Combination Skin - What It is and How to Take Care of It

By Ryan Cote

Combination skin is exactly that - a combination of both oily and dry skin. The areas of your face by the nose, chin and forehead, which are known as the T-zone, tend to be oily and prone to blemishes while the cheeks, eyes and mouth are dry. Combination skin is the most popular skin type and almost seventy percent of women today have it.

The find out if you have combination skin, you can take a simple “tissue test”. Put a piece of tissue over your nose, forehead and chin and if it sticks and picks up translucent oil, this part of your face is oily. Then try to stick the tissue to your cheeks and if it doesn't stick or pick up oil, this part of your face is dry. Also, combination skin usually has medium-sized pores, healthy color and a smooth texture. Once you are sure you have combination skin, there are several suggestions to keep in mind:

- Understand that your face actually has two types of skin which will be treated differently, depending on how dry or oily each part it.

- Wash your skin twice a day with an extremely mild but effective cleanser, such as a gel or foam, that can be used on your entire face. Avoid harsh, drying bar soaps.

- A gentle toner can be used on the entire face. If oily areas are particularly greasy, you may want to have a separate toner designed for oily skin to eliminate the problem on certain days when there is increased sebum production.

- Moisturize the dry areas of your skin with an oil-free moisturizer twice a day.

- Treat only the oily areas and blemishes with topical products that inhibit oil production.

- Remember to exfoliate all areas of the skin. You can use two different masks for the two types of skin on your face – a clay mask on the oily parts and a moisturizing mask on the dry ones.

- Use an oil-free sunscreen on your entire face every day of the year to block harmful UV rays.

Make the most of the combination skin you are in by taking proper care of its unique differences so you can bring out the best in both its oily and dry areas.

Ryan Cote is the owner of ChinaDollSkin.com, a website providing spa-quality, natural beauty products  and free skin care resources.  http://www.ChinaDollSkin.com

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