Your Must-Have Guide to Caring for Sensitive Combination Skin

See What Affects Your Skin Negatively

The first and most important step is to find out what triggers your skin. There are so many different products that are recommended but when you suffer from sensitive combination skin, a number of these can set off a bad reaction. Active ingredients such as vitamin C, BHA and AHA as well as others can be too harsh for this skin type and can cause ongoing problems to the skin's barrier, increasing sensitivity.

You are also trying to deal with the combination of dry skin as well as oily skin, so it can be an absolute minefield to know which products you should be using. We recommend taking a step back and simplifying your routine, taking out all the actives and fancy products and going back to the basics. Once you've done this and given your skin time to recover and relax, then you can move on to the next step.

Start Finding Products That Will Be Most Effective

Now that you've stripped things back, you can really start to think about what products you will need and gently is definitely the aim of the game here. You want to look for ingredients that have a strong backing to help with sensitive skin. Gentle cleansers, hydrating creams and stimulating active serums in the right strengths can all be part of your skincare routine. With anti-inflammatory, hydrating and skin-nourishing ingredients, your skin concerns can be improved without having to deal with skin irritation.

For combination skin, using a light exfoliant can help to deal with the oily t-zone by targeting excess sebum. A good humectant like hyaluronic acid will increase the skin's moisture levels and give a great glow that people with this skin type can find hard to achieve. Below, we've collated a list of some of our favourite products for both combination and sensitive skin.

1. Cleanser

Obagi has an expert understanding of both of these skin types and a lot of their products can cater to both issues at once. The Obagi Nu-Derm Gentle Cleanser is great at removing oils and dirt buildup throughout the day without giving the skin that stripped feeling that others cleansers will do. This is especially beneficial for the dry areas of the skin such as the cheeks. Their fusion of ingredients work hard to remove impurities in the skin, whilst hydrating and soothing.

2. Moisturiser 

The best moisturiser for sensitive combination skin is one that will hydrate and even calm the skin without clogging the pores. The Obagi Hydration Kit has ingredients like Shea butter, Saccharide Isomerate and Vitamin E which hydrate and plump the skin, leaving a youthful glow. It fulfils the perfect balance for this skin type and won’t create an excess amount of sebum and oils on the skin.

3. Hyaluronic Acid 

Don't be fooled or scared by the word acid in this context because it does the opposite of what you might think. Our bodies naturally produce hyaluronic acid and, as a humectant, it is super effective at hydrating the skin. It absorbs into combination skin exceptionally, pulling moisture into the skin and leaving a healthy glow without an oily residue. 

We recommend Dr Barbara Sturm's Hyaluronic Serum. It's lightweight and is one of the best on the market for giving that plump, youthful glow. With a meticulous blend of low and high-weighted Hyaluronic Molecules, Dr Sturm’s serum provides moisture both on the surface of the skin and deep down, creating firmer, refreshed and visibly more radiant skin long term.