Maintaining Oily Skin Pros and Cons To Keep You On The Game

In today’s world, having a beautiful spotless face and skin is top priority in ladies list. Although, skincare shouldn’t be for just the ladies but my gender knows how to do the most.

No matter how much you cleanse or moisturize, your skin just can’t seem to keep oils at bay. It is not always a good feeling having that greasy sheen that comes from being too oily. But, there are ways to maintain oily skin and be on top of the game to keep your skin looking its best.

Maintaining oily skin can be a challenge, especially if you suffer from extra oily skin. Sometimes it’s difficult to get the balance between taking care of your skin and not causing blemishes. Oily skin types may need additional help to keep oil under control even though many still feel that the facial care routine is a never-ending quest. But that should not be the case. In this article, I will be sharing how you can manage your oily skin and remain in control of that for a long time, even when you have tried many things without success.

What does it mean to have oily skin?

Oily skin is a result of a genetic disposition, hormonal imbalance, or an oily skin type. Some medications used to treat acne can also affect oily skin. Oily skin often causes more breakouts than other skin types. An oily skin type can be said to be problematic for some as it tends to produce too much sebum oil that leaves your face ‘shining too much’ and breaking out at the slightest thing. This excess oil can cause the pores to clog and result in breakouts and blemishes. Keeping oily skin healthy is easier if you understand how to work around the skin type.

What does it mean to maintain oily skin?

Keeping oily skin under control means using products that hydrate skin without making it oilier. A moisturizer containing hyaluronic acid can help balance skin without making it oily. It also helps the skin retain moisture, which is key to keeping oily skin under control.

What does it take to maintain oily skin?

Having oily skin is not a joke. In order to care for oily skin, one needs to clean the skin properly. If oily skin is not taken care of properly, it may lead to acne and blackheads. So you need to balance your skin the right way for it to look healthy.

The steps to maintaining an oily skin

To maintain oily skin and remain on top of the game, you just need to have two tricks up your sleeves. The thing is, it is not as hard as some people paint it to be, neither do you need to do any super-duper hack to get this under control. With these two things in mind, and you do them religiously, you are sure to have a level of control over the much oil on your skin:

– The first step to maintaining oily skin is to be sure to wash your face twice a day, once in the morning and once at night. It is important to make sure not to wash your face immediately you try to go to bed and fall asleep or too often, this is because then your skin will overproduce oil which will lead to clogged pores and breakouts. The face wash you use should also be a gentle one and one that does not strip your skin of its natural oils.

– The second step is to use an oil-free moisturizer both in the morning and at night. A good quality moisturizer will help keep the oil on your face from seeming to overdo it, and will also help moisturize your skin. You should only pick the ones that do not have oils as their base or major ingredients. Neither should you pick one that contains heavy chemicals/ingredients. Stick to products that are gel-based, have little oils in them or are hydrating.

Safe practices when maintaining an oily skin?

Apart from the earlier mentioned two steps, there are other safe practices to try when maintaining oily skin. They may seem optional but are going to make the whole process a lot faster and smoother. They include:

– Avoid using majorly alcohol-based products as they can enlarge pores and increase the skin’s greasiness. They can actually be effective for removing oil on the skin, but they do it harshly and cause the skin to dry out, which only causes the body to react by producing more oil.

– Use a mild cleanser and toner. Cleansers are vital for removing excess oil and impurities from the skin. Toners are best for removing any leftover cleansers and closing your pores.

– Use a gentle exfoliator and exfoliate at least once a week.

– Avoid excessive exposure to the sun.

– Go for a day moisturizer with SPF or use a gel-based sunscreen (with SPF 50+) on your face during the day.

– Use an astringent to control excess oil

– Avoid putting too much makeup on.

– Move around with a clean, white handkerchief to wipe your face regularly.

– Avoid harsh facial scrubs as they only work to strip your skin of oils fast and cause your body to produce more.

– The products you use on your face should be mostly oil-free and specifically targeted at users with oily skin. This is better because the ingredients will serve you better.

What to avoid to maintain an oily skin?

Oily skin is a common problem. While it is not an unhealthy skin condition, it is probably something you don’t want to deal with, take this from someone who has battled with this for more than a decade. Therefore, to prevent excess oil on the skin, here are a few tips that can help you on what to avoid:

1. Avoid greasy foods. Greasy foods can cause oily skin because they contain a large amount of oil and they don’t digest well.
2. Go low on spicy foods. While spicy foods alone might not cause your skin to break out, there is still a correlation between it and having bad skin. The body can react to spicy foods and this can contribute to certain skin breakouts as it can also increase inflammation in the skin.
3. Consume low-fat foods. Foods that can cause a pimple are foods that mostly contain fat. Try to consume less of this to prevent your body from finding the space to produce more and more sebum. Instead, eat lots of fruits and vegetables as these can clean the toxic materials in the body and can reduce oil on skin.
4. Avoid dehydration. Dehydration can cause your skin to not act normal, it can also push it to panic mode and it starts producing more of certain skin elements, including sebum just to prevent the skin from going too dry. Do not do wait for your body to feel dehydrated before taking water. Drink plenty of water always as water can flush out the toxins in the body.
5. Don’t wash your face roughly. Handling your face roughly would only cause it to give your more oil. Habits like using harsh cleansers, sponges, exfoliators or other tools would only strip your skin’s oil harshly and cause it to work twice as hard to replace this quickly. Gently wash your face. Soak a cotton pad with cool water and dab your face with it instead of going the hard way.

Natural remedies for oily skin

As oily skin is a result of excessive sebum production, which is the oil secreted from the sebaceous glands that cause our skin to stick together and result in oily skin, we may not be able to control the amount of sebum it produces, but we can slow it down safely and let our face only show that healthy and necessary shine.

One of such ways is using natural home remedies that can help control this secretion. Let me share with you some of them:

1. Honey:

Honey is one of the best and safest ingredients when it comes to skin remedies. With the antibacterial and antiseptic properties it has, it is great for managing oily and acne-prone skin.

You can make it a habit to spread a thin layer of raw honey on your face and let it dry for about 10 minutes before rinsing it off. Doing this two to three times a week is safe and can give good results.

2. Tomatoes:

Tomatoes are a common acne home remedy that contains salicylic acid. This acid does not only help absorb excess skin oils but also helps unclog pores.

You can add one teaspoon of (cosmetic) sugar to the pulp of one tomato and apply this to your face in a circular motion. This can be left to dry on your face for 5 minutes before rinsing off.

3. Orange peels:

These are rich in astringent properties which can help restrict the excess oil secretion and the vitamin C present in them can help to prevent wrinkles and make your skin fresh and soft.

You can dry clean orange peels till they are crispy, blend to get a powder form and make a paste with little rose water to apply on your face. You can leave this face mask on for 15 minutes before rinsing off.

4. Aloe vera:

This is one of the most underestimated oily skin products. Not many people know that Aloe Vera can be very useful when it comes to controlling the oil on the skin and managing flaky skin caused by oily patches.

I use aloe vera gel myself and can confirm its effectiveness in keeping excess oil on the skin at bay. You can simply apply a thin layer to your cleansed (and toned) face before bedtime and leave it overnight. Be sure to do a patch test before using it to ensure it is safe for you.

Best products to use to maintain an oily skin

The best products to use while maintaining your oily skin should be those that contain ingredients like Salicylic Acid, Gels, Clay (especially bentonite and montmorillonite), Lemongrass, Dimethicone, Niacinamide, Glycolic Acid, Spearmint, Hyaluronic Acid, Tea Tree Oil and Retinol.

Products with one or more of the above ingredients can help reduce the amount of oil on your skin safely without causing it to go into overproduction of the said oil. They are most of the best oil-absorbing ingredients out there and will do your skin good when it comes to maintaining oily skin.

If you need an Oil-free Facial Care Routine that shows you all the products you need to maintain your skin type using a safe routine and also a checklist to keep you on track so that you do not fall short, click this link to get it sent directly to you. If you also need help curating a personalised facial care routine that would target your own specific skin concerns, click this link to leave a message on our page where we can lead you through the process.

 

Conclusion

Oily skin is not as difficult as many people are painting it to be. You just need to know the things you can do to keep your skin healthy and keep it from looking or feeling too oily. While doing your best to maintain your oily skin, do not forget that a good facial care routine is very important to keep your skin clean, healthy and oil-free to prevent breakouts.

The most important thing is, your skin type still makes you look confident, pretty, and beautiful. If you have tried many things and nothing seem to have worked, just give your skin a break, allow it to heal naturally from all the product use and embrace the fact that you can still leave with it and not try to do anything harsh and drastic. Just stick to having a clean, white handkerchief with you for wiping your excess oil and you should be good.