What does combination skin feel like?

What should you notice?

• The oily areas look shiny and feel greasy. Pores can look larger, and these areas can have blackheads or pimples.
• The dry areas feel tight or rough and can look flaky. They do not have to feel as dry as someone else's skin to form a noticeable contrast.
• The difference is between areas of your face, rather than your whole face feeling uniformly oily or uniformly dry.

How can you check at home?

1. 1Wash your face and gently dry it.
2. 2Wait about 30 minutes without applying skincare products.
3. 3Compare your forehead, nose and chin with your cheeks. Oily areas alongside dry areas suggest combination skin; skin that feels neither tight nor oily fits normal skin more closely.

Blotting paper is optional; your face does not need to submit paperwork to qualify as combination skin. If you use it, gently press it against the different areas and compare how much oil it picks up.1

How should you care for the different areas?

The oily and dry areas can need different care, which is inconvenient for a bottle hoping to be in charge of your whole face. Use a gentle cleanser and focus moisturizer on the dry areas. A cream gives dry patches more moisture than a lotion; a gel feels lighter if oily areas need moisturizer. You can skip moisturizer on areas that are already oily rather than applying the same amount everywhere.13

Apply moisturizer while skin is damp to help retain water. Moisturize dry areas morning and night, and use broad spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher during the day. Avoid scrubbing dry, peeling patches; moisturize them instead.13

Does combination skin always feel the same?

No. The size of the oily areas can differ, and the balance can change with the seasons. Summer can bring more oiliness, so adjust care to the areas that feel dry or oily now rather than keeping every step fixed.2

What if your skin also stings or itches?

Combination skin can also be sensitive. Burning, stinging, itching or redness are not simply signs of mixed oil levels. Choose fragrance free products if your skin is sensitive. See a dermatologist if dryness does not improve with moisturizing or becomes painful, cracked, bleeding or very irritating.13