Everybody skin’s is unique. That’s why your skincare routine is made to be customized. A single regimen could never successfully support one person’s dry patches, another person’s cystic acne, and a third person’s hyperpigmentation all at once. That’s why skincare is never one size fits all.
However, building your perfect skincare routine from scratch is tricky. Some people might even say it’s impossible. But thankfully, you don’t have to start from the beginning.
While each of us has our own unique skin concerns and goals, we can group common skin patterns into categories called skin types. Skin types are a great starting point for understanding how your skin functions, what it needs, and what you can do to take care of it.
Dermatologists have determined five different types of skin:
- Normal skin
- Dry skin
- Oily skin
- Combination skin
- Sensitive skin
Today, we’ll focus on one of these skin types: combination skin. In this article, you’ll learn what exactly combination skin is, common concerns and problems for this skin type, and how you can build the perfect skincare routine for your combination skin.
What Is Combination Skin?
The names of other skin types are pretty intuitive: dry skin types have drier skin, and oily skin types have oiler skin. Even normal and sensitive skin makes sense without much explanation — but what about combination skin?
The word “combination” implies a combo of more than one skin type. Those skin types are dry skin and oily skin.
Unlike other skin types that stay consistent across the face, combination skin has a different anatomical structure in different locations. Along the forehead, nose, and chin (also called the T-zone), this skin type resembles oily skin. However, on the cheeks, hairline, and jawline, it looks and feels more like dry skin.
What Are the Main Concerns for Combination Skin?
Combination skin has certain qualities and characteristics that are consistent across the skin type. This means that people with this type of skin often experience similar skin concerns, conditions, and struggles. We’ve gathered a list of the top skin concerns for people with combination skin.
1. Breakouts and Flareups
Though combination skin is different from oily skin, it too can suffer from breakouts, blemishes, and other impurities. Because combination skin has an oily T-zone, people with this skin type often report acne-prone skin, especially in the center of their face.
2. Enlarged Pores
Another common concern for combination skin is uneven skin texture, specifically visible pores. This skin type often has larger pores in the T-zone, which explains why this section of the face is more prone to acne flare-ups. When these openings in the skin fill with dirt, debris, or excess sebum, you can develop blackheads and whiteheads that are visible on the skin.
3. Dry Patches on Your Cheeks, Jawline, and Hairline
Remember that combination skin has characteristics of both oily and dry skin. For the latter, this means dry patches on the low points of the face: the cheeks, jawline, and hairline. Dryness in these areas can include flaky skin, redness, and tightness.
4. Early Signs of Aging
Combination skin types are also more likely to develop fine lines and wrinkles prematurely. This is because when skin cells dry out, they change the structure of your skin, making it much less plump and supple.
These shriveled skin cells appear on the surface of the skin as sunken lines in the face, causing early signs of aging.
How To Take Care of Combination Skin
Your combination skin is with you for every step of the day, which means you should be thinking about it in every step of your skincare routine. In order to treat the skin concerns that come with your skin type, you need to build a regimen made for your skin.
Each product you use on your skin should be right for skin type. To help you get started, we’ve created a step-by-step guide with products in each stage that are perfect for combination skin.
Cleanse With Green Apple Brightening Gel Cleanser
Combination skin has a unique blend of oily areas and dry patches. That means when choosing a cleanser, you need to look for a product that will suit both of your skin’s needs.
Green Apple Brightening Gel Cleanser is designed to reveal a brighter complexion and support smooth, blemish-free skin. Potent skincare acids tackle stuck-on grime and excess oil in your T-zone through powerful exfoliation, and calming plant-based ingredients nourish the skin with soothing hydration for your cheeks and the edges of your face.
As a part of our Green Apple® Collection, this cleanser is also powered by malic acid — a super strong skincare active with antioxidant properties to support your skin health from within. Green Apple skincare works to visibly even skin tone, brighten dark spots, and correct skin discoloration for all skin types, except sensitive skin.
Tone With Hydrating Mist
Even the most gentle cleanser can throw combination skin out of balance, leading to extra dryness and irritation on the low points of your face. To combat this, opt for a hydrating toner.
Hydrating Mist is a breath of fresh air after your face wash. This mist works to tone and refresh your skin with a potent blend of botanicals and rich juices with antioxidant properties. You’ll notice a fresher skin feeling and a significant boost in hydration in just one to three hours after misting this product onto your face, according to clinical studies.
Our powerful results come from the best ingredients nature has to offer:
- Aloe Leaf Juice to hydrate the skin barrier and support moisture retention.
- Rose Geranium to nourish the skin with soothing vitamins and strong alpha-hydroxy skin acids.
- Grapeseed Juice to smooth and support the skin with resveratrol antioxidants.
- Ylang YlangFlower to deliver gentle aromatics for a refreshing experience.
Treat With SuperGrape Youth Renew Serum
Serums, creams, and balms are your chance to shine when it comes to treating your combination skin. In this step, you can tackle any (and every) one of the skin concerns associated with your skin type.
Stem Cellular SuperGrape Youth Renew Serum with Hyaluronic Acid is formulated with rare Sagrantino Grapes to tackle signs of aging at the source.
Hyaluronic acid along with arginine and jojoba esters work deep within the skin to boost hydration and strengthen skin proteins for stronger, plumper skin. 100% of clinical study participants reported younger-looking skin and daily skin improvement, and 96% reported more skin bounce when using SuperGrape Youth Renew Serum.
As a part of our Stem Cellular® Collection, this serum helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles through the power of plant stem cells. This cutting-edge technology tackles premature aging and dryness — something many people with combination skin struggle with.
Moisturize With Stem Cellular Day & Night Duo
All skin types need a moisturizer to replenish the skin barrier and seal in the benefits of your other skincare products. However, this particular step can be tricky for people with combination skin because different areas of your face have different hydration needs. A single moisturizer can’t do it all… which is exactly why you need more than one.
Stem Cellular Day & Night Duo provides two different hydration options for your skin, depending on the time of day.
When you wake up in the morning, Stem Cellular Anti-Wrinkle Moisturizer delivers lightweight hydration that will nourish your skin without leaving your T-zone shiny. Before you go to bed, the Overnight Cream offers a deeper moisturizing experience for the dry areas of your face.
This combination skincare guide is designed to be a jumping-off point. While these bestsellers have everything combination skin types need to thrive, they aren’t the end-all-be-all of combination skincare. Your skin is special, which means you should always be on the lookout for ways to tweak your skincare routine to best support your specific skin.
Combination Skin Is Beautiful
Combination skin can mean both excess oil and dryness at the same time, but with the right care and products, you can manage your combination skin and address your concerns.
Your skin is your body’s first defense against harm, which makes it an incredibly powerful organ. It does a lot to protect you, and so you should return the favor.
With the right care and treatment, combination skin can look just as strong on the outside as it is on the inside — and here at Juice Beauty, we think that’s pretty beautiful.
Sources:
Skin care tips dermatologists use | American Academy of Dermatology
Anatomy, Skin (Integument), Epidermis | National Library of Medicine
Dry skin - Symptoms and causes | Mayo Clinic
What is sebum? Function, production, benefits, and more | Medical News Today