may have a toner or exfoliator specifically for the oily areas of your face, you don’t necessarily have to treat the separate areas with products that are exclusively for oily skin and products exclusively for dry skin. You can find skin care products with balanced ingredients that help control oil without drying out the skin, especially in a moisturizer.
Do’s and Don’ts of Combination Skin
An oily t-zone occurs when there is an overproduction of oil. With excess oil sitting on the skin, it can mix with dead skin cells and lead to breakouts. In this case it’s important to seek out products that help balance sebum.
While your instinct may be to dry out the skin (or at least the oily areas of the face), this may actually do more harm than good. If you over exfoliate and dry out the skin, you might end up achieving the opposite effect. Over exfoliating can damage the skin and if you dry it out too much the skin’s oil production could go into overdrive, producing even more sebum.
To treat oily skin without damaging dry skin, look for products with balanced ingredients that targets sebum without overdrying the skin.
While you may be more focused on trying to control the oilier areas of your face, you also should not neglect the dry areas. You may think that if you have oily skin, then you can probably skip out on moisturizer. But, skipping out on moisturizer will do the dry areas of your face no favors.
Instead, look for hydrating formulas that help keep the dry patches hydrated while balancing the oilier areas.
Building a combination skin routine with Hanhoo
As with any skincare routine, you want to start with a cleanser. For combination skin types you want to use a cleanser that helps remove excess oil but also doesn’t leave your face feeling too tight or dry.
After cleansing, apply our Blemish Toner, formulated with Witch Hazel, Calamine, and Aloe to help control oil without stripping the skin. Focus the toner on the especially oily areas of the face like the t-zone.
Following the toner, apply our Blemish Moisturizer with Green Tea and Calamine to balance sebum production while nourishing and hydrating the skin. The lightweight, fast-absorbing moisturizer helps hydrate the skin without feeling too heavy on the oilier areas of the skin.
While a sheet mask may not be a part of your daily routine, it helps to treat the skin every now and then to a cooling, calming mask. Our Blemish Mask is enriched with Tea Tree Oil and Panthenol to help curb breakouts while also moisturizing the skin. So, for the combination skin types you can enjoy the blemish-fighting properties of the mask without worrying about it drying out the skin.
A quick way to mattify the skin overnight is with our T-Zone Pore Patch. Made with hydrocolloid, the pore patch helps absorb excess oil without drying out the skin. The patch can be applied on the nose, chin, and/or forehead to suck up excess oil and minimize pimples on the oiler areas of the face.
The Takeaway…
Ultimately, when it comes to combination skin you have to keep in mind what certain areas of your skin needs. For an oily t-zone, you can use oil-minimizing products just make sure to avoid using drying products on the dry areas of the face. And, for the dry patches, always keep the area hydrated, that means no skimping on moisturizer even if you think you don’t need it.
