5 easy tips to take care of oily skin
10:52:00 |
| 5 easy tips to take care of oily skin |
1. Moisturize
If you're just starting to take proper care of your skin, or if you want to start but don't know really well how to, this is the most important step: moisturize your skin.
There's this belief out there that people with oily skin shouldn't use moisturizers, but that's absolutely false. Oily skin is oily because of genetics (unavoidable) but also because of dehydration. A little explaining on this:
- Why does oily skin produce excess sebum? Sebum is produced because of high levels of androgens (a male hormone also present in females). If you have permanent oily skin it's because of genetics, if not, it can be because of your hormones changing, being stressed or because you're having poor nutrition.
- Why does oily skin produce excess sebum when it's dehydrated? You skin can be oily and dehydrated at the same time. If you notice dry patches on your skin, a sudden breakout, too much oil at the end of the day- it's dehydrated. Therefore, your skin will produce more sebum to fight against the dehydration.
However, it is true that oily skin shouldn't use very rich or thick moisturizers (more on that on the 5th point). The best way to moisturize oily skin is in two steps: hydrating first and then moisturizing. This two concepts are often used interchangeable, but they are very different:
- What is hydrating the skin? Hydrators are designed to increase the water content of the skin. A very well-known hydrator is hyaluronic acid.
- What is moisturizing the skin? Moisturizers reduce water loss by forming a barrier on the skin.
So properly moisturizing skin should be done in different steps, first hydrating and then moisturizing. The last step in you skincare should, therefore, be a moisturizer product that "seals" or "locks down" the previous products while providing, well, moisture. That way, the hydrating product will boost your skin absorption of the moisturizer.
Great moisturizers for oily skin:
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| Good moisturizers for oily skin |
- Tony Moly The Chok Chok Green Tea Watery Cream 60ml || 15,500 won
- Innisfree Aloe Revital Sleeping Pack
100ml || 12,000 won
Read my review here (coming).
Read my review here.
- Nature Republic Super Aqua Watery Max Fresh Watery 80ml || 25,000 won
- Saturday Featherweight Skin Daily Moisturizing Cream
50ml || 49$
Read my review here (coming).
Read my review here (new one coming).
2. Use clay masks at least once a week
Without being "technically correct", the clays on the market are green, white, red, black... But being technical about it, that isn't the correct classification, which is divided into different types by properties. You can read more about it in the "sources" at the end of the entry. The one that's the most beneficial to oily skin is the common "green clay", Illite French Clay, because of a couple or reasons:
- Strong at drawing dirt, oils and toxins from the skin.
- Effective as cleansers and masks.
You should only use green/Illite clay mask once a week. Depending on how oily you skin is, I would also recommend using a complementary clay mask, in a different day, for example white clay. Or if you're concerned about sebaceous fillaments, black clay mask (charcoal mixed with some other clays).
Some products contain different clays in them, which can also be beneficial/a nice addition to the skincare (like the Dr.Jart+ Dermaclear Clay Mask to Foaming Cleanser trio).
I totally recommend going as natural as possible with clay, I personally buy them in herbalist's. They sell green clay masks as powder that you mix the desired amount with water, or already mixed and ready to go in tubes.
Last quick note: always apply clay masks in thin layers and homogenous as possible.
3. Use serums/essences that contain BHA
Or just use a product that it's BHA. BHA (Beta Hydroxy Acid) is Salicylic Acid, which is a great product for oily skin: it cleans black and white heads and helps with enlarged pores. It can also benefit skin as a hydrator and anti-aging product.
First things first: don't be scared of acids. Acids that are used in cosmetic products won't burn your skin like you're probably thinking if you're scared of them. BHA, or Salicylic Acid, is actually great for sensitive skin because it has soothing properties.
BHA is great for oily skin because it's oil soluble, it penetrates skin's pores and works from the inside of the skin. So for oily skin, it actually treats the source of the problem: it decongests pores from the inside, making sure to leave them clean.
A couple of notes:
- Should be used as a stay-on product. Having it on cleansers for example won't do anything for the skin.
- Use it after cleansing your skin, or after your pH adjusting toner if you use it.
- Wait some minutes before applying anything more, at least 20 minutes.
- The BHA should have a pH between 3 and 4 for it to be effective.
Great products with BHA:
Treating your skin, and not only oily skin, in a real beneficial way takes time, as well as learning how it react to different things which takes longer than what we initially think. But if you introduce new products slowly and give your skin time to adapt, nothing should go terrible wrong.
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| Great products with BHA for oily skin |
- Naruko Tea Tree Shine Control and Blemish Clear serum 30ml || 23.99$
- Neostrata Gel Plus Salicylic
100ml || 33.56€
Read my review here.
Read my review here.
4. Use retinol
Another skincare ingredient that a lot of people are scared of but shouldn't be: retinol is Vitamin A as a cosmetic active. Retinols are really one of the best skincare ingredients to use as anti-aging, to fade acne redness and unify skin's tone.
However, retinol can be very agresive on the skin, so make sure of two things:
- Start with low concentrations (while still being enough so you see changes).
- Have a nourishing skincare routine, because retinol can be very drying.
A lot of products claim to have retinol as their active, but you should really see its concentration or if it's at the beginning of the ingredient list.
And again, a couple of notes:
- The container must be opaque and without exposure to air. That is because retinol deteriorates with light and air, so if you're thinking of buying a cream that contains retinol, but it's in a jar- pass! The best container for retinol is a tube with a dispenser/pump.
- If you use it with BHA the retinol effectiveness will increase, for example retinol at nights, BHA during morning skincare.
- You need to use SPF everyday. It doesn't matter if you use retinol at night (and you should), exposure to sun can be contra effective to retinol, which is also fotosensible.
Great products with retinol:
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| Great products with retinol for oily skin |
Naruko am+pm A40 Pore Minimizing Complex
Read my review here.
5. Layering is key
Remember how I've told you on the first point about how oily skin doesn't accept rich moisturizers? If you apply too much or too many things your skin will reject them in a very obvious way: it will break out.
The key to taking care of oily skin successfully is to apply thin layers of every product you wish to incorporate. And I don't mean just physically thin, but product-thin: light products formulated for oily skins, the ones that your skin will be able to fully absorb before applying the next one.
While the "10 step Korean skincare routine" is more of a marketing ploy than anything, people with oily skin really benefit from it. But obviously, beware of going overboard and applying too much, you don't want to moisturize your oily skin too much because it will break out.
Good products for layering:
 |
| Good products for layering for oily skin |
- Klairs Supple Preparation Toner 180ml || 23.99€
- I-Mju Hatomugi Skin Conditioner
500ml || 8.00€
Read my review here (coming).
I do not have a review for it but I tried and I liked it, although I'm not as crazy about it as the majority of the internet seem to be.
- Laneige Fresh Calming Serum 80ml || 32,000 won
- SK-II Facial Treatment Essence
75ml || 62.00€
Read my review here.
Read my review here (coming).
Treating your skin, and not only oily skin, in a real beneficial way takes time, as well as learning how it react to different things which takes longer than what we initially think. But if you introduce new products slowly and give your skin time to adapt, nothing should go terrible wrong.
What are some tips you have to treat your skin?
Sources:
If you want to read more a bout hydrators and moisturizers: click here.
Read more in depth about BHA: here.
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