A Beauty Editor’s Routine for Oily/Combination Skin
A skincare routine doesn’t need to involve seven or eight steps to work.
In fact the simpler the better, and especially for oily and combination skin types, less is more, and lighter layers go the distance. Try this routine if you want to balance and manage your oily/combination skin.
Cleansing for Oily/Combination Skin
“It is vital to double cleanse your skin morning and evening.“
While your T-zone may experience a build-up of oil throughout the day, you may find that your cheeks and outer perimeters of your face remain relatively ‘normal’. Regardless, it is vital to double cleanse your skin morning and evening (even more if you sweat excessively or exercise). For oily and combination concerns, reach for gentle, non-drying, and non-stripping cleansers – in the form of a gel or foam – that are slightly astringent and have exfoliating and soothing ingredients such as hydroxy acids, aloe vera, and barley extracts. My favourites? Try SkinCeuticals Simply Clean Cleanser for your first cleanse. As a gel, it is lightweight, refreshing, and perfect for removing any excess oil and build-up. It is formulated with hydroxy acids to remove impurities, gently exfoliate the skin, and calm your complexion using botanical extracts chamomile and aloe. Follow this with ZO Skin Health's Gentle Cleanser as a second cleanse. A foaming cleanser that deep-cleans pores, reducing both blackheads and whiteheads from forming, and is designed with antioxidants to protect your skin’s barrier and bolster it against external aggressors (because despite having oily skin, a balanced barrier is key).
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Toning for Oily/Combination Skin
Toners have their benefits. Not only are they superb as a final ‘cleansing’ step, ensuring that any last remnants of dirt, impurities, and makeup are swept away, but they are also recommended for balancing, hydrating, and in some cases, gently exfoliating the skin. Reaching for a toner with gentle exfoliating properties is a saviour for oily and combination skin. They can regulate sebum levels in oily skin, improve texture and reduce dead skin cells sitting on the skin and clogging pores. One for your skincare shelf would be Obagi Medical’s Obagi C Balancing Toner. The lightly exfoliating toner has powerful ingredients such as witch hazel, sodium PCA, and panthenol. 100% alcohol-free to not irritate the skin, it helps to purify pores, soothe, reduce any inflammation caused by breakouts, and retain skin’s natural moisture levels which are essential for a balanced complexion overall. Four pumps on a cotton pad and swept across clean skin day and night for the best results.
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Serums for Oily/Combination Skin
“This step in your routine can be tailored to tackling what troubles you most.“
Depending on your skin concerns, this step in your routine can be tailored to tackling what troubles you most. In my instance, I want to reach for a serum that moisturises my skin (especially after exfoliating) and targets dark marks and hyperpigmentation. For re-introducing moisture, I love SkinCeuticals Phyto Corrective Serum which is packed with botanical and hydrating ingredients. Lightweight and non-oily, allows the hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and rosemary leaf extract to hydrate and moisturise the skin. Then for a treatment targeting dark marks and hyperpigmentation, a beauty-editor favourite is Obagi Medical’s Obagi C Fx Clarifying serum made with 10% L-Ascorbic acid (vitamin C’s parent ingredient) and arbutin for minimising hyperpigmentation by lightening the affected areas. This short-formula serum is both potent and effective at treating dark marks on the face and neck.
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Moisturisers for Oily/Combination Skin
“The biggest misconception around oily and combination skin is that the complexion requires less moisture due to excess oil.“
However, those with oily and combination skin need additional hydration and moisture more than most. If the skin is hydrated and moisturised, it is likely to produce less oil – therefore factor in lightweight, non-comedogenic moisturisers that will hydrate your skin rather than clog your skin’s pores. Introduce a moisturiser such as Meder's Equa-Derm Prebiotic Face Cream for Oily and Problem Skin. Designed with a special ingredient, avocutin (known for reducing sebum production by 30%), it will keep excess oil at bay while creating perfect harmony and restoring a healthy microflora overall.;which is packed with botanical and hydrating ingredients. Lightweight and non-oily, allows the hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and rosemary leaf extract to hydrate and moisturise the skin. Then for a treatment targeting dark marks and hyperpigmentation, a beauty-editor favourite is Obagi Medical’s Obagi C Fx Clarifying serum made with 10% L-Ascorbic acid (vitamin C’s parent ingredient) and arbutin for minimising hyperpigmentation by lightening the affected areas. This short-formula serum is both potent and effective at treating dark marks on the face and neck.
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Sunscreen for Oily/Combination Skin
“The biggest misconception around oily and combination skin is that the complexion requires less moisture due to excess oil.“
Sun protection is mandatory. But for those with oily and combination skin, sunscreen can often feel heavy and tacky (a nightmare for oily/combination skin types and ensuring pores can breathe). Swap out your current sunscreen for Neostrata's Defend: Sheer Physical Protection SPF50. Don’t be alarmed by the colour; it blends like a dream, leaving no white cast. More importantly, it is lightweight, breathable, and has a matte finish.
Weekly Exfoliating Treatments for Oily/Combination Skin
"A skincare routine doesn't need to involve seven or eight steps to work. In fact the simpler the better"
Once a week, you’ll want to slough away any dead skin cells for a smoother, clearer, and balanced complexion, and in those moments reach for the iS Clinical Active Peel System . A medically advanced botanical-based exfoliating treatment, it works in two steps to resurface and then replenish your skin. The system works by applying step one on to clean skin, waiting three minutes, and following with step two and then a moisturiser in the evening. The blend, which includes botanical extracts, citric acid, salicylic acid, willow bark extract, succinic acid, glutathione, tri-peptides, and colloidal gold will exfoliate, soothe, rejuvenate, and hydrate your skin in one. You can say goodbye to clogged pores, and uneven and dull texture when introducing one of these sachets into your weekly routine. A skincare routine doesn’t need to involve seven or eight steps to work. In fact the simpler the better, and especially for oily and combination skin types, less is more, and lighter layers go the distance. Try this routine if you want to balance and manage your oily/combination skin.