Having oily skin can be a pain.
Imagine, it’s a windy, dry day. You go about your day not thinking about anything but getting stuff done. It’s only when you’re relaxing and getting ready for bed that you feel the effects of the day.
Looking in the mirror, your skin looks duller than usual. Blame it on a hectic day. But when you rub a spot on your cheek, that’s when you feel it: grit.
You look at your finger. You can’t see the particles on your fingers or your face but when you rub your fingers together, it’s like fine grains of sand rolling between your fingertips.
The oil in your skin trapped every grain of dust that the wind threw at you. That’s why your skin looks dull.
If this is a day in your life, the last thing on your mind is facial oil. But with the day your skin has had, more oil may be what it needs.
What is Oily Skin?
Your skin has these microscopic glands call sebaceous glands. Their job is to secrete sebum, or oily secretions, which moisturize your skin and hair.
When your sebaceous glands work overtime, your skin becomes excessively oily. The excess sebum clogs your pores. This means bacteria now has a great environment to create blemishes like blackheads and acne. Oily skin types typically have enlarged pores in addition to a shiny complexion.
Now, oily skin isn’t all bad. Those who live in colder climates have that extra layer of protection against dryness and irritation. But if you live in the warmer areas, especially the tropics, oily skin is problematic.
For the most part, professionals advise oily skin types to stay away from oil containing products. The advancement of skin care understanding and products beats that old advice.
What Kinds of Oils Are Good?
When some think about facial oil, they think about heavy, greasy products that you slop on your skin. That couldn’t be further from the truth.
Facial oils are light, aromatic, and sometimes, silky to the touch. However, you need to make sure the product you’re using has beneficial ingredients that’ll help you control the oil and bacteria, while providing adequate skin support.
Here are some ingredients to look for when you’re shopping for products:
Tea Tree Oil
The benefits of tea tree oil are vast. It helps your body from head to toe. We’re talking foot fungus to yeast infections to cold sores. It’s got antibacterial and antimicrobial properties that come in handy when dealing with oily skin.
Argan Oil
It’s a great moisturizer that’s loaded with vitamin E as well as other fatty acids. It naturally hydrates and softens skin. Plus, it’s not greasy and doesn’t irritate the skin, which absorbs it quickly.
Ylang Ylang Oil
It’s an intense anti-inflammatory oil that’s used to treat bug bites and rashes. It helps when dealing with skin conditions, such as breakouts
Lavender Oil
This is an essential oil that penetrates pores to get rid of bacteria, which means it’s great against acne. It’s also soothing, calming, and just smells great!
Primrose Oil
From the seed of the evening primrose plant, primrose oil treats a variety of ailments including PMS as well as eczema and psoriasis. Because it’s a source of essential fatty acids, it’s great for oily skin, which, ironically, is low in essential fatty acids.
Geranium Oil
A sweet-smelling oil known as a mood lifter, geranium oil promotes healthy skin by reducing inflammation.
Jojoba Oil
It’s known as a trickster. It’s so similar to natural sebum that using it tricks your sebaceous glands into not producing oily secretions.
Rosehip Oil
Rosehip oil is from the cold-pressed seeds of Rosa moschata. This oil is loaded with linoleic acid, an essential fatty acids that helps the skin retain moisture as well as reduce acne. Other skin benefits include anti-aging and scar reduction.
Grapeseed oil
Grapeseed oil is well-known in the cosmetics industry as a carrier oil. It’s used in a variety of cosmetic products, such as creams and lotions. It’s nutrient rich and cleanses the blocked pores.
Facial Oil Products for Oily Skin
It’s common to spend hundreds of dollars on products that may or may not work. That’s why people are skeptical when it comes to skin care products. But these days, with such a strong market, there are plenty of valuable products you can get for less than $50:
Clarins Lotus Face Oil – This product is a combination of Rosewood, Geranium, Lotus, and HazelNut oils. Rosewood oil is for tissue regeneration. Lotus oil soothes and hydrates. Hazelnut oil balances oil and unclogs pores.
The combination work together to tighten pores and seal in moisture. Customers who use this say it’s great at cleaning pores and reducing scarring, not just on the face but all over the body.
Dr Hauschka Clarifying Day Oil – A formulation of neem, carrot, almond and
calendula oils that reduces oil production and helps to calm the skin. Neem helps to get rid of bacteria. Carrot oil helps to rejuvenate skin.
Almond oil goes deep into the skin to remove dirt and debris. Calendula is an antiseptic, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory that helps reduce scarring and blemishes.
It’s designed for oily, blemished skin and customers who’ve used it say it’s not oily at all. Some report wrinkle reduction as well as help with acne. All you need is a drop or two in the morning or during night. A 1-oz bottle lasts for 60-90 days
Caudalie Divine Oil 50ml/1.7 oz – A mixture of extra virgin argan, hibiscus and sesame oils blended with grape seed to help fight free radicals. Hibiscus is a natural alpha-hydroxy acid (AHA) that exfoliates skin and helps to control oil.
Sesame oil goes deep in skin to nourish and promote softness. Some buyers love the scent and it didn’t cause break outs. Others used it not just for their skin but their hair as well and love it!
The Body Shop Oil of Life Intensely Revitalizing Facial Oil, 1 oz – It’s a mixture of Black Cumin, Rosehip and Camellia oil that helps to nourish & revitalize skin. Black cumin seed oil helps flush out excess sebum, while it helps skin to retain moisture.
Camellia oil reduces the appearance of wrinkles and moisturizes. It’s vegan, silicone-free, mineral-free, paraben-free.
Majority of customers love how it hydrates their skin as well as the texture of the oil. All you need is 1 -2 drops morning and evening
Not Ready to Commit? Try Cleansing Oils instead
Maybe Facial Oils are too much for you right now. After all, you have to test them out to see which ones work for you…which seems daunting since you’re skeptical.
You want to start off with something simpler, right? Try Cleansing Oils. They remove excess oils that clog pores and cause blackheads. All you need to do is apply to dry skin and wash off.
Kari Gran Cleansing Oil – Organic cleansing oil that not only gets rid of dirt and grime, but is also great for makeup removal. All you need is some warm water. You can even use it to get off that stubborn mascara with no problem.
French Girl Organics Cleansing Oil is a mixture of hemp. sunflower, olive argan and other oils, that’s organic, vegan, as well as paraben-, sulfate-, and cruelty-free.
Having oily skin doesn’t have to leave you prone and helpless. Not any more.
Finding the right products is all about testing to see how your skin responds to these different ingredients. It’s best to start simple and build once you feel confident enough to take the plunge into a more committed routine.
Got any other products that you swear by to help control your oily skin? Share in the comments
Source:
“What’s Your Skin Type?” WebMD, WebMD, www.webmd.com/beauty/whats-your-skin-type.