If you have combination skin, you might as well mount the high beam– the fancy footwork required to achieve a sense of balance can feel like an olympic feat. Incorporating a properly formulated serum into your skincare routine can actually make balancing your complexion a reasonably surmountable task. Stay tuned for tips on how to best care for your combination skin and deets on our favorite serums to help you do just that!
IN A NUTSHELL
Main Takeaways: Combination skin can be a bit finicky, but a properly formulated serum can beautifully balance both the dry and oily parts of your complexion.
Good to Know: When seeking the best serum for your combination skin, avoid extreme ingredients. You’ll want to select simple, neutralizing formulas to give every part of your skin optimal support.
Recommended Products: Nectar of the C, Just Dew It, ‘A’ Game
What is Combination Skin?
The term “combination skin” implies exactly that: skin that is oily in parts and dry in others. While no one skin type is better or worse than any other, it is hard to dispute that effectively managing combination skin can feel rather tricky at times. We have some good news for you: with some mindful decisions and proper product application, you can effectively minimize oil in one area of the face while providing extensive hydration to another. However, there are a few things you’ll want to keep in mind.
A common misconception is that using harsh astringents will tame your excess oils; the truth is that it could actually have the opposite effect by encouraging even more oil production. Similarly, just because skin is dry in spots doesn’t mean that it needs heavy oils. When choosing products and ingredients for your combination skin, avoid astringents and steer clear of hyper-heavy oils. Look for ingredients that will balance both parts of your combination skin with just the right amount of moisture.
Want to know more about which ingredients to choose and which to dodge? Let’s name names!
Best Ingredients for Combination Skin
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is just as good for your skin as it is for your whole body. Rich with antioxidants, and the premier ingredient for a more glowing complexion, it helps to enliven somewhat confused skin and dispel the dullness that often comes with patchiness or partially dryness. Incorporate vitamin C into your combination skin routine for a complexion as bright as you are.
Hyaluronic Acid
If there is one thing that combination skin needs more than anything else, it’s hydration - sans increased oil production. No ingredient slays in this department better than hyaluronic acid. A hydrating humectant, it attracts water molecules to the skin, amping up its hydration levels without clogging pores.
Squalane
The ultimate skin-balancing oil, squalane is incredibly similar to the oil your skin naturally produces (sebum). Applying this plant-based, lightweight oil to your skin provides the perfect amount of moisture to that particular area, whether it’s dry or oily, creating just the right balance.
Niacinamide
If you experience patches of excess oil, reach for products that feature niacinamide. It works to regulate your skin’s production of sebum for a greater sense of balance. With its use often comes a minimized appearance of pores and visible shine as well - all without stripping the skin of necessary moisture.
Retinol
Those of us with combination skin can often benefit from a bit of resurfacing. Retinol encourages the skin’s natural renewal process in a sort of “out with the old, in with the new” kinda vibe for an even complexion that is more readily balanced by the other components of your routine. Be sure to select a gentle formula, as some retinol products can be way harsh, leaving your skin worse off than it was before.
Ingredients to Avoid with Combination Skin
Alcohol
If you have combination skin and see alcohol as an additive in any of your skincare products, run hastily in the other direction. Its harsh chemical composition can lead to both excessive dryness and increased oil production, offering the worst of both worlds. When it comes to alcohol, it’s a no for you. It’s a no for ANYONE really. But it’s definitely a no for you.
It is important to note that when looking at your ingredient label, the alcohol we are referring to is simply named “alcohol”; there are other types of alcohols that are actually great for your complexion, including cetearyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol, both of which are emollient ingredients that soften your skin.
Comedogenic Oils
Comedogenic oils, or oils with the potential to clog pores, pose another great risk for combination skin. Yes, you want moisture, but not in exchange for breakouts. To lock in all that humectant-gotten hydration, avoid making matters worse and turn to oils that are more easily processed by the body - things like grapeseed, sea buckthorn, jojoba, and geranium flower oil.
Best Serums for Combination Skin
Nectar of the C - Vitamin C Serum
One of the drawbacks of patchy, or even minimally thirsty skin, can be dullness. A serum that can both hydrate and brighten without causing excess oils is a no brainer for combination skin. Nectar of the C is fortified with 10% sodium ascorbyl phosphate, an ultra-stable and gentle form of vitamin C, for brighter, more luminous skin. Its powerful botanical blend also features hyaluronic acid to hydrate, aloe vera to soothe , and vegan squalane to balance your complexion. Use it twice daily for amazing results that will leave you with a brighter, more even and youthful complexion.
Just Dew It - Hyaluronic Acid Serum
An award-winning, next-level hyaluronic acid serum, Just Dew It is formulated with 14 nourishing actives and is like a one stop hydration station for your face. With a complex of E and B vitamins, squalene and sea buckthorn, you’ll kick unwanted signs of aging to the curb. Lock it all in with non-comedogenic grapeseed oil and jojoba oil for an all-in-one glow-getter. Ditch heavy moisturizing products that will only exacerbate your combination skin by creating imbalance. Just Dew It can be used AM and PM for ultimate hydration.
‘A’ Game - Retinol Serum
When you want to gently encourage the resurfacing of your skin without throwing your combination complexion off kilter, reach for ‘A’ Game. This water-based, lightweight serum is packed with our powerful vegan retinol (0.1%), to help rejuvenate skin like only retinol can with a gentle, easily tolerable formula perfect for combination skin. Encourage your skin’s natural renewal process to shed dry patches while helping your complexion absorb skin-balancing ingredients like vitamin E and niacinamide. Experience firmer and refreshed skin that is fundamentally healthier for a complexion that’s at the top of its game. We recommend using ‘A’ Game every other evening to start, then working your way up to once a day.
It’s easy to let fussy combination skin get you down. But if you want to fast track your combination skin to beam-worthy balance, chin up, grab one of these power-packed serums, and go for the gold!
