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Combination skin combines oily, normal and dry skin types all at once, which can make it tricky to devise a skincare routine for combination skin. If you’re mystified about what you should and shouldn’t be doing for combination skin, here are our top six dos and don’ts for building a combination skin routine:
Don’t skip the research phase.
There are a lot of myths out there about combination skin, and to make matters more complicated, every single person’s skin is uniquely different. Two people might technically have combination skin, but their ideal skincare routines might not overlap at all. As you start to build your perfect routine for combination skin, take steps to educate yourself and get familiar with your own particular needs before you rush out and buy a million facial cleansers. Seek out advice from well-researched, dermatologist-backed sources as you seek to understand your combination skin.
Do exfoliate regularly.
Exfoliating regularly benefits combination skin in two ways. One, it will help to control excess sebum production in the more oily areas. Two, it will help to get rid of dry patches on the other areas of your face. These two benefits combine to make exfoliating an absolute must for people with combination skin. Depending on how oily and/or sensitive your skin is, you will probably need to exfoliate between one to three times a week. Incorporate a chemical exfoliator such as a glycolic acid face peel into your 3-step skincare routine to get the most effective results.
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Don’t skip moisturizer.
People who have oily skin are often taught to fear moisturizer, believing that it will make their face look even shinier. However, anti-aging moisturizers are key for keeping the dry patches on your skin from drying out. What’s more, sometimes your skin is producing so much oil precisely because it’s dry and overcompensating, which means that regularly moisturizing can actually help to make your face less shiny. Apply it generously to your dry patches, but try a lighter hand with the oilier parts of your face.
Do use products on only part of your face.
Combination skin means that one product might not work over your entire face, and that’s totally okay! In fact, using a single product only on select parts of your face is a great tip for building a skincare routine for combination skin. For example, if you have really dry patches, then apply a heavy hydrating serum to them, but skip the oilier parts of your face. Some people also like using two different moisturizers — a lighter one for the more oily parts and a heavier one for the drier parts. Experiment around to see what works for your skin, and don’t be disappointed if a product doesn’t work for your whole face.
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Don’t forget to change your routine with the seasons.
Everyone’s skin care needs change with the weather, and this is particularly true with combination skin. Areas of skin that were neither dry nor oily in summer might become dry as a desert once winter rolls in. Patches that are a little bit shiny in winter might become an oil slick in summer, and so on. This means that you need to vary up your skincare routine for combination skin with the seasons in order to get the maximum benefits out of your products. This also goes for travel as well. If you’re headed somewhere with a vastly different climate from your home base, then you might need to pack some different products.
Do keep checking in with your skin.
The needs of combination skin don’t just change temporarily with the weather. They also change permanently over time. The products that worked for you a couple of years ago, or even last year, might not be what your face needs right now. For instance, many people find that their skin becomes less oily as they age, so your combination skin might move towards more of a dry skin type over time. Take stock of your skin every few months to see if everything is still going well, and don’t be afraid to introduce new products at a reasonable pace.
Looking to take your combination skincare routine to the next level? Browse the entire selection of combination skin products from Lancer Skincare. Developed by celebrity dermatologist Dr. Harold Lancer, all our products come with a 100 percent satisfaction guarantee and ship for free within the U.S.
