Beauty Hacks: Guidelines to Manage Oily Skin
Beautifully glowing skin is a dream of all women. Nothing says healthy and pretty quite like a warm shine that competes with your smile. Unfortunately, a healthy glow is not the same as oily skin. Oily skin, while glowing, shines a little too brightly and makes the face greasy to touch – not the most charming of looks. The good news is that no one is doomed to struggle with an oily skin. The world is full of great products and home remedies you can use to manage oily skin and gain the natural, healthy glow.
Pick the right cleanser and toner
You first need to get your daily cleansing routine in order. You’re hopefully washing your face twice a day – once in the morning and once in the evening to clean up your makeup. There’s no reason to avoid it, nor should you wash any more often than that.
The key is to find a balance between oil removing and nurturing products. Too harsh products can in fact make your skin look unhealthier. A solid regime would combine a product that combines salicylic acid to absorb the oil with a milder cleanser. For example, you could pick the Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash at the Chemist Warehouse. But for the second wash for the day, opt for something a little milder to ensure you don’t put your skin under too much pressure. The Aveeno Active Naturals Ultra-Calming cleanser from iHerbis a cheap and soft option, guaranteeing your face calms after the long day.
Finally, you should pay attention to your toner. For oily skin, you don’t need to be using toner during each cleansing routine. Overuse of toners can make a sensitive skin even more sensitive and therefore increasing the skin’s oiliness. Caudalie Grape Toner, available at Feel Unique, is a lovely product to try.
Hydrating inside and outside
One of the major mistakes you can do with oily skin is to stop moisturising it. It’s easy to think that moisturising will only add to the greasiness, but this isn’t necessarily the case.
Opt for something lightweight, preferably containing hyaluronic acid and non-comedogenic formulas. You should also pick a moisturiser with sun protection, as UV-light can damage your skin rather quickly. A few good options include Vichy Normaderm Pro Pat Ultra Mattifying Oil-Free lotion or Boots Botanics Shine Away Mattifying Day Cream. To find them, check out Fishpond for discounts.
But your skin isn’t the only part of your body requiring hydration. Oily skin can also benefit from enhanced water consumption. Therefore, you should definitely aim to start drinking a bit more water each day. If you’re not a big water drinker, consider using apps like iDrated, Daily Water and Eight Glasses a Day.
Opt for home remedies
Whilst there are plenty of products out there for the occasional special treatments, you can often get better results with easy home remedies. These are natural and don’t put as much strain on your precious skin. They are also fun activities to do with your friends on a girl’s night out.
The Health Site has recipes for stunning home treatments that use simple ingredients. The lemon treatment is especially great and only uses lemon and honey! You just need to mix freshly squeezed lemon juice with a tiny bit of honey and spread the mixture across your face. Leave it on for 15-minutes and wash off.
Skip the powder
When you’re on the go and the face starts looking shiny, you probably want to reach out to a powder. But dapping your nose with powder can cause more problems than solutions to your issues.
Instead, some dermatologists recommend using blotting paper. It’s similar to tissue paper and helps absorb excess oil from your skin without ruining the makeup. Sephora sells blotting papers, which are a perfect addition to your handbag.
Make sure your foundation is long lasting to ensure this trick works. For an oily skin, we recommend checking out Urban Decay’s collection or opting for something from Vichy. Online beauty retailers such as Look Fantastic and Adore Beauty are good starting points when you are hunting for makeup products for oily skin. Just opt for mattifying products and avoid oily makeup!
Let your skin rest
Finally, you should allow your skin to breathe and rest. This means that you should occasionally let it be without any makeup, especially if you aren’t heading out for the day. But more importantly, you should avoid touching the face or picking and squeezing any possible blackheads. Your fingers can carry more bacteria to your face and the skin can end up looking much oilier.
Just as your skin needs plenty of inner hydration to look good, you also need to treat it with enough sleep. Stress, lack of sleep and anxiety can all cause breakouts. So relax, stick to your cleansing routines, test a few products and be patient.