How do I know if my skin is combination or oily?
Do you think you have oily skin but your cheeks become dry in winter? Maybe you have combination skin.
- Oily skin is a skin type that produces more sebum than necessary. This hypersecretion of sebum manifests itself through visible pores, a dull complexion and a shiny face when it’s hot or due to physical exertion.
- Combination skin shows the characteristics of oily skin around the T-zone (forehead, nose and chin). Around the t-zone (on the cheeks and temples), it looks like dry skin.
To know your skin type, put a tissue against your face for a few seconds. You should then look at the tissue: if there are no oily patches your skin is normal or dry. If there are any noticeable oily patches in the t-zone, then you have combination skin. Finally, if you see oil all over the tissue, then you have oily skin. To avoid affecting the results, take care to test your skin with no make-up on.
Taking care of combination skin
Combination skin has the features of dry skin and oily skin. Here’s how to take care of your combination skin with a suitable routine.
Why do I have combination skin?
Skin type is a genetic attribute: if you have combination skin, you can’t do anything about it. However, it is possible to care for blemishes that often come with combination skin on the T-zone or feelings of irritations on the cheeks.
Skin that has multiple needs
Combination skin is sometimes difficult to deal with: a moisturiser is essential for dry areas but can also accentuate excess sebum on the T-zone. Likewise, regular exfoliation is necessary to mattify the oilier part of the skin, but may irritate cheeks. Combination skin needs purifying care that gently exfoliates while deeply hydrating skin.
How can I care for combination skin?
Skincare for oily skin is generally too harsh for combination skin that’s sensitive to irritation. That’s why Klorane has created a range for combination to oily skin, with products that gently reduce excess sebum and hydrate dry areas.
The routine for combination skin
The ideal routine for combination skin is 3 key steps:
- Cleanse, exfoliate and purify the skin with skincare such as our Peony Milky Make up Remover or Micellar Water Make-Up Remover with Organic Cornflower
- Deeply hydrate skin with a product containing hyaluronic acid such as Klorane's ORGANIC Cornflower Serum;
- Mattify and protect skin with sebum-reducing skincare like our ORGANIC Water Mint Purity Cream.
Taking care of oily skin
Most teenagers have oily skin: this is due to hormones and changes in their bodies. However, in some cases, the hypersecretion of sebum persists into adulthood. Here’s how to purify oily skin and reduce excess sebum for clean, radiant skin.
Why do I have oily skin?
Like combination skin, oily skin is genetic. However, various environmental factors can accentuate sebum hypersecretion, such as stress, diet, hormonal changes or the use of unsuitable cosmetic products. Pollution is also an important factor: pollutant particles stick to oil, which leads to even more sebum. This vicious circle makes the skin shiny and prone to blemishes.
The needs of oily skin
Oily skin has three main needs: to purify the pores from impurities accumulated during the day, to regulate sebum production, and to protect the skin from pollution and external aggressions.
Should you moisturise your skin if it already produces too much sebum?
The idea that oily skin doesn’t need moisturisation is a myth: dehydrated skin actually produces even more sebum to compensate for a lack of water. People who suffer from oily skin tend to use a lot of harsh products, like exfoliants and other mattifying ingredients that dry out the skin. To properly care for oily skin, you must combine a sebum reducing product with regular hydration.
The routine for oily skin
The perfect routine for oily skin includes 3 main steps:
- Deeply purify skin with our Peony Milky Make up Remover or Micellar Water Make-Up Remover with Organic Cornflower
- Smooth skin with an decongestant product like our Soothing Eye Patches with ORGANIC Cornflower;
- Hydrate and protect with an anti-pollution sebum-reducing treatment like our ORGANIC Water Mint Purity Cream;