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.
Grapeseed Oil brings out the big guns in terms of fatty acids. It fights free radical damage while making your skin softer. It’s a lightweight oil too, meaning your skin can drink up its goodness without adding any grease to the skin. Sounds like a tick to get rid of the slick!
Jojoba Oil is one of the most well known and effective oils in skincare due to its tiny molecule size which allows the oil to penetrate the skin quickly and easily. Result? Your skin feels nourished and cared for, and less likely to chuck a tantrum over an oil imbalance.
skin oils.
Rosehip Oil has long been hailed in the beauty space as a cure all miracle. It contains Vitamin C for brightening and smoothing the skin, has been known to decrease inflammation and help replenish the skin. Adding in a drop of this guy into your night moisturiser before applying gives can protect your skin from overproducing oil at night, or you can simply pat it into areas of the skin that are most prone to shine.
Not ready to take the plunge into oils?
You can try an oil/serum hybrid such as our Dreamy Glow Drops, which contains a hemi-squalene blend of Jojoba, Olive and Almond Oils to soothe and nourish your skin. Hyaluronic acid deeply hydrates and delivers an antioxidant boost so you see hydrated, plumper skin for longer.
What are your favourite oil banishing tricks?
