I've just found out I have combination skin

I've always thought combination skin was for wusses. For God’s sake just make your mind up - it’s either oily or it’s dry. I’m in the first camp. Never has a day passed when I haven’t had a juicy slick of oil resting gently on my face by 10am. I barely know what dry skin looks like. I’ve been fielding patronizing comments about how my skin will ‘age better’ since I was 13 which is lovely but ultimately unhelpful. The four words ‘I feel really shiny’ probably leave my mouth at least several times a day.

In my mind, people with dry and oily skin types are fundamentally different. It’s like blonde and brunette, male and female, introvert and extrovert. Oily and dry are fighting wholly different battles. To put it in beauty terms, it’s like those with frizzy or smooth hair. Again, I’m in the first camp. How can someone who lets their hair dry naturally truly understand someone who has to spend an hour styling it after every wash? Different. Battles.

But last week, a strange thing happened that made me question everything I had ever believed in relation to my pores. I had a facial for the first time ever. I know, I’m a philistine. But strange as that is, that wasn’t the strangest thing. It came about two minutes after I'd climbed aboard the bed. The lady took one look at my skin under one of those fancy lamps and told me it was dry. And just like that, I crossed over to the other side. 

Apparently, I have dry cheeks. Meaning I’m basically in the worst of both worlds. I look oily yet I am actually dry. Where does that leave me!? I’ll tell you where, my friends. In the land of combination skin. That category I have ridiculed and ignored for my entire adult life. Awkward.

For 15 years I have been slathering my skin with the strongest concoctions I can source. I laugh in the face of organic, gentle and caring. I look for extra strength, exfoliating acids, chemical scrubs, stripping cleansers, oil absorbing creams and powders. I love skincare - as you know if you’ve read my blog - and it’s definitely not through lack of product that my skin is suffering. I just hadn’t realised my skin was crying out for moisture. I’ve dabbled in hyaluronic acid but never saw it as essential, just a nice to have. I skip moisturiser sometimes in favour of serums and mattifying primers. And since I’ve gone off the contraceptive pill (my skin has exploded – that’s a whole other post) I’ve seen having spots as even more of a reason to avoid surplus hydration – surely that’s the opposite of what I want? 

My facialist also cited my blocked pores and blackheads (which I’ve had forever) as a symptom of dry skin. Mind blown. I clearly do not understand skin at all. It seems that just as I must start being gentler on myself, I must start being gentler on my skin.

So, I’ve returned to the comforting, hydrating arms of Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish. I go all over with The Ordinary Buffet (containing hyaluronic and various other gorgeousness) then for my dry (!) cheeks, I’ve resurrected my Hydraluron Gel and Beauty Pie Healthy Skin Moisture Lotion. For my forehead, brow bones and eyes I use Beauty Pie Super Serum and then finally The Ordinary Salicylic Acid Solution across my jawline, chin and neck for those pesky hormonal spots and a little sprinkling of Sunday Riley Lunar Night Oil all over (avoiding aforementioned spots).

This concept of different products for different parts of my face had never really occurred to me before now. If one part needed it, it was going all over (aside from eye cream, of course). But I guess this is the life I now lead. As a routine, it’s still a work in progress. The below is version one. And for now, here I am. In the world of combination skin. Who knew...