A Little About Oily Skin

How do you know if you have oily skin?

Wash your face and do not add any product to it afterwards. Wait 15 minutes.

If your face is shiny and slick to touch, you have oily skin.

If your face looks mostly dry but is shiny in some areas, particularly in the T-Zone (forehead, nose, chin), you have combination skin which means part of you is oily.

If your face is not shiny at all, you do not have oily skin at this moment.

Why do you have oily skin?

Oily skin derives from a number of reasons, from genetics to environmental stressors.

Genetics

Your family has a lot to do with your skin. If your pores are larger in size, then your oily skin is probably a result of genetics. This does not mean you will always have oily skin! You can work with your skin using products that we will discuss later in this blog- so keep reading!

Free Radical Damage

Free radicals are unbalanced molecules emitted from external stressors like cigarette smoke, ultraviolet rays, and smog. When free radicals are emitted, they find molecules that are balanced and they attack them and cause damage to the cell where the molecule lives. Aka- your skin. This damage can be seen on the skin through irritation, redness, rashes, aging, and OILINESS. When a free radical attacks your skin, your skin reacts in a defensive way. Sometimes this natural reaction happens to be your sebaceous glands overproducing oil which in turn causes your skin to become oily.

Sun Damage

When you receive too much sun resulting in a sunburn, your skin reacts to this current dry situation by producing oil to hydrate and heal the burn. This ends up resulting in oily skin.

Where You Live

The climate you live in and the resulting weather can keep your skin oily. If you live in a humid climate, your skin can retain moisture from the air. If your skin is naturally already a little oily, this will escalate the oiliness. At the same time, dry air can cause your skin to overproduce oil.

Skincare Products

And of course, what you are putting on your skin might be the culprit.

Skincare Ingredients to Avoid

Check your current skincare products. Someone with oily skin should avoid the following ingredients:

Petroleum, lanolin, mineral oil, paraffin wax: all of these create a thick barrier on the skin that is entirely too heavy for oily skin to take on. *All skin types should avoid these ingredients due to the fact that they are toxic for your skin and for the environment.
Alcohol: Odd, I know, because alcohol is commonly added to products and marketed to individuals with oily skin. What alcohol does when it touches the skin is to evaporate and take excess oil with it. This leaves the skin incredibly dry, causing the glands to freak out and over produce oil- resulting in oily skin.
Parabens: Are added to products to serve as a preservative. They are known hormone disruptors, which can interfere with your body’s natural hormone balance and can cause excess oil production.

Skincare Ingredients to Say Yes to:

Toners that do not contain alcohol, but contain natural ingredients like hydrosols and aloe vera. This will tighten the pores, resulting in less oil.
Tea Tree Essential Oil: This essential oil penetrates and tightens pores which reduces oil production and can help balance oily and acne-prone skin.
Retinol: Promotes firming of the skin and increases collagen production, which also means tightening the pores.
Apple Cider Vinegar: Helps increase skin cell turnover and fight blemish-causing bacteria. Do not use straight apple cider vinegar. Dilute it 3:1 ratio water/apple cider vinegar.
Kaolin Clay: This clay absorbs excess oil without stripping the skin of moisture. Use it in a scrub a couple of times a week.
Lavender Hydrosol: Due to its antiseptic and antibacterial properties, spritzing lavender hydrosol on your face will help control oil production. Can be used throughout the day.
Jojoba Oil: Jojoba oil tricks the skin into thinking it has already produced enough oil because it is similar to the consistency of the skin’s natural oils (sebum).