Skincare Guide for Oily Skin
Treating Oily Skin
The easiest way to tell if you have oily skin or not is to look in the mirror. If your skin is shiny and your makeup occasionally slides right off, it is likely that this is due to oil on your skin. Oily skin happens if the glands in the skin produce too much sebum and it can lead to clogged pores, acne and the previously mentioned greasy skin. It is perfectly normal and about 65-75% below the age of twenty have oily skin. Skin tends to dry out as you age and so the percentage of adults in their thirties with oily skin is around 50% and it drops as they age. It is important to tailor your skin care to your skin if you are trying to manage oily skin as many skin care products will be too rich or heavy. Using the right skin care will mean you reap the benefits of oily skin and can manage the problems more easily.
What is Oily Skin
Within the skin are sebaceous glands, which are responsible for creating and secreting an oily substance called sebum. This substance lubricates the skin and protects it from drying out and from irritants in the environment. The oil is secreted the same way as sweat, through pores in the skin. When the skin is balanced and healthy this process not only lubricates but also helps to clean out the pores and remove dead skin cells. However, if the glands become overactive, they can produce more sebum than the skin can deal with, and the pores will become clogged causing inflammation, pimples, and acne. Oily skin tends to occur in certain areas of the face, especially what is known as the T-zone – the forehead, nose, and chin, where there are more sebaceous glands. The amount of oil your skin produces can change with your hormone levels, with the environment and with stress. Oily skin is often hereditary, but it can be heightened during puberty, menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause. Oily skin may be responsible for some skin problems, but it also means that your skin is less likely to develop wrinkles or to age early.
Skincare Products to Treat Oily Skin
It is important to choose skin care products that are designed to maintain skin health and minimise the effects of oily skin so that you benefit from your skin type rather than suffer from it. A carefully curated skin care system will involve cleansing day and night, exfoliating a couple of times a week, treating your skin and night with carefully chosen active ingredients, deep cleansing with appropriate masks and using the right moisturiser and sunscreen daily. An important thing to remember when it comes to caring for oily skin is that scrubbing the oil off your skin is not the answer, in fact over cleansing will actually trigger your skin to create more oil, so it is important to treat oily skin with care and understanding.
Cleanser for Oily Skin
The best cleansers for oily skin will clean your skin of pollutants, dirt, make-up and any excess oil without drying it out. Look for gentle foaming cleansers with all natural ingredients like our Papaya Enzymatic Foaming Daily Cleanser which uses the natural rejuvenating and regenerating properties of the papain enzyme, found in papaya fruit, to dissolve dead skin cells and clear away excess oils without stripping the skin’s protective barrier. Wash gently, without scrubbing at your skin, use warm water which is better at removing oils and pat skin dry.
Toner for Oily Skin
After cleansing, oily skin can really benefit from a gentle alcohol-free toner. A toner should balance and restore the skin’s pH levels and calm any skin inflammation. Vanessa Megan’s Rose Hydrosol Pore Refining Toner uses high strength organic rose water which refines the pores, hydrates the skin and has antibacterial properties that help fight acne and dermatitis. It can be sprayed directly onto the skin or mixed with serums to create an emulsion that can be patted gently into the skin. A gentle toner can also be used as a spritz throughout the day to keep the skin cool and balanced if it is reacting to heat or the environment.
Serums For Oily Skin
Oily skin needs active ingredients. These are ingredients that actually enter the skin and change the way the skin cells work and respond to the environment. A good serum for oily skin will contain astringent and exfoliating ingredients to help remove oil plugs, dead skin cells and dirt from enlarged pores. It will also encourage those pores to tighten. Our AHA Willow Bark Anti-Congestion Serum does just this, using powerful fruit extracts, green tea, apple cider vinegar and niacinamide to help reduce blackheads, blemishes and acne and leave your skin refined and clear. Massage 2-6 drops of serum into your face and neck at night after cleansing and toning, paying special attention to problem areas like the T-zone. Active serums may tingle a little but shouldn’t be painful.
Exfoliators For Oily Skin
Exfoliating is extremely valuable for oily skin as it can clear out excess sebum that might be clogging pores, get rid of dead skin cells and encourage renewal and healing of any inflammation. However, it should be gentle because it is important not to trigger oily skin into producing even more sebum. The Vanessa Megan Prebiotic and C Skin Polishing Exfoliating Powder is both a chemical and a physical exfoliant, which uses rice enzymes, yoghurt and vitamin C rich grapefruit to gently buff away dead skin and uncover a smoother, brighter and more even complexion. It is a powder that is mixed with water (or Rose Hydrosol) to create a paste which is then applied to the face using gentle circular motions. Leave it on the skin for a few minutes and then rinse with warm water. While it is gentle enough to be used daily, we recommend at least 1-2 times per week for oily skin.
Moisturiser for Oily Skin
It can seem counterintuitive to moisturise oily skin, but it is important. Moisturisers don’t add water to your skin, they help your skin hold water in the outer layer to keep it hydrated. If you don’t moisturise your skin tries to create more oil to do this for you. If it can’t, you will have dry skin. If it is already creating too much oil, you can get an imbalance you don’t need. If your skin is oily, but not damaged, try a lightweight moisturiser like our Vitamin A+B+D Daily Face Cream which is enriched to hydrate, firm and protect the skin without being too heavy or greasy. If you have damaged or acne prone skin that needs to heal, try a protective non-comedogenic (won’t clog your pores) balm like our Intensive Dermal Repair Moisture Balm which is designed to rescue traumatised skin with calming ingredients like calendula, chamomile, evening primrose and rosehip oil. Pat moisturisers into dampened skin for the most effective application.
Face Mask For Oily Skin
Face masks can be particularly effective for oily skin. Once a week a deep cleansing mask will remove impurities, calm inflammation, and really clean out any clogged or blocked pores. A good clay mask is valuable for drawing out impurities and excess oil. The Vanessa Megan Hibiscus and Banksia Mattifying Cream Clay Mask with Kaolin Clay cleanses and purifies the pores, leaving the skin clean, without over-drying. It is best used once a week as a deep clean. For skin that is inflamed or discoloured, a sheet mask can provide a deep infusion of targeted and healing ingredients. Our Copper and Vitamin C Illuminating Mask uses a potent blend of Bearberry, Kakadu Plum and Colloidal Copper to provide powerful anti-inflammatory and healing benefits to the skin and can help to fade marks left after acne heals.
Shop Vanessa Megan’s Full Oily Skin Care Range
A part of caring for oily skin is using products in conjunction with one another. Each product does a particular part of an overall maintenance job, and when you use the right products together over time stressed, oily skin can calm and react appropriately to environmental and hormonal changes rather than over-reacting. This takes consistency as well and will often occur after three months of consistent care with appropriate products. We have curated all of the products we make that are valuable for treating oily skin in one location so that you can pick, choose and collect the ones that work for you. You’ll find them in our Oily-Acne Prone Collection and we promise you that oily skin can become your friend, rather than something you need to fight against. You’ll be thankful when it is protecting you from fine lines and wrinkles as you age!
