Sometimes, your skin can send mixed messages. No combination is exactly the same: Maybe skin feels dry but also breaking out, or it’s looking oily on the T-zone while shedding flakes everywhere else. Below, we dive into what your skin is actually trying to communicate, and how best to take care of combination skin. 

What combination skin is trying to tell you

While combination skin is traditionally considered an oily forehead, nose, and chin with dry skin on the cheeks, it can encompass other combinations, too — think dry skin with acne, or oily skin that looks lax and red. If your skin is full of contradictions, it might be a cry for help — or, more accurately, a cry for balance. “Like any skin type, combination skin needs a customized routine that will help keep it nourished and balanced,” says board-certified dermatologist Dr. Geeta Yadav.

If you find your skin to be particularly triggered right now, you might want to look either at your environment or internally. “Often, when you see your combination skin changing, it’s due to situational circumstances, like hormonal or seasonal shifts,” says Dr. Yadav. The conditions this time of year in particular — when the weather gets cooler and more dry, and is countered by the extreme heat inside our homes — can strip skin of its moisture and throw off the balance of your skin.

“That dehydration can cause your oil production to go into overdrive, leaving skin flaky and dry but also prone to breakouts,” says Dr. Yadav. Keeping skin well moisturized  —  and hydrating from the inside out by drinking plenty of water and eating nourishing foods  —  can help keep your combination skin under control. 

How to manage combination skin

Whatever combination you’re dealing with, try keeping things simple. “Though you may be inclined to look for harsher formulas to keep oil and blemishes at bay, stick to gentler products,” says Dr. Yadav. She suggests looking for formulas that are hydrating and non-comedogenic and don’t over-rely on harsh or strong active ingredients. “Maintaining a consistent skincare routine is essential to maintaining healthy skin, making adjustments as needed when skin needs extra support,” says Dr. Yadav. 

Making adjustments as needed is very much our philosophy, too. Just as you’re always evolving, so is your skin — and keeping your skin healthy and happy is all about finding the right balance for your face right then and there. Skin dehydration can cause a plethora of extremes, too, which is why the right moisturizer can be a game-changer for skin.

 Read between the lines and give your skin the balancing hydration it’s craving with the newest member of the Glow Recipe fam: the Plum Plump Hyaluronic Cream. The weightless, whipped gel-cream delivers plumping hydration, and can even balance skin over time; it’s packed with five molecular-weight hyaluronic acids, polyglutamic acid, and a blend of three antioxidant-rich plum extracts that fill each layer with plumping hydration for juicy skin that stays happy all day long. This breakthrough moisturizer meets your skin where it is, giving it a healthy balance of skin-loving moisture — thus making it perfect for combination, dry, normal, and sensitive skin.

The multi-weight hyaluronic acids fill skin layer-by-layer for the juiciest hydration and visibly plumper skin. While polyglutamic acid, a peptide known for its long-lasting hydration, boosts the efficacy of hyaluronic acid and locks in moisture for all-day hydration. And as the name of the cream implies, it’s packed with juicy plums. The Kakadu, Illawarra, Burdekin varieties are all hand-harvested by a family-owned organic farm in Australia. And this trio of plums works synergistically with hyaluronic acid to leave skin dewy and bouncy.

On top of these varied sources of hydration, you have ice willowherb extract, which helps to curb oil production and support the skin’s barrier — giving some much-needed healthy balance to skin, all in a whipped gel-cream formula. That allows your skin to have the best of both worlds, delivering balance and, ultimately, helping your skin become the healthiest version of itself.

Read more about caring for changing skin:

• Meet the New Plum Plump Hyaluronic Cream
• Start Your Skincare Journey: Take It Day by Day, Skin by Skin™
• How to Moisturize Oily Skin