Tips for Taking Care of Combination Skin

Combination skin is not really dry skin and not really oily skin. It has characteristics of both oily and dry skin. Combination skin has the problems of both dry and oily skin so this type of skin has to be treated carefully. The oily areas of your face, shoulders, and back need to be treated with special care while other areas that are naturally dry need a different type of treatment.

Combination skin is caused by the glands that produce excess oil, as well as the environment and the natural breakdown of the skin as it ages, causing dryness. You can usually tell combination skin by looking in the mirror. You probably have some areas with acne breakouts that look shiny. And you probably have to constantly reapply your make up in these areas because it fades. The dry areas may be irritated, flaky, and look dull.

Taking care of combination skin requires balancing the oily and the dry treatments. You can't moisturize the oily areas too much including the T-Zone or you will have more acne. You also can't put lotions and creams on the dry parts of your face that are meant to treat oily skin or your skin may become very tight and look scaly. This really shows up around your eyes and mouth.

The right way to take care of combination skin is to wash it two times a day with warm water and a gentle cleanser. This will prevent the pores from becoming clogged. Use a non-alcoholic based toner after cleansing your skin. You should also exfoliate your skin weekly to get rid of dead skin cells and to keep your skin looking radiant. The ideal skin products are meant for both oily and combination skin.

Combination oily-normal skin needs to be kept hydrated, as well as kept dry where there is excess oil. The moisturizers you use should be oil free and have a water base and applied lightly to the oily areas of your skin. You can treat pimples as they pop up with something like benzoyl peroxide. You can use makeup including powder and oil absorbing tissues to hide the oil on your skin as well.

If your skin is more oily and dry, you want to moisturize with products without emollients so your skin feels fresh. You may need more moisturizers in the dry areas but not in the T-Zone. And you need to remember to always wear sunscreen. Many makeup products contain a sunscreen so you can get two for one!