How to Deal with Combination Skin

We all know how frustrating it is when our skin doesn't behave. Sometimes we break out. Sometimes we get so dry that we get flaky and sore. Sometimes we get a little bit of both. 
Wait, what? How can I possibly have such horribly dry spots but an oil slick in my T-zone?
Well, beauties, this problem is way more common than you think. Actually, believe it or not, tons and tons of people in the world have just that same problem: uncomfortably dry skin in some spots and oily spots that break out easily in others.

So how do we deal with something as complicated as skin with a split personality?
As it turns out, drying out the oily spots is not the answer. Moisturizing with the right kind of cream may be the answer to your cranky skin's problems! It's going to take quite a few tries, but eventually, the right product will fall right into your lap.

Why would I moisturize oily spots, you ask? Sometimes, what happens is your skin becomes so dry that it begins overcompensating in the oil-production area. That means that maybe your skin has gotten so dry that your skin is producing 5x the oil it normally would if it were at a balance.
Adding moisturizer to these areas on the skin will eventually tell the pore to calm down with the oil, because the moisturizer has it under control. Then the dry spots will start to get back to that lovely smoothness we all strive for, and the oily spots will follow suit!

So how do you find such a magical moisturizer? Well, there are plenty of steps. Find out what you're sensitive to. If you have allergies to certain ingredients, stay clear of products with those ingredients in them. They can cause your skin to flare up, resulting in redness, irritation, more dryness or more oiliness. Skin is so temperamental isn't it?

If you tend to be mostly on the oily side, try an oil-free moisturizer. This will keep from adding to the oils your skin is already producing, but it will moisturize those dry spots. This will keep your skin at a nice balance without irritating it. 
If you tend to be mostly on the dry side, try a moisturizer geared towards sensitive skin. I tend to try the more natural route, you know, working at LUSH and all, so I use either their Celestial or Gorgeous moisturizers.
(I just recently started using Gorgeous, I'm going to do a review some time in the very near future!)
Both are packed full of skin-loving ingredients like almond milk and vanilla in Celestial to soothe, and wheatgrass in Gorgeous which nourishes. Both moisturizers really feed your skin without causing irritation. Actually, Gorgeous is the same formula Princess Diana used in her moisturizer!

Another option is LUSH's Imperialis. This stuff is magic. Want to know why? It has cocoa butter to moisturize, but it has lavender. Lavender is a crazy awesome ingredient to have in your skincare routine (if you read my previous post, you know why!), it evens out the way skin produces oil; basically it keeps sebum production under control.

Let me know all about your skincare routines for combination skin, beauties! I'd love to hear what you use!