If you have combination skin, you’re no stranger to compromise. Because parts of your face are oily while others are drier, a straight-ahead skincare routine is hardly effective. But, between balancing different products and utilizing the right techniques, you can keep the skin on your face happy with minimal hassle.
A core focus should be cleansing — twice a day — to help reduce oil and remove impurities. For combination skin, find a gentle but effective cleanser that isn’t overly harsh. Foaming cleansers are generally effective in this category, and one should stay away from cleansing lotions which are formulated for dry skin.
When washing your face, the technique is vital as not to irritate the areas that are prone to dryness. Focus on the T-zone and be increasingly gentle with the cheeks and dry areas (you may even opt to just let water with cleanser run over these areas). If you haven’t found a cleanser that works for you, below are seven ideal for people with combination skin worth checking out.
Cetaphil Gentle Foaming Cleanser
This gentle foaming cleanser is fragrance-free, non-irritating and non-comedogenic (so it won’t clog your pores). Infused with skin conditioners and a vitamin complex, it helps soften without stripping your skin of it’s natural moisture balance. It’s also one of the best values and a cleanser you’ll readily find at many drug stores across the country.
Origins Checks and Balances Frothy Face Wash
Designed for people with combination skin, this gentle cleanser is formulated with broad leaf kelp extract, wheat protein and tourmaline to help inhibit excess oil production without drying the skin. It has a pleasant scent of bergamot, spearmint and lavender. The cleanser achieves a light lather without the need of a pump.
Philosophy Purity Made Simple Facial Cleanser
This fragrance-free cleanser offers a 3-in-1 approch to washing your face. It gently removes excess oil and impurities, it tones and it adds hydration with natural oil extracts. Sodium lauroamphoacetate cleanses the skin without irritation and sodium trideceth sulfate pulls dirt and debris from the skin while Meadowfoam seed oil hydrates. A blend of rosewood, sandalwood and sage essential oils help soften and rejuvenate the skin.
Ren Clearcalm 3 Clarifying Clay Cleanser
This clay-based cleanser can help manage acne-prone oily T-zone areas without overly drying other areas. It uses kaolin clay to draw out excess oil and impurties, willow bark extract to minimize the appearance of pores and mayblossom extract to even your skintone. One pump will leave your skin softer, smoother and fortified against future breakouts.
Perricone MD Hypoallergenic Gentle Cleanser
This fragrance-free cleanser is ideal for those with sensitive skin. It gently removes dirt and excess oil from the face without stripping the skin of natural oils. Hypoallergenic, it is formulated with alpha hydroxy acid, green tea extract and vitamin E to leave your skin refreshed and smoothed.
Klavuu Pure Pearlsation Cleansing Oil
One pump of this vanilla-scented oil cleanser will remove oil-based impurties gently and quickly. Kalvuu utilizes pearl extracts in its products, and this one is also formulated with safflower oils, jojoba seed oil and macadamia seed oil. All that to say: it cleanses your pores and helps brighten the skin without causing dryness.
Aesop In Two Minds Facial Cleanser
Designed specifically for combination skin, this cleanser removes impurities without drying the skin or stripping away natural oils. The fresh green scented gel features witch hazel, salicylic acid and sage leaf to the skin purified and soft. Just a half-teaspoon is all that’s necessary to effectively cleanse your face.
