How do you know you have combination skin?
When some parts of your face are shiny and greasy,some parts are patchy and dry! Using skin care products for oily skin makes the skin oilier and using dry skin care products further dries up the skin.

Such a condition is a characterized mark of Combination Skin. And it is a not an easy task to maintain combination skin. If you are one of those battling the tribulations of combination skin, here is some handy information.

What is Combination Skin?
Combination skin is a combination of oily and dry skin. The T-zone of the face (i.e. the forehead, nose and chin) remains oily while the cheeks remain dry. As a result, the T-zone has large skin pores and records occasional outbursts of acne breakouts and inflammations while the cheeks remain itchy and flaky. Though the degree of oiliness and dryness can vary from person to person, the quality of the skin remains tricky.

Common Causes of Combination Skin

Hormonal Imbalances
This is the one of the prime reasons why people develop combination skin. Hormonal changes within the body can result in excessive oiliness or dryness of the skin. Since hormones are imbalanced the most during adolescence, teenagers are most susceptible to develop oilier skin and acne breakouts in their T-zone. However, hormones stabilize with age and oil production decreases.

Lipids
Lipids are essentially fats. These proteins impact the skin texture and tone. This is the reason why the skin feels oily on certain areas and dry at others. Lipids are organized succulently inside the skin surface as per the genetic structure and hormonal make-up.

Environmental Conditions
Environmental factors like weather and climatic conditions can aggravate combination skin and make it even worse. While cold weather can strip off the moisture from skin cells and make the skin dry and flaky, hot and humid weather can accelerate oil production and increase the greasiness on the skin.

How to Take Care of Combination Skin
Combination skin is not like normal skin and neither is it like oily or dry skin that requires a compensatory treatment. It needs special care and nourishment to compensate for the different skin requirements. Here are some tips to take care of your skin.

Cleanse
The cleansing process for combination skin needs is very crucial. You cannot use a strong cleanser that dries up the skin completely and neither can you get rid of the excessive oiliness if you don’t use a cleanser at all. Use a cleanser specifically formulated to cater to the requirements of combination skin or a foaming cleaner that removes all the dirt, debris and impurities without irritating the skin or causing excessive dryness.

Some Product Suggestions:

Obagi Nu Derm Foaming Gel - It is a blend of Aloe Vera, natural herbs and natural cleansers. The foaming gel is a very gentle formulation that gets rid of all the pollutants accumulated on the skin and removes excess oil without disturbing the natural moisture levels of the skin. It is very beneficial for combination skin and leaves it silky soft.

iS Clinical Cleansing complex - It’s a superb cleanser by Innovative Skincare that deep cleanses the skin and resurfaces it. It also controls excessive oiliness of the T-zone and prevents acne inflammations. Though it is powerful, it can used by all skin types including sensitive skin and combination skin.

Exfoliate
Exfoliation makes sure that all the dry and dead skin cells on the skin surface are removed and the underlying fresh skin surfaces. As a result, the skin looks brighter and more radiant. Without regular exfoliation, the skin gets accumulated with dead skin cells that further block the pores and give rise to acne blemishes and blackheads.

For combination skin, it is best to use a gentle exfoliating lotion rather than using scrubs and other harsh exfoliants.

Moisturize
Combination skin also consists of dry areas on the face that need moisture. Apart from that the whole face needs proper levels of hydration as well.

There are two ways you can moisturize combination skin efficiently. Either use two separate moisturizes – a creamy one for drier areas and a lightweight oil-free one for the oily T-zone. Or else you can use moisturize that are specially formulated for combination skin types.