Combination skin can be tricky. It’s not dry, but it’s not oily. It’s a little bit of both, with a few unique characteristics thrown in too. If you have combination skin, finding the perfect skincare routine requires a bit of customization. You might need to add some products for dry skin into your routine, as well as some products for oily skin.
Mapping Your Skin
Combination skin is a little different than other skin types in that different parts of the face are drier or oilier, and it’s unique to each person. The first step in determining your ideal skincare routine is finding out what each part of your face needs.
To determine how oily your skin is, try pressing a separate blotting paper against your forehead, cheeks, nose, and chin (if you don’t have blotting paper, a small square of tissue paper used for wrapping gifts will work in a pinch). If the entire surface that was pressed against your skin has darkened, that area is likely oily. If there are just a few dots of oil on the paper, that area of skin is likely normal. And if there is no oil at all on the paper, that part of your face is likely dry.
Don’t Neglect Hydration
Even the oily parts of your face need to be adequately hydrated and moisturized. It’s counterintuitive, but skin that is not well hydrated can actually produce more oil, as your body tries to compensate for the lack of moisture.
Be sure to use a hydrating toner and serum all over your face, not just on the dry parts. For a cream, you may find that a cream for dry skin feels too heavy, but a cream for oily skin isn’t moisturizing enough. We have a great balancing cream that strikes the perfect balance between the two for combination skin. You can also boost drier areas by mixing a facial oil into your moisturizer.
For combination skin, we recommend some of the following Janssen Cosmetics products:
Radiant Firming Tonic (from Dry Skin line)
This deeply hydrating watery toner is the perfect first step after cleansing to infuse skin with moisture. Swipe it on with a cotton pad or pat it directly into your skin with your hands. Even oily skin types can use this weightless moisturizing toner.
Balancing Skin Complex (from Combination Skin line)
This silky serum works to balance the oil and moisture in the skin, tightening pores while regulating excess sebum production. Olive leaf extract naturally reduces oil production without drying the skin. Skin is left soft and matte.
This light and refreshing moisture gel supplies ample moisture to the skin without feeling heavy or sticky. The power humectant, hyaluronic acid, attracts 1000 times its own weight in water to the upper layers of your skin. You can use this as your moisturizer in areas that don’t need a heavier cream, or layer it under another moisturizer for an extra hydrating boost.
This fluffy white cream is perfect for combination skin, as it deeply moisturizes skin without feeling heavy or thick. Rice bran extract, red algae extract, and aloe vera sink quickly into the skin, softening it and protecting it. You can layer it on top of the Aquatense Gel, or use it on its own.
When you have combination skin, layering your skincare products is the best way to customize your skincare routine. Choose among products for dry skin, and products for oily skin, in order to best suit the uniqueness of combination skin.