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If you have oily skin, you may feel like you fight a constant battle to keep your face clear and clean. You use scrubs, cleansers and makeup products all designed for oily skin. But in your vigilance to rid your face of oil, you might find a new problem developing -- dry skin. If your face is oily and dry at the same time, it's called combination skin. It requires special care, just like oily skin. These two skin types differ in their appearance and treatment. Finding the best products and routines for your type can help you manage symptoms and keep your skin looking and feeling healthy.
Oily Skin
If your skin is oily, you may notice excess oil reappears on your skin as soon as a few hours after cleansing, giving your face a shiny appearance. Those with oily skin may also be acne-prone and suffer from breakouts and blackheads. Because it's possible to have problems with oily skin only when your body is producing particular hormones, you should pay attention to daily changes on your face.
Combination Skin
With combination skin, parts of your face -- typically the chin, nose and forehead -- are oily. Other places, such as your cheeks or near the hairline, may appear dry. Symptoms of dry skin include flaking, itching and a feeling of tightness, particularly across the cheeks. You may notice that your skin is blotchy and feels rough to the touch on the dry areas of your face.
Oily Skin Products
Those with oily skin should avoid using lotions or creams on the face. Gel or liquid products are the least likely to cause excess oiliness, and these are particularly useful if you are also prone to acne inflammation. Powder and mineral powder products can help provide adequate makeup coverage without adding oil to the skin. If your skin is very oily, you might want to use a toner that is gently astringent.
Combination Skin Products
Combination skin may require a variety of products to deal with specific problems of both dryness and oiliness. For the normal to dry parts of your face, a traditional cream or lotion is probably the best way to moisturize skin. Spot-treat the oily parts with products meant for oily skin. Avoid any excessive cleaning or application of harsh skin products that might irritate the dry parts of your face.
