From your answers, it appears that your skin-type is Combination. What does this mean for you?
9 Rules for your Combination Skin
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Confirm that your skincare products are not creating your Combination Skin? Sometimes Combination-type Skin can be triggered by harsh skincare products. The most likely offenders are very aggressive cleansers or exfoliators. Your concern about your breakouts, may drive you to use a harsh regimen that strips your skin, causing areas of dryness (dull & scaly) & oiliness (your skin thinks it is being under attack & creates more oil, double arrrgh!)
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Don’t be scared of oils in your skincare. The right oils are your friends. You want oils which will slip off the excess oil, without penetrating (or it would make it oilier)
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Use a low-foaming cleanser (definitely Sulphate free) Big lathery cleansers which make your skin feel tight are actually stripping your skin. This can sometimes cause your skin to produce more oil.
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Thou Shalt Not Over-exfoliate. It is so tempting to exfoliate often when your skin is oily. Ironically it can cause your skin to produce more oil. Twice a week is the max.
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Avoid Hot Water when washing your face. It can open your pores to release more oil. Warm water is perfect.
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Avoid aggressively towelling you clean face dry. Pat dry instead with a clean towel. Don’t even think about drying your clean face with the handtowel everyone in your family uses…. Probably best not to think about it…
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Choose products that are designed to re-normalise oil levels in your skin, you don't want anything too stripping/aggressive as that may push your skin to produce more oil &/or flare up.
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Oily areas don't require moisturiser. Only apply moisturiser to the dry areas of your face. The oily areas of your face are already producing enough moisture all by themselves.
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When you buy products for the first time, try sample sizes or products with guarantees. Don’t you already have endless products which were meant to work, or worked well for someone else. It’s depressing & a huge waste of money…
I hope these rules help you manage your skin better. I think they also open up many other questions, like: What are Sulphates anyway? What oils are good oils for Combination Skin? Which ingredients in Skincare should I avoid? To find out more about your skin & skincare, make sure you are subscribed to our newsletters & blogs
