What To Buy From The Ordinary For Combination Skin
My name is Iain and I've worked in the Beauty Industry for 8 years now. I've been on the front line in store helping people navigate the world of skin, as well as worked in education, artistry and marketing. When I'm not writing about skincare, you can find me over at Instagram talking about beauty or working on my PhD.
If you haven’t heard of beauty brand The Ordinary in Australia, get ready to be wowed!
The Ordinary was launched in 2016 with the goal of having clinical integrity. All the products focus on a specific ingredient and are transparent about how much of each ingredient is in each formula.
On top of this, the entire brand is cruelty-free and vegan, making it super-accessible.
In terms of skin, having combination skin can sometimes be frustrating. Parts of your face (particularly your forehead and T-zone) can get super-oily throughout the day, while other parts like your cheeks can feel dry and tight.
Cleansing is an important step in anybody’s skincare routine, but it’s particularly important for combination skin. To help, this article will run through what to buy from The Ordinary for combination skin in Australia.
What is the Combination Skin Type?
Do you have skin that can be dry and oily simultaneously? You probably have a combination skin type, meaning your skincare routine will require a different approach.
Combination skin is caused by increased sebum production, which keeps your skin moisturised throughout the day. Greater sebum production in different areas, like the nose and forehead, can leave your face feeling oily. But what do you do when other areas of the skin on your face are normal or even dry? Using specifically designed products in a skincare routine for combination skin is the answer.
Knowing if you have a combination skin type will help with deciding what to buy from The Ordinary to best suit your skin routine. Combination skin naturally produces more oil, particularly down the T-zone, so thoroughly removing oil without stripping the skin is super-important.
What is the Perfect Combination Skin Routine?
Establishing an effective combination skin routine will make a massive difference in creating the perfect balance, using various products like cream cleansers, exfoliants and moisturisers.
So, let’s take a closer look at what it takes to build a successful skincare routine for combination skin in Australia!
Morning Combination Skin Routine
· Cream cleanser: hydrate and repair dry skin while simultaneously clearing impurities and excess oil
· Toner: hydrate, cleanse and remove excess oil
· Serum: retinol-based serums work well with combination skin, preventing dry patches and clogged pores simultaneously
· Moisturiser with SPF: lightweight, non-clogging formulas for hydration and sun protection
Evening Combination Skin Routine
· Micellar Water: remove impurities and debris without causing dryness
· Cream Cleanser: hydrate and cleanse the skin
· Serum: AHA or BHA serums treat combination skin overnight, creating substantial moisture barriers and reducing dry patches
· Moisturiser: light lotions relieve dryness and prevent overproduction of oil during the night
While not essential, including a chemical exfoliant, clay mask and treatment oil in your combination skin routine each week will also help to achieve beautifully balanced skin.
This leads us to the next step – what to buy from The Ordinary for combination skin routines. In this guide, I’ve put together a list of the best The Ordinary skincare for combination skin and explained how to combine these to make a regime.
What Should I Buy from The Ordinary for Combination Skin?
There is a variety of quality The Ordinary products to add to your combination skin routine. When choosing these products, it is essential to look for formulations that cater to dry and oily skin concerns. After all, we don’t want to strip the skin or overwhelm it with too much moisture, either.
So, what The Ordinary products should you use for combination skin? Fortunately, there is a wide variety of quality skincare products to choose from.
Let’s take a look!
A gentle cleanser to remove makeup, sunscreen, oil, and impurities
The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser is one of the best Ordinary products to buy for combination skin. Squalene is a lipid lubricant produced naturally by human skin. This cleansing formula features Squalane, a hydrogenated and thus more stable version of natural squalene. Squalane allows the product to break down oil, sunscreen, and makeup on the skin. The formula also features Glycerine, which helps draw water into the skin to hydrate while you cleanse. Win! Apply Squalane Cleanser to dry skin and massage it in thoroughly before removing with tepid water.
One of the best ways you can help balance combination skin is by properly hydrating it. Hydrated skin isn’t triggered to overproduce oil to compensate for dehydration. When you buy The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid for combination skin, it achieves just the right level of hydration, making this one of the best options for dry or oily combination skin. Multiple weights of Hyaluronic Acid target multiple layers of skin to provide long-lasting hydration alongside an instant plumping effect. The formula also features Vitamin B5, which reduces irritation and further hydrates the skin, plus soothing Red Marine Algae Extract. All of these bennies make it one of my top The Ordinary Products for combination skin—particularly for someone who’s on the more sensitive side.
Is The Ordinary niacinamide serum good for combination skin? The short answer is yes! Niacinamide seems to be the ‘it’ ingredient of the moment, and for very good reason. There are few things this powerhouse can’t do! Niacinamide, or Vitamin B3, helps bolster collagen production, strengthen your skin’s barrier function, and even fight breakouts. The best The Ordinary serum for combination skin, Niacinamide also helps regulate oil production to prevent shininess throughout the day. The Zinc in the formula helps further mattify the skin. If your complexion leans to the oilier side of combination, this is one of the best The Ordinary products for you to buy!
If you’re looking for something to hydrate combination skin as well as minimise signs of ageing, The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + HA Serum is for you. The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + HA Serum is a combination of six Peptide complexes, Amino Acids, and Hyaluronic Acid. Peptides work by signalling your skin to enhance its own natural processes. In this case, it’s to ramp up collagen production. Amino Acids and Hyaluronic Acid further hydrate and help rebuild barrier function. This is one of The Ordinary products that’s great for combination skin because it does so much without feeling heavy.
People with combination skin often shy away from using oils in their routine for fear of appearing oilier. In fact, supplementing your skincare routine with a lightweight oil can lock in hydration and keep your skin from overproducing oil throughout the day. Squalane is a variation of squalene, a lubricant naturally made by your skin, so Squalane absorbs easily and doesn’t feel heavy. This product is particularly good for dry combination skin but works great on oily combination skin at night. Squalane is also excellent for acne-prone skin as it won’t clog pores. Excellent!
This moisturiser is a cocktail of goodies that mimics healthy skin function to provide combination skin with a surge of hydration—but without greasiness! Natural Moisturizing Factors is oil-free and non-comedogenic, delivering both instant and long-term hydration. Amino Acids help strengthen barrier function, and Vitamin E provides antioxidant protection. The formula is perfect for both morning and evening wear, and it won’t interrupt makeup or pill up under SPF. This is the perfect product to round out your Ordinary Skincare for combination skin.
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Now that we’ve covered my top picks for The Ordinary skincare for combination skin, let’s discuss the best way to use them.
- You should start with the cleanser twice a day to remove impurities and help subsequent products absorb easily.
- A perfect daytime routine for oily combination skin is The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% - 30ml followed by The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA 100ml and sunscreen.
- Simply swap out Niacinamide for Hyaluronic Acid at night.
- On dry combination skin, use Hyaluronic Acid and Natural Moisturizing Factors in the morning, followed by Squalane and SPF.
- Swap out Hyaluronic Acid for The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + HA Serum at night, and you’ll soon be glowing!
When building the ultimate The Ordinary routine for combination skin, look for humectant ingredients that hydrate skin—think Hyaluronic Acid, Amino Acids, and Vitamin B5.
These will give your skin the TLC it requires without causing excess greasiness.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this guide to what to buy from The Ordinary Skincare for combination skin! The products are so affordable that you can cocktail different ones to get the results you’re looking for.
Check out the YouTube video below as our beauty editor Jo breaks down all the different products from The Ordinary...
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