How To Reduce The Appearance of Oily Skin

When you have oily skin, your complexion can go from glowing to greasy, fast. The cause of oily skin is an excess of sebum, our skin’s all-natural hydration source. Too little of it dries us out and too much of it results in that greasy-looking shine. Overactive sebaceous glands are the result of a number of variables, many of which are out of our control. Thankfully, there are steps we can take—besides blotting papers and powders—to reduce the appearance of oily skin and say goodbye to the grease...for good!

Even if you’re lucky enough not to have the occasional breakout, a facial cleanser that includes anti-acne, exfoliating ingredients like salicylic acid can work to remove excess oil and other impurities that can clog pores—while helping to keep your skin looking spotless!

Clay masks are a great addition to any skin care regimen, especially if you have oily skin. Look for formulas with kaolin, a natural white clay that can help to absorb excess oil and help mattify the appearance of the skin—we share our favorite cleansing clay masks, here!

Try adding a weekly exfoliating scrub to your skin care routine to help remove any dead skin cells or excess oil that may become clogged in your pores.

Excessively oily skin needs a little extra attention in the cleansing department. While most other skin types can get away with cleansing only at night, if you have oily skin and you want to keep that sebum in check, you’ll want to cleanse morning and night. This is to help remove any excess oil or sweat that may be lingering on your skin’s surface after sleeping. We recommend using a micellar water, which gently removes impurities without stripping your skin of moisture, which brings us to our final step.

While it may seem like the key to alleviating oily skin is to remove moisturizer from your daily routine, it’s actually a quick way to make the problem worse. When you fail to moisturize after cleansing, you run the risk of dehydrating your skin—not to be confused with having dry skin. When dehydration occurs, your sebaceous glands can often overcompensate by producing even more oil. Look for lightweight, gel-based moisturizers formulated with hyaluronic acid.

Need to reduce the appearance of oily skin fast? Try one of our favorite powders to help to mattify the appearance of oily skin without sacrificing your glow!