With oily skin and acne, you're probably not always in love with your skin. But oily skin isn't all bad. One bonus—your oily skin is less prone to wrinkling than dry skin types. Still, oily skin, and the acne breakouts that often come with it, can be frustrating. With the right skin care routine for oily skin, you can tame oily shine, improve acne, and learn to embrace your skin type.

What is oily skin?

Oily skin is characterized by an increased amount of excess oil secretion on the surface due to overactive sebaceous glands. Though oily skin is excessively shiny, one of the biggest problems of this skin type is the fact that it is prone to blackheads, whiteheads, and blemishes due to enlarged pores. While many people think that oily, acne-prone skin is reserved for puberty, the fact is that it can make its way into any stage of life.

Not sure if you have oily skin?

The best way to identify your skin type is to wash your face with a natural gentle cleanser, gently patting your skin dry with a clean cloth and then waiting for 30 minutes. When the time is up, look at your skin. If your skin is shiny, you likely have oily or acne-prone skin.

Skin care tips for your skin type

It is important to pay close attention to your skin care routine with this skin type as well as the products which you are using on your face. Below are tips for the best skin care routine for oily skin.

Keep it clean!

A simple way to keep oily skin in check is to cleanse your face regularly. Wash your face twice a day, both morning and night. You should also cleanse your face after you sweat, like after gym class or work out because sweat can irritate breakouts.

Beware of over-cleansing, though. it can make matters worse by causing an overproduction of oil and can irritate your skin. And since acne isn't caused by an oily or dirty face, just washing more frequently isn't going to clear breakouts. So, it is best to wash your face with an oil- free natural skin care cleanser once in the morning and once in the evening.

Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate!

Make sure to not skip your moisturizer. That’s right, even if your skin is oily, it still needs hydration. One of the reasons our skin is overproducing sebum (the oil we see) is because our skin has been lacking hydration it needs.

The trick is to find the right lightweight moisturizer that is water-based, oil-free, and non-comedogenic (meaning they won’t clog pores). Water-based products use a gel base and don't leave any heavy residue on the skin. They feel virtually weightless on the skin. Keep in mind that for the first week your face will go through a period of regulating and adjusting to finally receiving the moisture it’s been lacking, before it will stop the overproduction of oil.

Avoid the T-zone

The T-zone is the area from the forehead down the nose to the chin. It has more sebaceous glands (glands that produce oil) than the other areas of the face, meaning that it can be particularly problematic for people with oily skin.

To prevent breakouts and blackheads around this area, you’d better avoid it altogether when applying serums and liquid-based foundations. If you are still in need of a foundation, try using a powder formula on this area instead.

Check your acne medications

Your topical acne medications have water-based options too. Differin, Retin-A, Onexon, and more all come in a gel form. If your current acne medication feels too heavy or greasy for your liking, ask your dermatologist if there is a gel option.

Be gentle to your skin!

Those of us with oily skin seem especially conditioned to scrubbing away, and it can be a hard habit to break. Though we may feel we can scrub away the blackheads and oil, unfortunately we can’t. Rubbing the skin with abrasive scrubs, pads, or washcloths won't make your skin less oily and won't improve acne and will irritate the skin causing more damage. Oily or not, be kind to your skin and treat it gently.

Don’t forget the sunscreen!

The sun is extremely drying and damaging to the skin. For people with oily skin, the drying effects may seem pleasant at first as they can help reduce the shiny look. However, this drying effect will only lead to more problems in the long-term for your skin.

If you would like to learn more tips for the other types of skin like combination and dry Click Here