If you’re looking to find out if you have combination skin, trace the capital letter T on your face, i.e. from one end of your forehead to the other, then from the top of your forehead to the bottom of your chin—that’s your t-zone. Per Youth To The People’s Director of Education, Laura Cline, this zone is your key to figuring out whether or not you have combination skin.
“You’d have more visible pores in your t-zone along with a bit more oil production,” if in fact you have combination skin, Cline says. Your sebaceous glands—which produce the sebum that moisturizes and protects your skin—are more active in some areas than they are in others. Most commonly, your cheeks will feel drier than your t-zone does, and a third of your face will have visible pores.
Since you technically experience both dry and oily skin types, you have to treat them simultaneously and specifically. This is where multi-masking, or the process of using a mask to address a specific concern rather than applying it all over your face, comes in.
“When you multi-mask, you’re basically localizing your skincare in relation to where you’re producing more oil and where you’re not,” Cline says. If your t-zone tends to produce more oil and your cheeks are on the drier side, apply Youth To The People’s Superfood Skin Reset Mask to your t-zone and the Superberry Hydrate + Glow Dream Mask to your dryer cheeks.
For a day-to-day routine, Cline recommends Your Youth Regimen Kit for Combo Skin. YTTP’s Superfood Cleanser will balance your skin’s pH levels, while the Superberry Hydrate + Glow Oil lets you customize your routine as you see fit. Both are found in the kit.
“Go with a really hydrating, lightweight moisturizer like our Superfood Air-Whip Moisture Cream,” Cline says, “And add a few drops of the Superberry Hydrate + Glow Oil where you need it. That way, you can adjust depending on your environment or your skin condition.”
Want to learn more about how to treat combination skin? Schedule a free 15-minute personal Skin Session with one of our experts to get your questions answered.