• What are the various types of skin?
• Combination skin causes
• Combination skin treatment
• Lifestyle habits to treat oily and dry skin
• FAQs

Your skin is the largest organ in the body. Hence, it commands special attention. Understanding your skin type and how it responds to different situations or seasons is the first and most important step in caring for your skin. Skin can be classified basically into four types - dry skin, oily skin, combination skin, and normal skin. In this article we are going to discuss the first three in detail.

Let’s Discuss The Different Skin Types:

• Oily Skin: Due to the skin's tendency to overproduce sebum, oily skin has a persistent shine, especially around the face and neck. Excess oil production can clog pores or make them appear enlarged, resulting in acne breakouts. Oily skin causes the accumulation of dead cells, dirt, and oil in the pores, which leads to blackheads and whiteheads.
  
  
• Dry Skin can be identified by tightness, brittleness, and even roughness. If you’re suffering patchiness and itching, it is dry skin which lacks natural oil production and is primarily caused by genetics as well as external factors like hormonal changes, climatic conditions, and lifestyle choices.

But wait, what if you’re having oily and dry skin both at the same time? That’s called combination skin! Let’s read more about it. 

• Combination Skin is characterised by an oily T-zone (forehead, nose, and chin) and drier areas around the cheeks and jawline define combination skin. This is usually a tough skin type to treat and care for. It is the various issues that make it difficult to achieve optimal skin balance for combination skin type.Different skin problems faced by people with this skin type include dry cheeks, mild acne breakouts, and clogged pores.

Combination skin causes

If you’re wondering ‘why do I really have combination skin’, then we’ve got you answers to it all here.

• The influence of genetics on one’s skin type is significant. It's possible that you acquired the skin type from grandparents and your parents, whether it's dry, oily, sensitive, or mixed. In the T-Zone, there are more glands, which produce sebum, the waxy material that keeps your skin moist and elastic. When it comes to people with combination skin, the glands in this area are more active, creating extra sebum that can cause shine and contribute to outbreaks. 
  
  
• If either of your parents had oily skin in the T-Zone and struggled with acne, you're likely to have the same problem. To attain better makeup application results, consider using face products for oily skin. Environmental variables, on the other hand, have a role. Certain products and lifestyle behaviours can aggravate combination skin. For example, using harsh products with dry ingredients might cause your skin to generate extra oil, aggravating breakouts in the T-Zone while drying out the rest of your face.

Combination skin treatment

You can take into consideration the following tips for combination skin treatment:

• Moisturise generously: For your T-zone, use a gel-moisturiser, and for the rest of the dry regions, use a heavy cream-based moisturiser. Lotions tend to aggravate dry skin and aren't always as effective as creams.
  
  
• Exfoliate routinely: You are recommended to use beta hydroxy acids (BHA) over the greasy parts of your face. BHAs purify your skin from the inside out, reducing inflammation and improving the texture of your skin. For a natural, toxin-free solution you can give Coco Soul’s Exfoliating Face Scrub a try! It is enriched with Coconut, Sandalwood, and Venivel that work harmoniously to offer you a radiant glow and gently-exfoliated skin.
  
  
  
• Use a sun block: Regardless of your skin tone, SPF is necessary. Individuals with a combination skin are recommended to use a broad-spectrum sunblock. This will prevent blocked pores as well as moisture loss from your face's dry areas.
  
  
• Make mild cleanser your BFF: Use a mild cleanser to keep your skin's pH level balanced. Our skin has a low acidity. And the cleansers that are alkaline in nature can affect its pH levels. Harsh cleaners can also harm your skin's barrier and strip off the essential oils. For your skin type, Coco Soul’s Revitalising Face Wash is a perfect choice. It is light-weight, gentle, and skin-loving! Formulated with Ayurvedic ingredients, it is non-toxic and nourishes your skin while purifying it from the dirt and sweat.
  
  
  
• Don’t forget to use a toner: Make certain that the toner you use is alcohol-free. Alcohol-based toners can dehydrate your skin, causing it to lose moisture. This might cause your sebaceous glands to generate excessive amounts of sebum. For mixed skin, a toner that nourishes your skin while also making you feel refreshed is an excellent choice.
  
  
• Keep a blotting paper handy: Blotting papers should be gently patted on the oily areas of your face. This will absorb excess sebum from your skin temporarily. However, try not to rub your skin with the blotting papers. You can also refer to this pre-made skincare routine for combination skin for a handy way to deal with your skin!

Lifestyle Habits for Combination Skin

While doing all the above things, don’t forget the everyday lifestyle habits to care for your combination skin. Read about it in detail:

Exercise: We recommend you to exercise regularly to maintain physical and mental health. A good fitness regime can balance stress levels and increase the production of endorphins, thereby relaxing the body and giving you a better beauty sleep. Exercise also helps in increasing the blood flow and flushes toxins easily, thereby protecting your skin from free radicals.

Wear Sunscreen: No matter what the season, every time you step out, apply a sunscreen. Choose a sunscreen that’s SPF 30 or higher to block UVA & UVB rays and offer your skin 100% protection from blue light exposure. 

Manage Your Stress: Stress can cause an impact on your health and skin both! While it automatically does not cause acne, it can exaggerate certain pre-existing skin woes.There are plenty of ways to reduce stress: from exercising to meditation. Well, managing stress effectively is indeed the secret to healthy, glowing skin.

Frequently Asked Questions about combination skin

1. How do you know if you have a combination skin type?
   

   In order to figure out whether you have combination skin, you can look out for the following signs:

• Shiny skin
• Appearance of larger pores
• Blackheads and whiteheads
• You have dandruff
• You have episodes of dry patches as well as acne breakouts

2. Why is my skin oily and dry at the same time?
   

   People who are chronically dehydrated often struggle with oily and dry skin at the same time. But the main cause behind combination skin is basically genetics. Combination skin implies that you might have fine lines and wrinkles at the same time as acne, blackheads, and other oil-related breakout issues.