How To Create a Skincare Routine for Oily Skin
November 11, 2024
We’ll be honest: Building a skincare routine for oily skin can take a bit of trial and error. If you’re always reaching for the blotting papers, your instinct may be to reach for drying products that help quell shine. That’s not always the best approach, though—even oily skin needs hydration to look and feel its best. On the flip side, it’s important not to use anything too heavy or rich, as doing so may leave your skin feeling slick or greasy. You need to find a happy medium.
Fortunately for you, we’re here to help. Ahead, we’ll reveal the must-follow skincare steps for oily skin and share our simple (but effective) AM and PM skincare routines for oily skin. Along the way, you’ll get a look at some of our favorite products to keep your skin feeling balanced and healthy.
How To Tell if You Have Oily Skin
Oily skin is a skin type characterized by—you guessed it—a higher-than-average production of oil (also known as sebum). Those with oily skin may find that their complexion looks shiny, especially in the T-zone area. Enlarged pores, particularly around the nose and cheeks, can also be indicative of oily skin.
If you’re unsure whether your skin is, in fact, oily, try washing your face with a gentle cleanser and letting it dry without applying any products. Then, wait a half hour and assess your skin. While those with drier skin types will find that their skin feels tight or uncomfortable, oily skin may appear slick or shiny, and it won’t feel tight. If it’s shiny in certain areas but feels tight and thirsty in others, you probably have combination skin.
You can also use blotting papers to gauge how oily your skin is. Lightly sweep the sheet across your face, then take a look at it. The more translucent it appears, the more oil it’s picked up—and the oilier your skin is likely to be. While you can’t change how much oil your skin produces (it’s primarily determined by genetics), the right products and routine can help keep shine to a minimum.
The Best Skincare Products for Oily Skin
When building a skincare routine for oily skin, you’ll want to look for products that can help temper shine and keep your pores clear without stripping or drying out your skin.
The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) advises sticking with oil-free products and opting for non-comedogenic options, particularly if you’re prone to clogged pores and breakouts.
The best skincare routines for oily skin almost always start off with a gentle (yet thorough) cleanse. Avoid the temptation to reach for something super drying—the AAD says that gentle, foaming cleansers are typically your best bet. If you want to exfoliate, consider doing so with a mild chemical exfoliant, like salicylic acid, which is oil-soluble and can penetrate your pores to break up debris.
Moisturizers are also essential for oily skin. Skipping moisturizer can leave your skin dehydrated, which can trigger your body to produce more oil to compensate. To keep your skin hydrated, look for lightweight, water-based moisturizers that absorb quickly. Keep an eye out for ingredients such as hyaluronic acid and niacinamide—both can be excellent additions to your skincare routine for oily skin.
Lastly, remember that sunscreen is a non-negotiable, no matter the weather. Lightweight, fluid sunscreens tend to be the best picks for oily skin, as they won’t leave your skin feeling greasy or weighed down.
Morning Skincare Routine for Oily Skin
Your morning skincare routine doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming—you just need to follow a few key steps to prepare your skin for the day ahead. We’re sharing the musts below.
Step 1: Cleanse your face
Kick off your morning routine by washing your face with a gentle cleanser to help remove any excess oil or impurities that may have built up overnight. We dig the La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Facial Wash, a gel-to-foam cleanser that leaves the skin feeling fresh, clean, and comfortable. When washing up, be sure to do so with lukewarm water—hot water can dry out or irritate your skin.
Step 2: Tone
Next, reach for a toner to help remove any lingering debris and prep your skin for the rest of your routine. For this step, we suggest using the Thayers Alcohol-Free Witch Hazel Facial Toner. It’s made with witch hazel and aloe vera and helps remove impurities while hydrating and soothing the skin. The alcohol-free formula also helps visibly minimize the appearance of pores—an added bonus for those with oily skin. We recommend soaking a cotton round in the gentle formula and lightly sweeping it over your face before moving on to the next step in your routine.
Step 3: Apply a serum
Serums are designed to help target specific skin concerns, so you’ll want to select yours based on what concern you’re hoping to address.
If large pores and an uneven skin texture rank among your top concerns, an exfoliating serum, like the IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores Glycolic Acid Serum, can make for a great addition to your routine. For those building a skincare routine for oily, acne-prone skin, we recommend using a salicylic acid serum. The IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Breakout Salicylic Acid Serum gets our vote—it contains 2% salicylic acid and helps reduce (and prevent!) acne breakouts without drying out the skin. Finally, a niacinamide serum, like the IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Dark Spots Niacinamide Serum, is a great pick for those looking to even their skin tone. It’s made with niacinamide and vitamin C and helps minimize the appearance of dark spots, boosts clarity, and brightens the skin with consistent use.
Step 4: Use an oil-free moisturizer
We’ve stressed that oily skin still needs hydration, and depriving it of moisture can actually cause your skin to produce even more oil to compensate. A great choice for your oily complexion is a non-comedogenic, oil-free moisturizer that absorbs quickly, dries matte, and feels lightweight on the skin. We recommend the CeraVe Oil Control Moisturizing Gel-Cream, which hydrates and helps absorb excess oil to support a balanced complexion. The non-greasy moisturizer is also fragrance-free, non-comedogenic, and layers well under makeup.
Step 5: Apply eye cream
The delicate skin around the eyes is much thinner than that on the rest of your face, making it more susceptible to dryness (even if the rest of your skin is oily). To give your eye area a little extra TLC, smooth on a lightweight eye cream or serum before moving on to the last step in your routine. We’re fond of the L’Oréal Paris RevitaLift Derm Intensives 2.5% Hyaluronic Acid + Caffeine Under Eye Serum, which helps hydrate, smooth, and de-puff tired-looking eyes.
Step 6: Finish with sunscreen
The final step in your morning skincare routine for oily skin should always be applying sunscreen—even if it’s cloudy outside. If you wear makeup, look for one that’s designed to layer well under base products to prevent pilling. We love the NYX Professional Makeup Blurscreen SPF 30 Primer, which helps blur imperfections, grips makeup for up to 18 hours of wear, and provides broad-spectrum SPF 30 protection against the sun’s harmful rays. Plus, it’s not greasy and won’t leave behind a chalky white cast.
Nighttime Skincare Routine for Oily Skin
The ideal skincare routine order for oily skin looks pretty similar in the morning and night, though the products you’ll want to use in the evening differ slightly. Here’s how to care for your oily skin before hitting the sheets.
Step 1: Wash your face
As in the morning, at night you’ll want to wash for face to remove dirt, oil, and other debris that can lead to clogged pores. The CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser is a nice choice for nighttime use because it helps remove makeup and SPF in addition to dirt and excess oil. If you’re wearing any waterproof makeup, such as mascara, remove your makeup first with a cleansing balm or micellar water before lathering up with your foaming cleanser. This technique is known as double cleansing, and is a great way to ensure a thorough clean.
Step 2: Tone
Toning your skin after you cleanse is essential at night, too. Reach for the one you used in the morning to help remove any leftover residue from your cleanser and prep your skin for the remainder of your evening routine. If you’d like something that offers a bit more hydration, try the Thayers Hydrating Face Toner with Snow Mushroom and Hyaluronic Acid.
Step 3: Smooth on a clay mask
Incorporating a clay face mask into your routine once a week can be a great way to bolster your oily skin routine, especially if you’re dealing with clogged pores or blackheads. While there’s no shortage of clay masks to choose from, we’re big fans of the SkinCeuticals Clarifying Clay Mask. It’s made with kaolin clay, bentonite clay, and a blend of hydroxy acids and helps decongest pores without drying out the skin. To use it, smooth the formula onto clean, dry skin, then let it sit for about 10 to 15 minutes. Once time’s up, rinse your face thoroughly with lukewarm water, then pat your skin dry with a clean face towel or cloth.
Step 4: Apply retinol
After cleansing, toning, and applying your mask (if it’s a masking night), we suggest reaching for a retinol serum. While retinol is commonly used to help address the visible signs of aging, it also provides mild exfoliation, which can be beneficial for those with oily skin. If you’re new to retinol, it’s best to start off slow to help limit irritation. The Kiehl’s Micro-Dose Anti-Aging Retinol Serum with Ceramides and Peptide is amongst our top picks for beginners, as it’s formulated for all skin types and is suitable for first-time retinol users. We suggest using it nightly to help minimize the appearance of pores and refine skin texture tone.
Step 5: Hydrate your skin
While a mattifying, lightweight moisturizer can be great for daytime use, in the evening, we suggest reaching for something a bit richer deeply moisturize your skin. Note that rich doesn’t have to mean greasy—the Youth to the People Superfood Air-Whip Moisture Cream, for example, provides up to 48 hours of hydration and helps strengthen the skin barrier without leaving behind a heavy or greasy feel. The lightweight gel formula is non-comedogenic, so it won’t clog your pores, and it helps balance, smooth, and refine the skin.
Step 6: Apply eye cream
When wrapping up your evening skincare routine, don’t forget to hydrate your delicate eye area with a nourishing cream before calling it a night. We like the Kiehl’s Avocado Eye Cream because it provides intense hydration while helping to improve the appearance of under-eye skin texture. You can also layer it over eye serum for an extra dose of lightweight hydration, if desired.
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