Combination skin is characterized by large pores, blackheads and whiteheads, shiny skin, and simultaneous dry patches and acne breakouts. Most of the time, it is the T zone that is oily, while the cheeks are dry. Breakouts may be normal pimples, or they can be large, cystic blemishes. If the cystic blemishes occur around the jawline and synch up with your period, you are likely dealing with hormonal acne.

The #1 mistake people with combination skin make is treating their entire faces like they’re oily. The #2 mistake people with combination skin make is overexfoliating. The #3 mistake people with combination skin make is buying all anti-acne products. Let’s start with #1. If your T-zone is oily and your cheeks are dry, why tf are you using drying anti-acne products on your already dry cheeks? Stop doing that. Treat your T zone like it is oily and treat the rest of your face like it isn’t. #2 is a problem with a lot of you. You should only be using ONE exfoliating product a day, at MOST every other day, and only once a day. If your breakouts are normal pimples and are not too severe, you should use either physical exfoliation or alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs), do NOT buy a salicylic acid face wash and use it every day. You do not need SA, it is an oil-soluble chemical exfoliant and will strip too much necessary moisture from your skin. If your breakouts are more severe/cystic/hormonal, you need to use a salicylic acid cleanser 2-3X a week but only once a day as well as anti-inflammatory products, since inflammation plays a big role in that type of acne. Finally, no matter how oily your skin is, you do not need an entire regimen of anti-acne products. I have seen people using a salicylic acid face wash, a glycolic acid toner, adapalene (speeds up skin cell turnover), and benzoyl peroxide in their regimen for their combination skin, and let me tell you, it was not pretty. Anti-acne products dry out the skin, and if you overuse them, you will strip your skin of necessary moisturizing factors, which will cause your skin to increase its production of oil to replace them, leading to the classic ‘oily but dry’ skin situation. More is not better in this situation.

For combination skin with normal pimples, here is the regimen I suggest.

WASH: Use Calming Cleanser as your main face wash. 2-3X a week, but only once a day, wash with Five Fruit exfoliating face wash. If you notice your cheeks feeling dry, only exfoliate them once a week and exfoliate your breakout areas 2-3X.

TONE: Any of my toners will work for you.

MOISTURIZE:
EYE: You can use any of my eye creams;
SERUM: I recommend using Mattifying Serum and Skin Zen Serum. Mattifying Serum will help reduce your skin’s sebum production, and Skin Zen Serum will reduce inflammation. Spot treat blemishes with Zit Zapper.

For combination skin with severe/cystic/hormonal acne, here is the regimen I suggest.
WASH: Use Skin Zen face wash as your main face wash. 2-3X a week, but only once a day, wash with the Anti-Acne face wash. If you notice your cheeks feeling dry, only exfoliate them once a week and exfoliate your breakout areas 2-3X.

TONE: Any of my toners will work for you.

MOISTURIZE:
EYE: You can use any of my eye creams;
SERUM: I recommend using Mattifying Serum and Skin Zen Serum. Mattifying Serum will help reduce your skin’s sebum production, and Skin Zen Serum will reduce inflammation. Spot treat blemishes with Zit Zapper.