The Ultimate Skincare Routine for Combination Skin

What is combination skin?

Combination skin can be categorized as skin that is - at the same time - oily and dry. Typically, you might have an oily T-zone (forehead and nose) with some dry patches around your cheeks or nose area. Some people with combination skin also report an oily chin area, frequent pimples and dry skin around their scalp or forehead.

Rule out other conditions

If you think you have combination skin, you probably have a mixture of skin symptoms that might actually be caused by other factors. Before determining that you have combination skin, you might want to rule out the following possibilities:

Fungal acne. This can be caused by an overproduction of yeast, and can cause whiteheads and flakiness around the scalp, hairline and complexion. If your flakiness and whiteheads have suddenly appeared out of nowhere, or perhaps appeared after switching up your hair care regime, you might want to look into fungal acne first. 

Allergies and Sensitive skin

Having a sensitive or allergic reaction to a skincare product can also cause onset dryness, flakiness and pimples. If you’ve recently introduced a new skincare product into your routine (especially ‘harsh’ products such as a chemical exfoliant or retinol) you might simply be experiencing a sensitivity reaction. Cut back on any harsh products for a few days and see if you notice an improvement.

What causes combination skin?

Combination skin is typically caused by an overproduction of sebum (aka oil). When your body overproduces sebum in certain areas of the skin, it can create shine and a ‘slick’ appearance, and also make you more prone to experiencing clogged pores and acne.

Most people with combination skin will try to use harsh and abrasive skincare products to treat their oiliness. These products end up drying out the skin, leading to flakiness and tightness; this is where your typical ‘combination’ skin type can often originate. 

Our Ultimate Skincare Routine for Combination Skin

To manage oiliness while also preventing dry patches and flakiness, it’s important to curate a non-irritating skincare routine for combination skin. 

The basics

For a basic combination skincare routine, we recommend the following steps:

• Gentle cleanser
• Balancing toner
• Water-based moisturizer
• An SPF*
• Weekly mask treatment

*Incorporating an SPF into your skincare routine is important for all skin types, but especially those with combination skin. Combination skin is more susceptible to UV damage, so it’s essential to protect your skin accordingly. 

Choosing a cleanser for combination skin

As we already explained, a gentle cleanser is the way to go when it comes to combination skin. 

Our Oatmeal Facial Wash Cleanser is formulated with nourishing coconut oil, soothing cucumber and texture-refining passionfruit, making it the perfect triple-threat for cleansing combination skin. 

Exfoliation

For exfoliation purposes, our Charcoal Face Scrub can also be used 2-3 times a week on combination skin to purify the skin and unclog the pores. Made with minerals, clay and charcoal, this cleanser can help reduce oil production, refine the pores and control shine, all while exfoliating off any dead skin and bacteria still lingering on the skin. 

Choosing a toner

For combination skin types (and oily skin types), toning is a more important part of your skincare routine - more so than dry or normal skin types. This is due to two reasons:

• Toning helps remove any leftover bacteria, sebum or dirt on the skin
• A toner can help to balance the skin’s pH, reducing oil production and preventing dryness

Our Toner 1 with Lemon has been formulated to suit those suffering from oiliness, whether you have a combination skin type or an acne-prone, oily skin type. Enriched with skin-soothing chamomile and antibacterial witch hazel, this toner will absorb any residue of oil while the chamomile can help reduce the size of your pores. 

How to use toner?

Toner should be used directly after cleansing, when all make-up has been removed from the skin.

Using a cotton pad or reusable make-up remover pad, apply a small amount of toner to the pad before sweeping across the face in an upward direction. You don’t want to be rough here - sweep the toner gently across the skin.

Unlike cleansers, you do not rinse off toner. Leave it to absorb on the skin for a few moments, before applying your moisturizer or serums directly after. 

Choosing a moisturizer for combination skin

If you have combination skin, there are a couple of things to keep in mind when it comes to hydrating your skin:

• Avoiding pore-clogging ingredients
• Finding a moisturizer with an SPF
• Choosing the right nighttime moisturizer

Best day moisturizer for combination skin

Ideally, you’ll want to find a day moisturizer that comes with an SPF included in the formula. Our Daily Moisturizer comes with an in-built SPF 30, making it easier for you to protect combination skin from the sun. Choosing a moisturizer with an SPF prevents you clogging your skin up with lots of different products - many SPFs are thick and leave an oily shine on the skin.

Best night moisturizer for combination skin

When it comes to picking a nighttime moisturizer, you’ll want to find a formula with nourishing benefits and intense hydration; your skin can easily get dried out during the night, and you don’t want to wake up with dry patches and flaky skin. Our Rejeuvenating Night Moisturizer uses hydrating shea butter, Vitamin E and lavender to create a hydrating, nourishing cocktail that will have you waking up with refreshed, glowing skin - and no dry patches!  

Best face mask for combination skin

Alongside your typical skincare routine, an intense mask treatment once every two weeks can help balance and purify your skin (while also giving you an instantly radiant complexion!) 

For combination skin types, our Charcoal Mask works to purify the skin, refine and tighten pores, remove impurities and leave your complexion feeling squeaky clean. Clay is well established in the skincare world for its antibacterial properties; it has even been known to produce collagen! Our mask is enriched with clay, charcoal, and other nourishing minerals. 

Adding this mask into your routine is a great way to jumpstart your results whenever your skin is feeling dull, tired, or clogged.

Managing combination skin: Tips and Tricks

Taking care of combination skin isn’t more difficult than managing any other skin type. By following the tips and tricks below, using the right skincare products and creating good habits, glowing skin isn’t just a possibility - it’s a guarantee. 

•  Avoid alcohol in skincare ingredients. Alcohols dry out the skin and can trigger even more sebum production to overcompensate. Opt for alcohol-free purifiers, such as tea tree oil. 
• Use gentle cleansers. Many with combination skin make the mistake of treating their skin as if it’s oily or acne-prone. If you use harsh, abrasive scrubs and cleansers on combination skin, you’re only going to exacerbate existing flakiness and dryness. Opt for gentle cleansers with natural ingredients to help balance your complexion. 
• Don’t forget to exfoliate. When you have combination skin, don’t forget that your complexion is prone to a build-up of sebum, dirt, and bacteria due to excess oil. Regular, gentle exfoliation can help keep your skin free from clogged pores and oil build-up. We’d recommend a gentle exfoliation every 2 days. 
• Try to avoid touching your face. Throughout the day, your hands will come into contact with lots of different types of dirt and bacteria. While these bacteria might be benign in general, when transferred to the skin they can cause pimples and breakouts.        

What treatments exist for combination skin?

At Cher-Mère, we offer several facials such as our Aromatherapy facial, Microdermabrasion facial, Brightening and Firming Seaweed facial designed to cleanse and nourish the skin. We use a deep cleanse, an exfoliation treatment, deep steaming and pore cleansing to reduce sebum, remove bacteria and restore a healthy skin pH to the skin. You can book your facial here.