How do you actually recognize combination skin?
Dry cheeks and an oily T-zone - the typical problems of combination skin make it clear that this is a combination of two skin types. Combination skin is usually a combination of normal and oily skin or a combination of dry and oily skin.
Combination skin tends to be dry, especially in winter and shines quickly in summer. In the course of life, the individual areas of the skin become more and more similar; combination skin is most pronounced at a young age. Justified question: how do you properly care for combination skin? The different areas of the skin should be cared for as required, i.e. the oily areas, for example, the T-zone or the décolleté, differently from the drier areas such as the cheeks. That doesn't mean that you need twice as many care products for combination skin; many manufacturers offer lines that are precisely tailored to combination skin.
The problems of combination skin are:
- Enlarged pores
- The T-zone "forehead-nose-chin" tends to be oily and imperfect
- A feeling of tension on the cheeks
- Dry sides
Do you have to adjust skincare for combination skin to two skin types?
Caring for combination skin is not easy. Just like oily skin, combination skin tends to develop pimples and blackheads in the oily zones; excessive greasiness of the T-zone with too rich a cream would cause pimples. If the care is too light, the cheek area can dry out even further. Most beauty brands have face creams specially formulated for this skin type, which are designed so that they do not overtax combination skin. Products with urea are also ideally suited for combination skin because this active ingredient is often found in light, low-fat formulations. If the combination skin is very pronounced, however, it is better to treat the skin individually and use care for two skin types.
The following applies to facial care: Either do not apply a cream to the T-zone at all or only use lotions or a fluid especially recommended for oily skin. Anyone who has extremely dry skin on their cheeks, neck, and eyes needs their own additional care for dry skin.
Matting greasy areas
It is best not to apply a cream to the T-zone at all or only use creams and lotions especially recommended for oily skin. Cream for oily skin works on the principle of slight dehydration - it often contains alcohol, so you should keep it away from the dry areas of the face as much as possible. Rice powder is often found in mattifying creams, which absorbs excess sebum without clogging the pores and mattifies the skin for a long time. A common problem with oily areas of the skin: the mattifying products don't last long and the T-zone quickly shines again. When you are out and about, you can use a handkerchief to carefully remove the excess fat or so-called blotting paper, which are powder towels that act like blotting paper.
Care for dry skin
You can choose a cream for dry skin for the cheeks, neck, and eye area. High-fat care, which makes sense in winter, should, however, be kept away from the T-zone, because it already produces too much fat anyway. In the warmer seasons, you should focus on the aspect of moisture anyway to take care of dry skin. If that is too cumbersome for you, you can rely on products with urea, which are also ideal for combination skin, because this active ingredient is often found in light, low-fat formulations. We have collected helpful tips for dealing with dry skin in our special on dry skin.
Soothe impure skin
The problem with the T-zone: the sebum glands produce too much oil, excess skin cells stick together and the pores clog. Blackheads and pimples develop. In our special about impure skin, we explain to you how to properly care for impure skin and what will quickly bring it back into balance.
Our SOS tip to soothe irritated, blemished skin: Soak a cotton ball with a mixture of freshly brewed black tea and milk and use it to dab your face. The tannins in tea soothe inflammation and the milk softens the skin.
How do you clean combination skin?
In the daily cleaning of your skin, you are faced with a challenge: The T-zone must be gently degreased to prevent blackheads and pimples, at the same time no moisture should be removed from the rather dry skin areas. High demands are placed on a cleaning product. The combination skin can be cleaned in the morning and in the evening with a mild washing gel or a mild washing lotion. Micellar water for combination skin is also well tolerated. You can peel once a week, when choosing a peeling you should make sure to choose one that works with fine particles. You can also take an enzyme peeling, which uses various enzymes to remove the flakes from the skin. This method is gentler, especially for blemishes,
Make-up for combination skin
The T-Zone needs matting, we want to cover the pimples and the dry areas shouldn't flake when they are covered with make-up. Finding the right make-up for combination skin is not that easy. When the skin has been properly prepared, i.e. the oily areas have been provided with a mattifying cream and the dry areas with a fat and moisture-rich cream, the make-up can be applied. Make-up products especially for combination skin or mineral make-up without any chemicals or synthetic ingredients are ideal. Perfect for skin that is prone to blemishes because it is "non-comedogenic" (does not favor pimples) because it does not clog the pores of the skin. Zinc oxide also has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, which are useful for fighting pimples. Rice-based powder