How to fight oil with oil

Hands up if you have ever felt personally victimised by oily skin? 🙌🏻

TBH, same. One too many pics of yourself looking like an oil slick is enough to send anyone running to the blotting papers. At one point during a not so hot girl summer, this S&S staffer went an entire school break hiding her face in photos in fear of the shine. So what do you do when you’re struck by the slick? We turn to harsh toners, drying cleansers and benzoyl peroxide to try and regulate it, only to dehydrate our skin which in turn increases oil production in a vicious cycle. Turns out, all those stripping products are part of the problem. That’s right, take your witch hazel and throw it VERY far away. 

What if I told you that oily skin needs the TLC of delicious oils often reserved for our dry skin friends? What if I told you that you can fight oil with oil? 

First thing’s first
Let’s call it what it is - sebum. Sebum is that greasy, oily film that clings to your skin even though you have a 10 step skincare routine. Sometimes your skin just doesn’t care. Sebum can get clogged in your pores, along with dead skin, pollution and sweat. The best way to banish this blemish cocktail is; to exfoliate regularly with physical or chemical exfoliators (link to other article). Most  importantly, ensure your skin gets the hydration it needs so you can tuck and roll outta that vicious oil cycle. 

Why Choose Oils?

Next step, hitting the good oils. Certain oils mimic the properties of sebum, without the pore-clogging problem, helping instead to rehydrate and nourish oily skin. Others infuse your skin with anti-aging properties while soothing angry skin.