Skin is a very important part of our daily life. Regardless of gender, everyone wants clear, beautiful, and perfect skin. Many body disorders can easily be predicted by observing the texture of the skin. No wonder, it is the most important sense organ out of all 5. But like everything else, to make it better, you need to know its type.
There are usually 5 different skin types – oily, normal, dry, sensitive, and combination. In this article, we will cover the dos and don’ts of oily skin.
How to Know if your Skin is Oily:
Generally, skin type can be understood through the naked eye itself. Oily skin usually appears shiny, oily, and greasy to touch, especially the forehead, nose, and chin area (the t-zone) despite the lack of any moisturizer on the skin. Acne-prone skin and enlarged pores are also symptoms.
But there are some easy tests through which you can be sanguine about your skin type. Wash your face with face wash or cleanser and pat dry. After around 30 minutes, if your skin feels shiny throughout, you probably have oily skin. A simple press of blotting sheet on your skin can also determine your type. If an excess of oil and sebum are visible in the blotting sheet when held up in the light (especially in the t-zone), you have oily skin.
Oily skin is caused due to over secretion of the sebaceous glands that are responsible to release sebum and oil. While skin is the most natural thing in the world, there can be causes – natural or manmade to it behaving a certain way. If you want to know the real reasons for that shine that never seems to leave your face, read on.
Causes for Oily Skin:
1. Environmental Surroundings
The surrounding air and weather can be a direct cause of excess oil production. Usually, an excess of humidity and increasing temperatures lead to over secretion of the oil glands. This is why people in warm areas usually have oily skin. On the other hand, people in cold climates can experience the same too. That is because the excessively dry temperature causes the glands to work on an overdrive to compensate for the dryness.
2. Enlarged Pores
The pores on your face may be natural but they can enlarge due to some reasons like sudden weight fluctuations, age, humidity, or skin orders. In such cases, the oil secretion increases. Large pores = more sebum.
3. Over-washing or Over-exfoliation
As mentioned above, when the skin experiences dryness, the sebaceous glands tend to produce more oil to make up for the lost moisture. So over-washing and drying the skin out using harsh products and abrasive exfoliates is not a good idea as it will only incentivize the sebaceous glands.
4. Medicinal side-effects
No disease can be cured without medicines, but the same medicines can have a certain side effect on your skin too. Oral contraceptives, hormonal medication, some kinds of steroids cause an increase in oil production. Medicines causing skin dehydration can also have the same effect.
5. Products usage
One has to be very careful with their beauty products when they have oily skin. You cannot pick up any product randomly and apply it to your skin. Using an oil-free, non-greasy product is very important to lessen the amount of oil already present on your face. At the same time, too harsh products can dry out your face leading to more oil secretion.
6. Poor diet
Ironically enough, oily food leads to oily skin. If you want to remove that greasy shine off your face, steer clear of over-consumption of fatty and canned products, refined carbohydrates, dairy, and sugary food. Also remember, being happy is the key, so if you crave them once in a while, cheat days are allowed!!
7. Hormones
Believe it or not, the hormonal changes in your skin are directly proportional to your oily skin. Some hormones in our body like androgens, when waver, stimulate the sebaceous glands, thus turning the skin oily. Almost all females experience this during puberty, menstrual cycles, pregnancy, and menopause. Women with ovarian cysts are usually of oily skin type, thus with a lot of acne and blemishes.
8. Genetics
Look around your family. If you find anybody related to your blood with oily skin, the answer is in front of you. Sebaceous glands are attributes that are passed down through generations and are thus hereditary. Similarly, if the glands secrete a lot of oil, this trait can be passed on to you through your family’s genes.
Best morning skincare routine for oily skin:
• Cleanser
Washing your face at least twice a day is the most important step of your skincare routine. Choosing a cleanser for oily skin can be tricky. Neither should it be oil-based (providing oils to an already oily face) nor should it be too dry to strip the skin of its natural oils, making the skin produce more sebum.
• Toner
Oil attracts dirt and toner tends to these impurities and clogged pores of your skin. It prepares the skin for the rest of your skincare or makeup routine so that the products penetrate better. Be careful and choose an alcohol-free ( alcohol dries your skin), herbal and natural toner and it should do its work.
• Moisturizer
Always remember, oil is not equal to moisture. Moisturise your skin so that it retains its natural oils and prevents it from drying. Water-based moisturizer works wonders on oily skin. Do not go for heavy and concentrated creams, instead look for products with antioxidants, hyaluronic acid, or aloe vera.
• Sunscreen
To prevent your skin from damage, tan, or wrinkles, sunscreen is a must. Use a higher SPF, non-greasy sunscreen with ingredients like vitamin B-3, zinc oxide, vitamin E, etc. Re-apply sunscreen after three to four hours and make it a habit to wear it every season to protect your skin from harmful UV rays.
• Face mask
The right face mask goes a long way in treating oily skin. It helps treat inflammation, dead skin cells, large pores; at the same time, providing the much-needed moisture to your skin. But go through the ingredients list before applying it. It should not be heavy.
• Scrub (Twice a week)
Exfoliation in oily skin is very essential. The dirt and dead skin cells that build up on your skin can give birth to acne and pores. Exfoliation reaches the depths of your skin and extracts unnecessary build-ups. But do not over-scrub as it will only dry out your skin and produce more oil.
Important tips for treating oily skin :
- Maintain a balanced diet full of antioxidants and green vegetables. Healthy food leads to healthy skin. Avoid deep-fried food, fats, sugars, refined carbs, and processed food.
- Make sure to have a sound, without makeup sleep of at least 8 hours every day. This will rejuvenate your skin in no time but do not forget to wash your face immediately after.
- Drink plenty of water after waking up, after exercise, and before going to sleep. This will not only detox your body but also clear your skin of any type of skin bacteria leaving it clean and breathable.
- Exercise or do yoga or meditate for at least 30 minutes a day so that your skin feels fresh and alive. It will also help in toning your face and body.
- Avoid touching your face unless washing it. It will transfer the germs and bacteria from your hands to your pores, thus enlarging them. Which is an absolute NO in the case of oily skin.
- Natural homemade packs are also as effective as chemical products. Use kitchen ingredients like cucumber, oatmeal, honey. Not only will your skin feel oil-free but also young and radiant.
Oily skin can indeed be a deal-breaker. But with the right preventions and correct choices, your skin can become a lot more beautiful to look upon. And always remember the rule – neither too harsh nor too oily. The above routine and tips are really helpful for oily skin people in general but do not feel bound. Let your skin decide what is best for itself.
And never feel unworthy or not beautiful enough just because of your skin type. At the end of the day, all that matters is you are happy and confident. And trust me, it has nothing to do with your skin. All skin types have problems, but what is important is that you accept yourself as you are. Because every person in this world is beautiful, NO MATTER WHAT!
