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Oily Skin Care Tips

Skincare For Oily Skin

Oily skin care tips are an extremely popular topic in skincare. For many of us hormonal changes, environmental changes and seasonal changes cause that annoying shine to pop up- on our foreheads, noses and chins.

Some have a severe problem and need help in the form of medication to dry their oil glands out because their bodies are overproducing oil.

While there are no perfect answers to skincare for oily skin, there are some great oily skin care tips to help you manage your skin.

We've Been There

My oily skin care tips arose out of years of helping my husband manage his extremely oily skin. We’re talking; he’s going to the restroom 3 or 4 times during the day to blot his skin with a damp paper towel. 5 minutes after getting out of the shower he’s got shine starting. He could hardly keep his glasses up on his nose for a few minutes. Years of this led to his frustration with his skin and my determination to help him manage it.

Why Is My Face So Oily?

Oil is a natural defense for your skin. It helps your skin stay soft, supple and resilient to sun, wind and pollution damage.

The oil glands are located near your hair follicles. When the hair grows, the oil lubricates it. This is to help avoid ingrown hairs.

Sometimes, for whatever reason, your skin thinks it needs to produce more oil; more lubrication. This could be due to genetics, hormonal changes or environmental changes.

Before we start on oily skin skincare, it’s important to know some basics of oily skin. This way you will be able to tailor your oily skin care routine to your situation.

In general…

Men often have oiler faces than women because of their accelerated facial hair growth.
Women often experience oilier skin around their menstrual cycle when their hormones are spiking.
We all experience oily skin in our teens as our oil glands and hormones begin working.

So What Do I Do?

My oily skin care tips begin with one that is going to sound counter-intuitive, but it’s the truth.

You must moisturize your face.

I know, I know. You’re thinking, “My skin is already “moisturized”. I don’t want to make it worse. I want to dry it out.”

But here’s the thing. Your oil glands will react to your skin being over dried and produce more oil trying to combat the dryness. The result? You’re caught in a cycle of trying to dry up the oil and your skin is trying to keep your skin moisturized. It’s a no-win cycle.

To start caring for your skin the best way, try the oily skin care tips below.

The Routine

Cleanse

Cleanse your face daily with a oil-reducing cleanser. Often these products will have acne-reducing properties, like benzoyl peroxide. This is ok, especially if you have blemish problems.

Cleansers specially formulated for oily skin will say so on the bottle. I would double check and make sure that alcohol is not one of the top ingredients. Sure, alcohol will make your skin feel dry and cool, but it will overdry your skin and you’ll get the nasty cycle we talked about above.

Cleansers with microbeads will gently exfoliate your skin. This is a good way to remove built-up oil, sebum, dead skin cells and other foreign particles from your skin. You know what those little build-ups cause, right? Whiteheads and blackheads. This will help you minimize acne from this source.

Moisturize

You need to moisturize your skin also. Find a moisturizer that is designed for oily skin or is alcohol free.

You may still want to add toner or astringent to your routine. This is fine, as long as it is alcohol, tea-laurel sulfate, sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium laureth sulfate free. Those ingredients tend to be harsh to any skin type and will excessively dry it out.

You can use an oil free lotion if you'd like. Products containing alpha-hydroxy are also good for oily skin because they exfoliate and even skin out. Be warned; they may irritate broken or sensitive skin.

Mattify

Of all the oily skin care tips I’ve seen, this one is fairly uncommon, but it is so useful.

Use an oil-mattifier (a cream that you apply to your skin and it absorbs oil throughout the day, usually for 8 hours). It is colorless and odorless, so men, you can use it too!

The ladies may go on to use oil-absorbing foundation. A powder foundation not containing any extra oils, waxes or silicones is better because it can adhere to your skin better. The waxes and such merely sit on top of your skin's natural oil layer and can result in your makeup “melting” away throughout the day. A powder foundation containing rice powder or kaolin (white china) clay is even better. These are superior, natural oil absorbers that still allow your skin to breathe.

Facial blotting tissues, usually linen paper, are also great to help absorb excess oil throughout the day, for men or women.

While It May Not Be Easy…

Oily skin skincare can make all the difference for how your skin looks and feels. I want you to feel good. I want your skin to look good.

These tips were designed with you in mind. I hope they help you see healthier, happier skin soon!

Thanks For Letting Us Share Our Oily Skin Care Tips With You!

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