Common mistakes with oily skin

It can be a bit of a nightmare if you suffer with oily skin, there are quite literally thousands of products on the market, it’s often really difficult to find something that works for you. Even if you are using a great product range, you may still be making a few mistakes that will effect your skin!

• Eating junk food – It might seem a bit obvious but it really is important. If you overload your diet with greasy junk food and saturated fat, your skin really won’t thank you. Try to focus your diet to omega 3 rich foods, which will instead help to nourish your skin and help you from the inside out.

• Heavy foundation – I know it’s a bit of a catch 22 situation, I see a lot of people who wear heavy makeup to cover up blemishes (which tend to go hand in hand with oily skin). Having a break from thick foundation and allowing your skin to breathe really can make such a difference to oil production and also blocked pores.

• Sleeping in makeup – BIG no no! Your skin repairs at night and it really is important to make sure your skin is clean and nourished.

• Over cleansing / washing – I’ve worked with skincare clients who have been washing their face multiple times during the day; while it will give you a temporary fix, it will also overstimulate your oil production. Stick to just washing your face in the morning and at night to avoid stimulating excessive oil production.

• Astringent products – anything alcohol based will really dry your skin out, it will feel like it’s doing good at the time, but really similarly to over cleansing, it’s a signal to your skin to produce more oil.

• Rough exfoliators – It’s very tempting to give your face a good scrub with a rough exfoliator, but actually you are giving your skin a very uneven surface, sometimes with areas of damage where the grains are too course. Try using a fruit enzyme exfoliant instead, which will naturally digest dead skin cells and resurface your skin in a non abrasive way.

• Changing skincare products all the time – allow a good 6 weeks to see a difference when using new products. Your skin will take time to adjust and respond.

• Using the wrong products – selecting the right products is pretty important. If in doubt please visit a skincare specialist or dermatologist. You may need a little more help than ‘high street advice’. There are lots of qualified skincare specialists that will offer their consultancy services for a relatively small cost… It is totally worth it, as it will probably save you a fortune in wasted product purchases.

• Avoiding serums – you may need to be a little more careful with serums compared with others who have more dry skin types, but that doesn’t mean they can’t work for you! Make sure you use a serum specifically for oily skin, you may wish you just use them once or twice a week to clear and hydrate. I probably wouldn’t recommend using a serum every evening, but that’s not to say they can’t be beneficial for oily skin.

• Not moisturising – I’ve saved the most important until last here… PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, moisturise your skin!!! If your skin is not hydrated it will just produce more oil. Finding the right moisturiser is so important. Ideally something containing Hyaluronic Acid; it is a humectant, which helps to retain moisture within the skin. In addition to this you may wish to use a light moisturising lotion as opposed to a thick cream, so you aren’t over loading your skin.

I know first hand that living with oily skin can be troublesome, but overall the most important thing is to keep skin clean and hydrated, this will slow down the oil production naturally. If you would like any specific skincare advice, please feel free to message us, with over 18 years of skincare knowledge and experience, we are happy to answer any questions or help to guide you with product choice.