You’re about to pose for a family picture so you pull out your compact mirror for a final look. Uh oh: a layer of grease has appeared on your T-zone—again. You call a time-out and run to the bathroom to tame your overactive oil glands with blotting papers.
Sound familiar? We get it. No one wants to be the one in the photo with light reflecting off the oil slick on their forehead. But what if you didn’t have to worry about that anymore?
While you can’t change your skin type, there are ways to control the oil. Here are some tips for making your skin less oily for a healthy, clear complexion.
What causes oily skin?
Tiny glands under every pore on your face (sebaceous glands) secrete sebum, the natural oils responsible for keeping your skin healthy and hydrated. However, when the sebaceous glands produce too much sebum, it leads to oily skin. You know you have oily skin if your face always looks shiny or greasy, has very large or obvious pores, and you get occasional or frequent pimples, clogged pores, and blackheads.
Tips to reduce oily skin
Keeping excess oil to a minimum starts with establishing a regular skin care routine.
Washing your face in the morning and at night can reduce the amount of oil on your skin. Avoid cleansers with fragrances and harsh chemicals, which can dry out your skin and cause the sebaceous glands to produce even more oil. Also important: only wash your face twice a day. Cleansing more often can strip your skin of too much oil and cause your sebaceous glands to go into emergency, overproduction mode.
Toning is the important, yet often-skipped step between cleansing and applying serums and moisturizer. Swiping a cotton ball soaked in toner across your skin removes small bits of dirt, oil, and makeup your cleanser might have missed. An alcohol-free toner that uses a natural astringent, like our Exfoliating Pore Refining Ginseng Toner, will clean and tighten your pores without drying out your skin.
Exfoliating is key for removing dead skin cells that could mix with sebum and clog pores. However, it’s important not to over-exfoliate, as it can dry out the skin and cause it to produce more oil. Our Exfoliating Deep Pore Enzyme Cleanser is infused with alpha and beta hydroxy acids that break up excess oil, surface impurities, and make-up, and wash them away. Use a gentle facial scrub twice a week to keep oily skin under control.
Many people with oily skin forego moisturizer for fear of making their skin look greasier. However, when your skin craves moisture and you don’t provide it, your sebaceous glands create their own by overproducing sebum. This can make your skin look even oilier. Using an oil-free moisturizer gives your skin the hydration it needs to prevent it from drying out.
Water is vital for keeping all of your organs functioning properly; this includes the skin. When you don’t drink enough water, your skin can become dry and dehydrated, which may lead to overproduction of the sebaceous glands and excess oil on your T-zone. Try to drink at least two liters of water a day to regulate oil production and keep your skin shine-free.
Prevent oily skin with Décel skincare products
While it never hurts to carry around a pack of blotting papers, getting to the source of oily skin is the best way to control it. At Décel, our Exfoliating Pore Refining Ginseng Toner and Exfoliating Deep Pore Enzyme Cleanser will clean and tighten your pores to remove excess oil from your skin without drying it out. These products are only available in our Skin Care Maintenance Kit, a full skincare regimen that uses natural, plant-based ingredients to give you the healthy complexion you’ve always wanted. Explore our cleanser, toner, and the other products in the Maintenance Kit to see how they can transform your skin today.
