Oily skin can be a real pain and leave you with:
Bad enough as a teenager let alone as an adult!
So what can you do? Read on:
Skincare that’s packed with oil-absorbing or astringent ingredients may sound like heaven, but too many ‘drying’ ingredients are the exact opposite of what oily skin needs.
Great skin is all about balance and when you strip your skin of its natural oils, your sebaceous glands go into overdrive. This makes your skin even oilier!
So check ingredients, especially your cleanser, for things like sodium lauryl sulphate or sodium laureth sulphate which are cheap detergents that can be extremely drying.
Great news is our Crystal Cleanser is completely free from all parabens and sulphates and is the ideal balancing cleanser. You should also try our new Natural Element Clay Mask as a twice weekly pampering treat. It’s awesome for oily skin because it’s packed with natural clays and plant extracts to help balance and unclog your pores without drying out your skin.
Stress plays a major role in the levels of sebum in your skin. Why? Cortisol!
Cortisol is also known as ‘the stress hormone’. Important when you’re under threat but when your body is permanently anxious, it produces too much which is bad news.
Excess cortisol increases sebum production, encourages inflammation, upsets your collagen and elastin and interferes with healing. Not great if you're concerned about premature ageing or sensitivities.
So, how can you cut down on stress? Get enough sleep, try meditation, yoga, simple breathing exercises and get plenty of exercise - even just a daily walk.
See what works best for you. And, if you’re feeling completely overwhelmed by stress be sure to seek professional help.
Touching your face or leaning on your hands can make oily skin worse.
While the palms of your hands and pads of your fingers don’t produce oil themselves they will always carry a certain level of sweat, dirt and bacteria, no matter how much you wash them.
Touching your face with your hands can transfer these nasties to your face. It also moves oils around your skin which can aggravate your sebaceous glands. All this adds up to even more oil and, worse yet, blocked pores and potential breakouts.
Strange fact: moisturising oily skin is essential.
Failing to moisturise is just as bad as cleansing with skin-stripping products. It will fool your skin into thinking it’s dry which forces your sebaceous glands to produce more oil to rectify the situation.
A great moisturiser contains a combination of humectants plus emollients and/or occlusives. Humectants like glycerin, aloe vera and hyaluronic acid are vital for all skin types because they draw water to the surface of the skin to maintain balance and hydration.
Emollients and occlusives help smooth the skin and lock in moisture.
Occlusives like cocoa butter and coconut oil are super rich and create a seal over the surface of the skin. Emollients are lighter and allow your skin to ‘breathe.’ Things like cetearyl alcohol, caprylic triglyceride and isostearyl palmitate – all of which are ideal for oily skin.
Our favourite moisturiser for oily skin types is Organic Hydration Gel which you should apply twice daily to clean skin. It’s perfect for oily, acne-prone skin and is packed with hydrating ingredients including aloe and vegetable glycerin, plus xanthan gum to smooth the skin.
And you may find this hard to fathom, but our Organic Age-Defying Facial OIL is also a great shout. You see, the right oils actually help to balance and regulate your natural oil production (or over-production in this case). Don't just take our word for it - see it for yourself!
It’s a myth that chips give you oily skin, but it’s true that certain foods can trigger oil production. Skincare is an important way to control and balance your skin, but it’s definitely worth looking at your diet.
Cut down on salt, red meat, soy, sugar, refined carbs and dairy; anything that causes inflammation or an unbalance in sebum production. Instead, pack your diet with lean poultry, fish, whole wheat carbs, seeds, nuts and antioxidant-rich fresh fruit and veg.
Zinc also helps your sebaceous glands to function well, so eat plenty of seafood and yoghurt which are both naturally rich in zinc.
So there you have it, five ways to make your oily skin even more oily (and five fixes to reduce excess oil, which is what you really want).
Dedicated to helping you look and feel fantastic,
Tracey x