A little over a week ago, I wrote about my night time skincare routine, which you can find here. Today, I thought it would be a good idea to write about my morning skincare routine for combination skin. I say I have combination skin because I do, at times, get oily. However, the older I get, the drier my skin continues to be. Growing up, I also had combination skin, but it was more on the oilier side. Here, I share what works for my aging (still acne-prone) skin. Like my night time skincare routine, I offer negotiable skin care steps and what I deem to be non-negotiable skincare steps for me.
This morning skincare routine for combination skin is definitely interchangeable to suit your lifestyle and skin needs. Our skin is always changing, so what might work one day may not be what your skin needs the next. If you have aging, combination, and sensitive skin like me, perhaps this post will offer some tips that may help you. I also offer my skincare routine in the order of how I would layer them, starting with a face wash or rinse.
This post is all about my morning skincare routine for combination skin.
Morning Skincare Routine For Combination Skin
Face Wash: This is negotiable
I rated this as negotiable depending on how many skincare products were used the night before. In my night time skin care routine for women over 40, I write about how washing your face at night is actually a non-negotiable.
However, in the mornings, you can sometimes get away with only rinsing your face with cold water. I only use cold water when rinsing or washing my face, day or night. Cold water can be very beneficial for the skin. Cold water helps keep my skin supple and moisturized, versus warm or hot water, which can be drying. If you don’t have a lot of products on from the night before, you can usually just rinse your face with cold water.
If you do need to wash your face, I highly recommend Lumene Valo Cleansing Balm with Vitamin C. I love love love this cleansing balm! It’s definitely a staple in my skincare routine. I love this cleansing balm because it doesn’t dry out my skin, nor does it make it feel oily.
After I wash my face, my skin feels soft and supple. Notice, I’m going for the supple feeling a lot? I noticed that as I get older, my skin is slowly losing its elasticity. This cleansing balm doesn’t feel like it’s taking away from that. I’ve also tried other face washes and noticed how dry they make my skin feel. Lumene Valo Cleansing Balm with Vitamin C provides just the right amount of tightness and moisture for a clean face.
Toner: Negotiable
Like my nighttime skin care routine, I rated this as negotiable because, depending on your morning (if you’re trying to rush out the door), you can skip this step. However, if you can, try to be consistent with applying a toner. It helps rebalance your skin after rinsing or washing your face. Also, depending on which toner you use, it can be helpful for problematic areas.
I have a lot of dark spots, so the toner that helps with brightening and evening skin tone is the Glow Recipe’s Watermelon Glow PHA+ BHA Pore-Tight Toner. I know it says it’s a pore-tightening toner, but because it has PHA and BHA, it also helps with skin texture and lightening dark spots too. It’s designed to gently exfoliate your skin every day.
For days you really need a strong exfoliant (like in my nighttime routine), you can try Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant. I purchased a travel size because I don’t use this often. A travel size will last a good amount of time. I like using this when I’m on vacation or coming back from vacation. My skin tends to go through a lot when I’m traveling. This helps to settle the skin.
Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant also really helps eliminate dark spots. However, as mentioned before, it is more abrasive. So take caution if you have sensitive skin. If you have sensitive combination skin, which is more on the drier side, perhaps a travel-size version of this would also be suitable for you. Plus, if it doesn’t work for you, you’re not committed to a larger bottle.
Essence: Negotiable
Again, like in my night time skin careroutine, this is also negotiable. I consider essence more of a luxury. Of course, I feel the added benefits in my skin. But essences can be on the pricier side. I use Dior’s Capture Totale Intensive Essence Lotion.
I love the smell and feel of this essence, and for a department store brand, although it’s expensive, it’s more on the lower side when compared to the likes of SK-II. This essence makes my skin feel (again the word) supple. It provides that extra oomph of moisture you need for aging skin. The smell is soft and luxurious. And the texture of this essence is thicker than that of the toner. If you need an added moisture boost for your skin, I would say this should be added to your morning skin care routine for combination skin.
For both the toner and essence, you can apply both with your hands in a patting motion. This way, you get more out of your products. And it just feels better to gently pat your face every morning or night with something that smells nice.
Serum: Negotiable
Again, if you are running out the door, this step can be negotiable for your morning skincare routine for combination skin. However, keep in mind that consistency is key in taking care of your skin.
I did rate this as a non-negotiable in my nighttime skin care routine. For mornings, though, this is something I can skip depending on how busy my mornings are.
I really enjoy using The Ordinary’s 100% Organic Cold-Pressed Rose Hip Seed Oil. It is an oil, but I use it as a serum because I really feel like The Ordinary’s 100% Organic Cold-Pressed Rose Hip Seed Oil helps combat a lot of problem areas I have with my skin, like dryness, dark spots, and lack of elasticity.
Eye Cream: Negotiable
As of late, I have not been using an eye cream. Nor do I have one I really like. I have purchased The Inkey List Caffeine De-Puffin + Dark Circles Eye Cream for when I travel, but have not used it consistently enough to write about its benefits. I usually just slather on The Ordinary’s 100% Organic Cold-Pressed Rose Hip Seed Oil and or moisturizer all over my face, which includes my eye area, just to cut down on steps, time, and budget.
Moisturizer: Non-Negotiable
A non-negotiable part of your morning skincare routine for combination skin should be moisturizer. There have been times when I forgo this step. Every time, I never enjoy how my skin feels. It tends to always feel dry, whether you wash your face or rinse it with cold water. This is a step you cannot leave out. Therefore, it’s a non-negotiable for me.
I am currently using First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Intense Hydration cream. My daughter introduced me to this. They sometimes will have a sale, buy one, get one free.
You get a pretty large amount, and the nice thing is, you can use this on your face and arms. It also provides a good amount of moisture for your skin. It also doesn’t leave your skin feeling oily or sticky.
Before I switched to First Aid Beauty, I was using Kora Organics Turmeric Glow Brightening Moisturizer. I really like this moisturizer because it’s nice and thick. It doesn’t pill like some thicker moisturizers do, nor does it leave your skin feeling oily. I also feel like it helps brighten the skin, which can look dull at times.
The only reason I switched to First Aid Beauty was because of the price. With Kora Organics, you get 1.69 ounces of product for around $64.
If you have dull skin, I would opt for the Kora Organics if it’s in your budget. It provides a great amount of moisture and brightens the skin. But if you want something a bit more budget-friendly and still provides the benefits of moisture, go for First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Intense Hydration.
SPF: Non-Negotiable
This is absolutely a non-negotiable for me. The SPF I like to use is Cetaphil Daily Face Moisturizer with SPF 50. I don’t care if it’s overcast, or raining, or if I’m indoors all day. I will always put on SPF in the mornings after washing my face.
Naturally, I have tan skin, and my skin loves the sun; I love the sun. But the sun can be really harsh. I agree we all need our daily dose of vitamin D to stay healthy, but adding SPF to our daily routine will not eliminate our dose of vitamin D if we consistently stay active outdoors. I’ve noticed a lot of men in my life think that there isn’t a need for daily SPF, and their skin will prove otherwise.
I remember once, when I was in Hawaii in my early 20’s, I waited on the beach while my family checked into our hotel. I didn’t have SPF on and thought I didn’t need it because it was really overcast and gloomy. My face, which was exposed (while my body was covered with clothes) was burned for the rest of the trip. Even though I’m naturally tan, my skin has been getting more and more sensitive to the sun. Now, when I visit Hawaii, I make sure to put on SPF literally from head to toe. I always come back home with nice golden skin and not burned, itchy, dry, and patchy skin.
I also recommend using SPF 50. Anything higher, I was told by another healthcare provider, was invalid. I haven’t researched the validity of this statement, but it just stuck with me. Now, I try to use at minimum SPF 50 and not spend more money on a higher SPF.
When you use Cetaphil Daily Face Moisturizer with SPF 50, make sure to mix it in your hands really well before applying it to your face because there can be a white cast. When I thoroughly mix it in my hands first, it doesn’t leave that great of a white tint. I’ve used numerous types of SPF 50, but this one is more affordable and easily accessible for me. I tend to go through tubes of SPF pretty quickly. I usually use the amount of 3 fingers (my middle, ring, and pinky) lined with SPF.
Even though Cetaphil Daily Face Moisturizer says it’s a daily moisturizer, I’ve tried using this as a standalone product. Unfortunately, my skin still feels really dry when I use it by itself. Hence, why I said moisturizer is a non-negotiable for me before applying an SPF. Actually, this is the case for any SPF I use. I cannot just use SPF alone without my face feeling dry. I have searched for a moisturizing SPF that I could use as a standalone product, and I have yet to find one.
So there you have it, my morning skincare routine for combination skin. I hope this post helps you. I also hope this offers ideas on what works and doesn’t work for you. Like I mentioned before, these steps are interchangeable and are just some tips that have worked for me and my combination skin. If you have a morning skincare routine for combination skin, please share with me what works for you. I would love to hear about new ideas as well. Thanks for reading!
Love, Sutivi
