Are you having trouble determining whether you have oily skin or dry skin? You’re not peculiar in any way. In fact, with more people having some kind of allergic reactions with commercial products, it’s likely that continued product-related inflammation and irritations are causing you to have unmanageable skin.
In which case, you may be experiencing symptoms for combination skin. How do you know for sure if you’re dealing with a combination skin type? Here are some of the characteristics of combination skin:
- Some parts of your face get extremely oily while some areas are noticeably dry and tight.
- It’s the t-zone that often becomes oily and the surrounding areas of the face dry. However, it’s also possible for different areas of the skin, like only your cheeks or your forehead, that gets greasy and all the rest are dry.
- You’ve been having trouble managing your skin. Some parts breakout or dry out when you use certain products while other parts do so when you’re using something else
Tough luck.
While combination skin may result from harsh ingredients in your beauty routine, it’s possible that you’ve inherited this skin type too. Whatever the root cause might be, there are at 5 basic tricks to finally put your skin under control. Here’s how:
Trick No. 1: Always choose products that are mild and gentle.
You’d rather practice extreme precaution when it comes to combination skin. Use products that do not contain irritating ingredients like sulfates, parabens, colorants and fragrances. Therefore, your first step to manageable combination skin is to evaluate all the products that you’re using for your skin — that means everything from cleansers down to your cosmetics.
Trick No. 2: Treat different areas differently.
This can be tricky and you will only be able to do so once you can identify what areas are dry and which ones are oily. Others would recommend you to have two sets of everything — well, you don’t have to. Instead, here’s what you’re going to have to do:
- Cleanse with a soap-free cleanser. By being soap-free, it means that your facial wash will not leave behind any product residues that can block your pores and start an infection. Soap-free cleansers that contain salicylic acid are mild enough for combination skin types. It works to regulate oil production in oily areas of your skin while it also does not scrape off your skin’s natural oils which is a must for dry patches of your skin.
- Follow up with an alcohol-free toner. That way, your toner does not suck up lower than usual levels of oils on dry parts of your skin and it will not trigger oilier areas to overcompensate for lost moisture.
- Use two separate moisturizers. One that dries down to a matte finish, and another that leaves your skin with a silky feel will be ideal. If you choose to use BB cream instead, make sure that both products carry the same tint.
- Get a midway formulated foundation. Look for one that is water-based. This will ensure that oily parts don’t get oilier. Your moisturizer will take care of your dry skin.
- Use only cosmetics that are made for sensitive skin.
Trick No. 3: Carry a mist around.
When you have symptoms for combination skin, carry a bottle of mist in your purse and spray around your face when the air feels to dry so it doesn’t make your skin oil or tight.
Trick No. 4: Plug in a humidifier.
Control the dryness indoors, whether at home or at your workplace. A humidifier will be able to detect when the air is too dry. It will then release water vapor in the air. This action will stop the dry areas of your skin from becoming tight and will keep oily areas from greasing to compensate for the dryness.
Trick No. 5: Spoil your skin to regular treatments.
The most basic weekly treatment you can give your skin are exfoliation and soaking it in a hydrating mask. Exfoliate to facilitate faster skin turnaround and mask so that your skin can get used to being well moisturized and just might be able to adjust the oiliness and dryness to become more normal.
Conclusion
“Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it,” wrote Confucius. Don’t hate your skin. It neither will love you nor hate you if you do. It will just keep being what it is so live with it.
A professional writer with over a decade of incessant writing skills. Her topics of interest and expertise range from health, nutrition and psychology.