Help! My Skin Is Always Oily!

“My skin is oily, ALL THE TIME. I’ve tried so many things and I cannot get my skin to stop being so darn oily!!”

If I have heard the above statement once, I’ve heard it a billion times. So many of my customers have oily skin (but Combination is my number 1) and all they want is to NOT have oily skin. Now, I love oily skin because believe it or not, it keeps us looking younger, longer. How? Well, revert back to my last post on anti-aging and you will see that hydrated skin is youthful skin. Oil production in the skin is just our body’s way of keeping the skin hydrated. Oil production should be a blessing, not a nuisance. Moderate oil production is normal – severe oil production is not. Here is where you need to evaluate what you are doing, or not doing, to cause your skin to produce so much oil.

The reason our skin produces oil is because it feels dehydrated. A little oil is fine; a lot of oil is not. You are working those glands overtime and they are not getting paid time and a half – so stop! When people ask me how to prevent the overproduction of oil in their face, my first question is always what are you using on your skin? More importantly, what are you hydrating your skin with? 9 times out of 10, the client is not hydrating their skin at all; and it is clear to me why. The reason is that people have this thought process that if they dry their skin out, it will stop the oil production. Dry the skin = dry the oil. On the contrary, this cause actually has the opposite effect. The more you dry your skin out, the more oil it will produce.

Now, a little oil can give a very healthy look to the skin (who doesn’t love a nice glow?) and I encourage a good glow. To keep the skin balanced, cleanse the skin, tone with a balancing toner that is not drying and follow with some sort of moisturizer. I am a huge fan of facial oils. YES, I am encouraging putting oil on oily skin. You know why? Because it will mimic what this skin naturally produces and keep the oil production at a minimum. Go with a light oil, nothing too heavy that can possibly clog pores – and sit back and watch the difference in your skin. Balancing facial oils are best because they are light, hydrating and always have added benefits and ingredients. Want just an oil, go with Jojoba or Sweet Almond.

If your regimen or routine is drying in any way, STOP! I don’t care if you received this info from a dermatologist or your friend from down the street – DO NOT DRY YOUR SKIN OUT EVER! Topical medications, prescription drugs, whatever. If it is causing your skin to be dry, I do not think it is a good product. Why would you want to use anything that will cause your skin to do what you are trying to stop it from doing. And if any medications are retarding the sebaceous glands, that seems counter-productive, don’t you think? Allow you skin to do what it was naturally made to do – just help it to not do too much of it. Moderation is key.

Since you are now aware, no more excuses. Get you a regimen that helps with keeping your skin balanced and hydrated and say bye-bye to the oil slick and hello to the healthy glow.