How To Care For Oily Skin On Your Face

When your skin is dry, it is more likely to produce extra oils that help protect you from external factors like dirt and water. However, when your skin is oily, it does not need these protective oils!

Oiling up of the skin can be due to many things—hormonal changes, diet, stress, genetics, and/or bacterial infections or inflammation. Luckily, there are some very easy ways to care for both normal and overly-oiled skin.

This article will go over eight simple steps for caring for oilier facial skin. These tips will include basic cleansing, toning, moisturizing, and even trying something new (like AHA or BHA treatments). They may also include finding a balance in products you use for your face.

Removing excess grease and purging your body of excessive amounts of fat can reduce overall oil production. Although sometimes this takes time, investing in good skincare routines will reward you with smoother, healthier skin.

Use a sunscreen with a high sun protection factor

For those with very oily skin, using a good sunscreen is more important than it is for other skin types. This goes double when you are in the sun for longer than usually!

Olive oil and coconut oils can be problematic when they come into contact with the surface of your computer or phone screen. They do not easily wash off like normal oils such as olive or wheat germ oil, and some people have allergic reactions to them.

Many sunscreens contain these oils so check whether there are any statements about allergies before applying the product to your face. However, remember that even if you don’t have sensitive skin, an SPF of less than 15 is never adequate enough protection against UV rays!

A higher SPF will help prevent premature wrinkling and loss of elasticity but only if the cream has an adequate amount of moisture. If your skin gets dry due to excess oil, the sunscreen may “sweat-off” instead of protecting you.

Use a moisturizing cream with oil

For those with very dry skin, using products that contain oils is your best bet. Most people have heard of foundations and concealers that are designed to be mixed with some amount of powder to set it and make it last. These products contain oils as a component!

Oilier skin types can add more oil than necessary to their favorite products, creating a layer of protective fat that helps keep your skin soft and hydrated. Many people use extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil in their makeup to achieve this.

Tip: Try mixing your own face packs at home! The ingredients can be fresh fruits or vegetables like berries, cucumbers, or carrots, essential oils, and either water or milk depending on the consistency you want your product to have.

By experimenting with different combinations, you will find what works for your skin type.

Use a toner

For those with very dry skin, using a toner is your best bet to have perfect skin. A toner removes excess oils that can lead to clogged pores and darker than normal skin.

Most people use a toner twice a day – in the morning before makeup and at night after washing the face. Some find it easier to just do one of these steps instead of both!

Many brands contain ingredients such as alcohol or glycerin which help to strip away excessive oil. Both of these are needed to keep your skin healthy and functioning properly. Alcohol helps remove leftover dirt and chemicals from past skincare products while also helping to refresh the skin’s natural moisture.

Glycerin acts like glue to hold together all of the layers of the skin so that they stick together and protect them. This is important because dry skin will not function well and may even cause serious health issues.

Use a powder to reflect sunlight

For those with very oily skin, using a good concealer or primer is important to help keep your skin smooth. A primer is used under the face coverings so that the surface of your skin does not have too much oil already!

A primer like the ones I mentioned above are helpful in this case as they set up the foundation or cosmetic layer quickly which helps prevent cracks in coverage and/or shine.

Regular use of a light bronzer can also help even out your natural blush hue and add some depth to your look.

Use a mask to get rid of oil

The first step in caring for oily skin is to use a good face wash. These are usually categorized as either an acid or alkaline cleanser. Acids work by stripping away oils, while alkalies like sodium bile salt remove dry skin surface layers.

Acid toned cleaners are better for more sensitive skin types because they strip off fewer protective layers. However, most people with normal-to-dry skin can use an alcohol based cleaner since it has both acids and alkalis!

These contain glycerin, which works to soothe dried out skin cells and promote new cell growth. Glycerin is also known to be a humectant, which means it draws moisture from the surrounding area to help keep your skin hydrated.

Alkali based washes may burn slightly but that’s why there’s a second stage where you apply a moisturizer onto the exposed areas.

Use a soft washcloth

When washing your skin, use a lukewarm water and soak a clean cloth in it before rubbing all of your face areas including your nose, cheeks, chin, and forehead.

Never rub dry skin with a wet cloth as this could cause more oil to be spread across the area.

Instead, apply some of the gel cleanser that we mentioned earlier and gently wipe away the skin using the cloth. Make sure to rinse the cloth thoroughly after every pass so no leftover product gets stuck in the wrinkles or pores on your skin.

Something important to remember is that you do not need a professional grade tool to care for your skin.

Use a lot of moisturizer

When your skin is feeling particularly tight or dry, it can become much more sensitive to external factors like chemicals, dirt, and oils. This extra sensitivity can sometimes cause your skin to produce more of its own natural oil to protect itself!

This additional oil production can make your already oily skin even heavier, which only adds to the challenge of keeping your skin looking smooth and soft.

When shopping for a new batch of cream-based products, look out for ones that have an ingredient list longer than just “water” and “butter”. These products may contain other additives such as sun protection agents (SPAs), vitamin A, Bs, and E, antioxidants, and special functions such as moisture retention or light reflection. Check out our article: Best Sunscreen Products for Your Skin Type to learn more about SPAs.

We recommend trying one week‘s worth of each product so you can see how they work for you before buying a big bottle. That way, you’ll know whether the product is too heavy or thin for your skin type and if it does not irritate it.

Use a cream with sunscreen

For those with very dry skin, using a primer is essential to have the best start to your day. A good primer will not only set your makeup on time, but also help keep your oily skin in check!

Most of us know that protecting our skin from sun exposure is important, but some people may be looking into ways to reduce their oil production even more than it already is.

Using a correct moisturizer is an excellent way to do this as they are needed to retain moisture in the layers of the skin. Unfortunately, many people choose wrong ones which can actually make things worse.

Too much alcohol-based toner or benzyl alcohol (the main ingredient in most products) can cause your skin to become overly dry and contribute to internalized oils. Using too much lotion could potentially strip away all of the protective lipids that prevent excess oil production.