While we want our hair, lips, and nails to shine, it’s not so much with our face. There is a big difference between a glowing highlight that accentuates your cheekbones and greasiness that covers every inch of your face. Occasionally, you will need some reliable oil fighting tricks to control that greasy, shiny look. The overabundance of oil in all the wrong places is caused by natural sebum production. The activity of the sebum glands can change based on hormones, external factors or underlying conditions like acne.
The summer sun or humidity on your vacation getaway can also determine how oily your skin is. Luckily, there is still much you can do about it. Below, we share the best oil fighting tricks inspired by dermatologists and the best products to match.
#1. Consider Salicylic Acid in your Cleanser
If you have constant oily breakouts, try switching to a cleanser with salicylic acid. More specifically, choose one with a two percent concentration. The salicylic acid in the cleanser helps to break down oil from pores without over-drying your skin. This is important as it helps your skin avoid more texture problems. A cleanser rich in salicylic acid adds quality to the rest of the oil fighting tricks to reduce that shiny look. Ideally, the Intensive Multi-Task Facial Cleanser from Gold Elements is an ideal pick for cleansing. A mild and light cleanser, it foams when applied to exfoliate, condition and rebalance your skin.
#2. Reduce Makeup Where Possible
If you apply foundation, it can sometimes feel heavy especially during hot weather. Consequently, hot weather can also melt the foundation and end up clogging pores.
This, in turn, triggers the sebum glands to react and produce even more oil. Alternatively, the right moisturizer can help your skin form a shield that keeps makeup intact.
#3. Exfoliate Per Week
Your face might be oily but that does not mean it’s crying out for a sandpaper treatment. Exfoliating at least once per week means you are not overdoing it. This ensures you avoid the micro-tears that may even cause infection. The right scrub per week will get you on your way to maintaining less shiny skin. The Golden Salt Scrub from Gold Elements, for instance, is a perfect product to have in your arsenal of oil fighting tricks. It works great by exfoliating your skin gently without leaving it feeling tight or parched.
#4. Don’t Spare Sunscreen
Whether it’s stopping wrinkles or helping to smoothen skin, a good dose of sunscreen will always be valuable to your skin. This is one of the less known oil fighting trick. Even better, it helps control the oil and shine on your face. Unsurprisingly, research has shown that UV light can pull water from skin and in the process, increase the size of the sebaceous glands. This, in turn, stimulates oil production and adds to your shiny face predicament. Apply at least 30+ SPF on your face to protect your skin from the drying effect of sun exposure.
#5. Watch Your Diet
This should come as no surprise at all. A quality diet is always important because we are all about the food we eat. For starters, spicy foods, and cocktails may be exciting on a hot night, but they are not on the front line of oil fighting tricks. On the contrary, these foods dilate blood vessels and may make you perspire more. For a better regimen, try to limit your intake to one drink a night and reduce your spicy food to once a week. Foods rich in vitamin A like carrots, spinach, and cantaloupe are more oily skin-friendly.
#6. Moisturize Consistently
Moisturizing is key to keeping your oil production in check. Hence, skipping this in your routine is a big no. There is a big difference between hydration and oily skin. The confusion sometimes causes people to not hydrate properly. A proper moisturizer should help your skin balance water and oil to give you a better barrier. The result of consistent moisturizing gives is less shiny skin.
#7. Apply a Toner
Toning is one of the more reliable skin care routines in many dermatologists’ oil fighting tricks. Just like a moisturizer, it also helps regulate the skin’s oil production. A toner with the right ingredients like lactic hydroxyl acids helps to dry-oily skin. This prepares it for the skin care layers you plan to put over it.
#8. Apply Less Night Cream
Your bedtime beauty routine plays a crucial part in managing your shiny skin. Instead of using a cream, lighten things up by using lotion instead. Alternatively, switch to a hydrating serum if you are too used to lotion. Remember, where you apply the cream also matters. For instance, the nose has enough oil glands on it so you might want to ease up on moisturizing it too much.
#9. Fight Oily Skin throughout Your Body
Your face might be the target of these oil fighting tricks, but that should not mean the rest of your body should be neglected. After all, if oily skin was just limited to the face, then conditions like ‘acne’ would not exist. Stay away from anything from dirt and debris that can cause your pores to clog. Sometimes, soft and less oily skin is simply one shower away.
Bottom Line
Nobody likes a greasy shiny face, more so one that is capable of triggering skin conditions like acne. Even worse, making your life a bit annoying. Whether it’s a facial, toner, moisturizer or night cream, following these oil fighting tricks to the letter will change all that and bring the real glow back.