Having oily skin can be tricky to deal with, as can having areas of dryness. But dealing with combination skin, which is areas of both dryness AND oiliness (and even areas of ‘normal’ skin thrown into the mix, too) can be a nightmare to deal with. Products for one problem will usually exacerbate the other areas of your face, so finding the right skincare for combination skin is a must if you want to keep it under control. Here’s a selection of our best combination products:
Cleansing a combination face is never easy; harsh cleansers will not only dry skin out further, it can also amp up sebum production in oily areas. A micellar oil is the perfect balance, as it uses microscopic beads of oil suspended in water which lift dirt and make up off of the face without the use of harsh chemicals or greasy creams which leave a film of oil over your faces. It gets rid of even the most stubborn waterproof make-up without irritating the skin.
Elemis BIOTEC Skin Energising Day Cream Combination
Keeping combination skin properly hydrated is half of the battle towards keeping it under control. Often, skin is oily because the body naturally over-produces sebum to compensate for dryness, so while many people with oily skin think that they shouldn’t moisturise, often this is exactly what they need. This day cream from Elemis is clinically proven to moisturise the skin for 12 hours and contains balancing astragalus, magnesium PCA and cold pressed desert date oil to balance sebum levels, whilst smoothing and hydrating the skin.
Elemis Hydra-Balance Day Cream Normal – Combination
This cream from Elemis is designed simply to balance the skin and keep it hydrated throughout the day, leaving it feeling balanced and supple. It’s formulated in line with the Elemis promise, which means that is contains no parabens, SLS or SLES, no DEA, no artificial colourings and basically nothing that you wouldn’t be 100% happy to put on your face.
Decleor Ylang Ylang Purifying Night Balm
Night creams are often totally wrong for combination skin. Traditionally speaking, night creams are usually rich and heavy, which isn’t what you want on oily skin, even if it helps the dry parts. This night balm from Decleor contains purifying ingredients such as ylang-ylang, which melt in and re-balance the skin, helping to halt sebum production and hydrate areas of dryness. On waking-up, the skin looks cleaner, healthier and has a radiant glow.
Elemis Balancing Lime Blossom Cleanser
This cleanser from Elemis is designed for combination skin and has a unique texture which deeply cleanses the skin without stripping away the skins own oils and soothing overstimulated areas as it goes. It’s applied with the fingertips and removed with cotton wool, which is great for some sensitive skin types where washing with water can also leave skin feeling parched and tight.