Oily skin! What to do & what not to do.

Don’t Assume that oily skin means you will have acne. Sebum or oil is naturally found in our skin to keep it soft and pliable. Plus it helps to keep your hair shiny and healthy. Yes having oily skin can make you more susceptible to acne, but it does not mean that you will have acne.

Do use a moisturizer! Water and Oil are two different things and it is very common to have oily but dehydrated skin. Find a lightweight moisturizer that does not contain any mineral or coconut oils. Jojoba oil is a great ingredient to look for as it is very similar to the sebum found in our skin.

Don’t use harsh cleansers to get rid of the oil. Oily skin is a skin type: meaning it cannot be changed by any outside force, but it can be managed.  The use of harsh cleansers is actually making your skin more oily because as the cleanser strips the oil away, the skin goes into overdrive to make up for the lost oil. Using gentle cleansers specifically made for oily skin is your best bet. Look for a cleanser that foams and contains salicylic acid. Salicylic acid is oil soluble, meaning that it will do its best work in oil and can deep clean the pores.

Do drink lots of water! Water is essential to skin health! Be sure to be drinking half your body weight in water to hydrate from the inside out!

Don’t use the same products your dry skin friends use! The products made for dry skin are formulated with the mission of adding oils to the skin in mind, this is the opposite of what you need!

Lastly, wear sunscreen daily and thank the oily skin gods because if you take care of your skin today you will be looking younger for longer! You will be getting ID well into your 30s if you treat your skin well as oily skin tends to age slower than dry skin.

Pictured & Author: Jacy Bunz : Licensed Esthetician, Licensed Cosmetologist & at La’ James International College Cedar Falls.