K-Beauty Hacks for Combination Skin
It can be one of the trickier skin types to deal with, with different issues to treat on various parts of the same face. But combination skin doesn’t have to be a headache.
On this episode, we’ll chat through some of the best Korean skincare for combination skin!
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Combination skin is characterised by several different skin types at once. This means that while your skin might be dry or normal in some areas (like the cheeks), it may be oily in other areas (such as the T-Zone).
Combination skin is often shiny, with blackheads and larger than normal pores.
If you often find yourself suffering from dryness and breakouts at the same time, chances are you have combination skin. Similarly, if you find that the same moisturiser works perfectly on your cheeks but turns your nose into an oil slick, combination skin is likely the culprit.
This combo deal can be slightly trickier to treat as you’re left targeting different problems at once. Luckily, there are plenty of products formulated just for this skin type, plus heaps of ingredients that play nicely with it.
Although it might sound counterintuitive, even oily and combination skin types need oils in their routine. The composition of oily skin lacks in a type of natural oil called linoleic acid, meaning that these skin types benefit from adding this back into the skin.
In essence, there are three types of ingredients that oily and combination skin types should avoid:
1 Oils with a high level of oleic acid
2 Ingredients that strip the skin of its natural oils
3 Occlusives
Because it’s a type of fatty acid that tends to sit on top of the skin in high amounts. These are great for chronically dry skin types, but not so great for oily and combination skin types.
Watch out for:
Because at their base, they don’t work!
Within a few hours of using these kinds of products your skin’s oiliness will return to its original levels. Worse, these kind of ingredients can actually have negative impacts on your skin making it harder to treat in the long-term.
These kinds of ingredients include:
Because they act as a seal on top of the skin to prevent hydration from evaporating. They’re excellent for dry skin because it lacks sebum. For oilier skin types however, they simply feel heavy, sticky and greasy.
Avoid:
Combination skin works best with a range of ingredients, including natural ones like fruits, milk, and plant extracts. Our favourites include:
Honey – a natural absorbent, it sucks away excess oil and impurities from the pores. It’s also a humectant that’s perfect for keeping the skin hydrated. Honey can also prevent the oil glands from becoming overactive and making more oil. It’s natural antiseptic and antibacterial properties also make it perfect for acne-prone skin types.
Witch Hazel – this is a natural ingredient that helps lift the excess oil from the skin, as well as removing trapped dirt and makeup. A bonus is that it won’t dry the skin out.
Green Tea– chok full of antioxidants that works to protect skin, it also works to reduce excess sebum and has anti-inflammatory properties.
Propolis – a naturally occurring anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory made by bees, propolis is great for dealing with breakouts, and is also hydrating the drier parts of the face.
Oils high in linoleic acid, linolenic acid or alpha-linolenic acid. Try rosehip, evening primrose, hemp seed and grapeseed.
If you have combination skin, start your skincare routine with a pH balanced cleanser that won’t upset your skin’s barrier.
For your toner, try to avoid harsh, astringent ones and opt for something light and gentle.
Instead of a thick, heavy cream, try applying light layers of moisturisers and lotions instead. Korean Beauty products are perfect for this as they are specifically designed to be applied in light layers. This means that you don’t have to loading the skin up all at once, which helps to hydrate without burdening the skin.
Products with gel, serum or liquid textures are likely to work best with combination skin types.
If you’re playing with acids, opt for gentle, leave-on chemical exfoliants rather than abrasive manual ones. COSRX’sBHA Blackhead Power Liquid is perfect.
As always, make sure you don’t forget your SPF!
Some of my favourite Korean Beauty products for combination skin are:
Subi’sBrightening Powder Cleanser is perfect, as it is ultra gentle when foamed but acts like a really like exfoliator if you leave it grittier.
ISNTree Green Tea Fresh Toner - the formula features a blend of plant extracts to help control excess oil, as well as 80% green tea extract and Willow Bark extract.
APLB Centella Complex Mist Toner -The giant 150ml formula contains a veritable feast of ingredients, starting with 92% of the key ingredient centella asiatica, including other key components of the precious herb as well. It has great mattifying properties that make it perfect for summer and combination skin.
Day:
Benton Aloe Propolis Soothing Gel – a moisturising gel that contains natural, gentle ingredients with no alcohol or fragrance. It helps soothe skin, fade post-blemish scars, brighten uneven tone and maintain the correct level of hydration in the skin.
Night:
APLB Aloe Hyaluronic Acid Cream -I love it for combination skin types because it strikes the right balance between hydrating and mattifying in a texture that won't weigh the oily parts of your skin down.
Jelly Ko Cherry Blossom Sleeping Mask- The perfect texture for oilier and combination skin types, the lightweight and soothing texture feels like you’re not wearing anything at all while the skin is drinking in maximum hydration.
Send it to a friend with combination skin!
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"Although it might sound counterintuitive, even oily and combination skin types need oils in their routine."
- Lauren Lee, Host of the Korean Beauty Show PodcastComments will be approved before showing up.