This installment in my series on tips for your specific Skin type has been HIGHLY requested, and I am here to deliver. I have discussed how to care for aging skin and how to care for sensitive skin. Now it’s time for me to give you the details on oily skin! Are you excited? I am.

Having oily skin can be particularly difficult, because when you have concerns they tend to be obvious to others, gross to you, and even painful. Nobody likes pimples, especially if you have lots of them at one time, and it can be so frustrating to try to get in under control. Sometimes it seems like nothing will work, but I promise you that things can improve if you try to implement some of my advice.

Disclaimer: While these strategies have worked for me and my clients, it’s impossible for me to give you personalized skincare advice unless I have seen and felt your skin in person. I am not licensed to diagnose skin conditions, even though I can help. Take my suggestions with a grain of salt and go to your own local aesthetician or dermatologist if you want personalized advice.

1. Start oil cleansing.

Trust me, I already know you are feeling sketched out by this. If your face is oily, why would you just add more oil to it? Wouldn’t that be counter-intuitive. Well, no, and I will explain why. To make a very long story short, stripping your face of necessary oils can lead to overproduction of oil. When you add in an oil that won’t clog pores, it helps oily skin to self regulate. Need some ideas on what type of oils to use? Check out my blog post on oils for all skin types.

Using oil to cleanse your skin before using a traditional cleanser is the first step in double cleansing. Which, if you aren’t familiar with, you can read about it here on my blog. Basically, oil cleansing is an amazing way to thoroughly cleanse your face, get rid of dirt and grime on your skin, as well as regulate your oil production with some amazing nutrients. I recommend it to all my oily and acneic clients.

2. Get a simple and consistent skincare routine.

If you have been anywhere near social media, you’ve heard of the ten step korean skincare routine that involves double cleansing, moisturizing with organic baby flowers, an expensive serum, and then washing again with the blood of virgin while you stand on your head. Okay so that isn’t exactly it, but that’s how your skin views it!

Oily skin that is prone to breakouts is already struggling to regulate and get everything in order. Adding a bunch of products in, especially with active ingredients in them, is going to stress out your skin in the worst way. If your epidermis can’t even handle itself why should it be able to handle eight different types of acid and some botanicals? You are far better off to get a simple routine to cleanse, moisturize, and protect your skin.

If you don’t know how to build a skincare routine, I’ve got your back. I have a whole post on how to build a skincare routine, so go take a look. Once you have a good routine, stick with it! Be consistent and don’t deviate. Now I am not knocking other products and saying they are all awful, because they have a purpose. But in the beginning, keep it super simple, and be diligent about following it.

Once your oily skin is accustomed to the routine, you can start to add in new products one at a time to not stress it out. Anything other than cleansing, moisturizing, and protecting is nice; it is not needful. Don’t get caught up in the hype of new skincare products all the time and throw your skin for a loop constantly. Find good products for you, and stay the course!

3. Use ingredients that will cleanse without depleting your skin.

When it comes to skincare, it is always important to look at the ingredients on the back of the bottle. A lot of times, products made for oily skin will just nuke your face and take all of the oils you need. Which in turn will cause your face to overproduce oil and make even more problems. So what ingredients should you use?

I would recommend to find a cleanser containing either salicylic acid, or benzoyl peroxide. Both will help to cleanse your skin and get all of the dirt out of your pores. It can also help with the bacteria that causes pimples. For the rest of your routine, focus on ingredients that are gentle, as well as hydrating. A few of these include niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, aloe vera, chamomile, lavender, or manuka honey. These are all nourishing and will help give your skin the tools it needs to heal itself. The other ingredients will target the oiliness.

4. Find the root cause of your pimples.

If you are struggling with breakouts, there is a reason. Yeah, no duh. But finding out the source of your skin troubles could help you eradicate them! What I always recommend is to examine the location of your breakouts on your face, then compare it to your everyday routine. Sometimes we do things ourselves that cause blemishes and can easily prevent them by modifying how we do things.

Once upon a time, I had a horrible problem with zits along my hairline. It was constant and I had no idea why they kept popping up! Well, to make a long story short, I learned that my issues stemmed from the fact that I used a whole lot of hairspray (as many of us pinups do) and did not wash my face all the way up into my hairline. Once I realized this, washed my face all the way up to my hair, and BOOM. My skin cleared up like magic.

There are infinite reasons you could have a “problem area”. Perhaps you touch your face a lot throughout the day without noticing. Maybe you hold up a dirty phone to your face to talk to friends. I’ve noticed that lots of people forget to wash certain parts of their face like I did and it causes breakouts in specific areas. Be mindful of how you are treating your skin and you might notice there is something you are doing that you can change.

Whatever you do, do not pick at your skin! Please! Extractions and pushing at your epidermis at home does not help oily skin, but in fact causes more problems. It results in inflammation, irritation, scarring, and hyperpigmentation. I promise you, your skin will clear up one day. But if you picked at it, you will have a lot more to worry about, especially the discoloration and deep scars. Save yourself the time and do not touch it!

5. Seek help from a doctor!

There comes a point where skincare can no longer help with the issue at hand. Something I have learned as an esthetician is that our skin truly is a reflection of what is going on inside our bodies. And sometimes, your acne is trying to signify that there is an underlying health problem that needs to be dealt with. If you have tried everything to clear up your skin and it isn’t cooperating, it may be time to visit a dermatologist or your general practitioner.

For example, oftentimes hormonal problems such as endometriosis or PCOS can present in the form of deep cystic acne along the jawline. And the way to combat that is to not only oil cleanse, but help your hormones to balance. Addressing internal issues can help your skin resolve itself from the inside out, along with the help of topical products. Your doctor will know lots more about your skin in person than I will over the internet.

And that is it my lovely friends! I really hope that this will help all of you with oily skin out. It can be very frustrating to deal with but trust me, there is hope on the other side! Your skin will clear up, and everything will turn out okay. I am here to help if you have any questions. Just message me and let me know. I will see you next week!

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