Guest Post by Swati 
Hi All. And, I am really thankful to Ansh for asking me to guest blog. So, a little bit about myself. I have been blogging since a little over one and half year and would be making it two in December. I am not a beautician or anything related to the field of beauty and fashion. But, my interest in beauty comes from the passion to use natural things. I am not an advocate against chemicals coz I really love to try out various products. And, today, I would be talking about how to take care of oily skin to the best of my knowledge.
Ok, so I do not have oily skin. Instead, my skin type is combination with a tendency to dry out whenever the temperature dips or whenever it feels like!!! But, it also suffers from one other major issue – it becomes oily and too oily to handle whenever I apply any product. But, if I leave my skin bare, it will be just normal with a little stretchy feeling and no oil for around 3-4 hours. I never really understood why my skin behaves that way but I just want to put some guidelines as to how one can go about taking care of unpredictable skin.
Some habits shunned by oily girls:
- Use oils, girls!!! Yes, it is a big misconception that oils don’t go well with oily skin. No, its not true. Oils go very well if you are using the right oil. Determine which one best suits you and don’t go for almond and coconut and other oils available for culinary purposes coz more often than not, these oils are heavy for oily skin. You need lighter oils so facial oils are your best bet. And, oils do not cause breakouts and acne. Breakouts and Acne are result of bacterial activity inside the pores.
- Moisture is different from oiliness. May oily people don’t like to apply moisturizer believing it would cause more oiliness. That’s a false fact. Moisturizing is equivalent to keeping the skin hydrated and oils don’t do that. And, water is the key for suppleness of your skin. You can tackle this problem in two ways:
- from Inside: Drink lot of moisture-laden drinks like fruit juices and eat cucumber and such things which have water in them. Drinking green tea in regular intervals is also a great idea. And, of course, water!!!
- from Outside: By regularly applying a moisturizer.
- Many people like to equate the oily skin to acne and pimple prone skin. This is not correct, actually. One might be more prone to breakouts because of excess oils on the face but it surely doesn’t mean other people don’t get pimples and acne.
Regular Routine
- Cleansing: A good cleanser or a face wash which would absorb oils is recommended. I would say gel cleansers are not a good idea and do not worry about your products containing SLS / SLES if they are working great for you. Many people like to use salicylic acid based face washes which I think is fine if recommended by a dermatologist but unnecessarily trying to heal your skin is not such a great idea. The reason is that salicylic acid doesn’t suit sensitive skin and does have many side effects so it is best to wait for a proper consultation.
- Toning: No alcohol toners or astringents. They strip of the good oils too which are necessary for your skin. Rose water is a good choice or you can go for any toner of your choice. Always take a little toner in your palm and pat it on the face instead of using a cotton ball to apply it. That saves the wastage and makes skin absorb the toner. And, if you like preparing homemade toners, you can go for Apple Cider Vinegar in your toner. Make the toner in the ratio of 8:2; 2 being the ratio of Apple Cider Vinegar. More of the vinegar is not advised because it is highly acidic and can cause irritation to the skin. This toner is good for skin coz it prevents excess oil production.
- Moisturizing: Very important and not a step to be skipped!!! Find out a moisturizer which suits you. Yes, a lot of trial and error goes into it but you can always go for the brands which are suitable for oily skin like Neutrogena. I always thought its products are more suitable for oily or combination skin so identifying and starting with such brands is a good idea and in case nothing strikes, stick to the old Lacto Calamine. It really works. Also, a trick to apply moisturizer or even oil which I have found helpful is to add a little of water to it. If you are using a moisturizer, add a few drops of water (2-3 drops and not more, it will becomes watery) and its good if you hand is damp (not wet).
- Suncreen: Do not add water to sunscreen ever!!! It has to be applied and preferable a thick layer if you are using a physical sunscreen or the two-finger rule for a chemical sunscreen. Adequate amount of sunscreen is necessary for optimum protection.
- Makeup: Ok, I do not use makeup so I am not the right one to advise you on it. But, I feel that mineral makeup would suit the oily skins because they are more absorbent and are generally drying for the dry skin.
- Night Cream: Don’t go for heavy creams and generally, night creams are heavy so I will advise you to stick with oil. So, be cautious while choosing a night product. You don’t want to wake up with acne and pimples coz the cream was too heavy for your skin. In case you are applying oil, mix 2 drops of oil with 2 drops of water and apply. That shall control oiliness of the skin.
Problems associated with oily skin
- Oil skin has unusually large pores and mind you, these pores can grow in size with age!!! So, consequently, the oil production might increase, I think. So, a god way to prevent large pores is to use aloevera gel regularly on your face. What I do is apply a thick layer of aloe gel every night after cleansing routine and leave it on for half hour. After half hour, I remove the excess gel with a cotton pad and then, wash off my face. Doing this regularly would definitely show a difference in pore size. But, do not think that pore size will decrease with such remedies. These remedies only cause reduction of pore size temporarily.
- Bigger pores harbor a lot blackheads!!! The oil and dust is trapped in the pores and is oxidized when exposed to atmosphere and becomes a blackhead. So, you understand why it is necessary to clean pores regularly. But, not many face washes and cleansers are really effective in that. But, oils are!!! Have you heard of Oil Cleansing Method. You can cleanse all the makeup and other gunk from your face using oils. That also helps in removal of blackheads and whiteheads too. And, also, regular cleansing of face helps prevent blackheads in the long run.
- No matter what skin type you are, the oil production in the body decreases with your age so once you are 30, your skin type might change to dry or normal.
My Tips (some are very obvious)
- Blotting Tissues: I use only normal tissue papers. They work fine but blotting papers would work better I suppose to control the shine on the face. Especially useful while traveling.
- Loose Powder: I am using Faces Mineral Pressed Powder but any face powder would be good. Make sure it suits you.
- Fuller’s Earth (Multani Mitti) + Homemade Yogurt (Curd): best face pack for oily skin I have experienced yet as it controls the oil in the best way. One can safely use it alternately. I think buying the sticks than the fuller’s earth powder is more rewarding but that decision depends on you.
- Lavender Essential Oil helps regulating the oil production in the skin so using those products might be good. You can even buy the essential oil separately and mix few drops with your products regularly.
- Tea Tree Essential Oil helps in preventing the anti-bacterial activity so might be a good choice to include it in your skin care regimen to prevent unnecessary breakouts.
And, a good news for all the oily skin girls out there, the oil in your skin will prevent wrinkles to a much later stage so oily skin is not all together a curse.
Swati blogs at Perfect Skin Care For You. She beleives that a healthy lifestyle is the key to beautiful body, gorgeous skin and luxuriant hair. She has got a lot of face pack recipes, ubtans, beauty tips to share.
