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Skin problems can become a nightmare for those who experience them. And all the more so when they accumulate. Irritations and oily skin are unfortunately often part of the same lot. And this because there is a correlation between the factors causing them. But all is not lost because there are solutions to achieve a marked improvement in the condition of your skin. This is what we will see today by answering the question: how to treat oily and irritated skin? To answer, we will first see the causes responsible for the appearance of irritation and oily skin. So you will be able to understand the solutions, which we will offer you in the second part, to get rid of this oily and irritated skin problem. 

Why is your skin oily and irritated?

By the way, what is oily skin?

A type of oily skin is easily spotted. It is defined by excessive sebum production. Sebum is an oil produced by the skin which aims to protect it from potential external aggressions and to prevent it from becoming dehydrated. It is the main constituent of the hydrolipidic film of the skin and therefore operates as a skin barrier.

Even though sebum is crucial to ensure the preservation of healthy skin, it often happens that it is generated in too large proportions. It is then that it causes the arrival of oily skin. Note that this natural oil is made by sebaceous glands which are located in the dermal tissue. These glands will react during each stimulation -or what seems to them to be an assault- by making even more sebum.

Oily and irritated skin: the causes

There is no doubt about the correlation between oily skin and irritation. Indeed, irritated skin is the result of assault that the skin undergoes on a daily basis. These attacks can be due to:

• cosmetics and in particular washing products which weaken the skin's protective film and irritate the skin;
• climatic conditions such as cold, sun, pollution, temperature changes or even wind;
• a poor lifestyle or bad habits: smoking, coffee, chronic stress, a bad diet, alcohol, poor sleep and certain medications;
• dehydrated skin. Indeed, sebum helps maintain water in the skin. When the latter runs out, it produces more sebum to compensate.

These attacks therefore cause skin irritations which in turn will stimulate the hormones and the sebaceous glands responsible for the production of sebum. Unfortunately it is a vicious cycle, because the overproduction of sebum will increase irritation and so on.

How to fight against oily and irritated skin?

To fight against oily and irritated skin, it will be necessary to make sure that your skin finds a balance. For this, it will be necessary first have a good skin routine with healthy, gentle and non-irritating products. In a second step, it will be necessary to adopt good lifestyle in order to maintain healthy skin.

Oily and irritated skin: which cosmetics to choose?

In order to regain the balance of your skin, it is above all essential to have cosmetic products that are not drying, irritating or stripping.

1 - With which product to wash your oily and irritated skin?

Use truly mild soaps at neutral pH for the skin of the body and face to fight oily and irritated skin. Indeed, as we have seen before in this article, the sebaceous glands are intended to produce a surplus of sebum when the skin is subjected to attacks. And washing can very quickly be one of these attacks if the soap you use does not respect the fragile balance of the skin.

Soaps qualified as gentle are made with non-irritating and non-abrasive active ingredients to avoid disturbing the sebaceous glands and therefore the natural production of sebum.

Discover our selection of effective soaps for oily skin and all the criteria to choose it by clicking here.

Among our selection of the best soaps, we recommend Goat's milk soap from Savonnerie du Regagnas to fight against oily and irritated skin

Why adopt it?

Certified organic, it is made without allergens, essential oils and components from petrochemicals.
20% of the total of its ingredients is goat's milk famous for being extremely gentle on oily and irritated skin.
May be suitable for the skin of the body and the face.
Resulting from a cold saponification, it contains only natural ingredients that are non-irritating and non-drying for the skin.

Creams to take care of oily and irritated skin

Oily skin is characterized by an overabundance of sebum and therefore lipids. She is not deficient in nutrition but most of the time in hydration. Indeed, the protective film of the skin is formulated from water and fat. Fat has the power to contain water in the dermis. Therefore, when the skin is dehydrated, the sebaceous glands will speed up their production of sebum to counteract it. In addition, when your skin is irritated, it means that the hydrolipidic film is weakened. It will therefore be necessary to restore it with gentle ingredients and without toxic products. 

To get rid of a oily and itchy skin, it will therefore be essential to hydrate it. You will therefore have to buy a cream with no moisturizing, anti-aging or anti-wrinkle active ingredients - depending on your needs. suitable for the nature of oily skin and therefore mattifying. On the other hand, it should be formulated with sebum-regulating active ingredients which restore normal sebum production.

In summary, your cream should be formulated:

• in particular with active ingredients derived from water such as hydrosol, aloe vera or even hyaluronic acid.
• with sebum-regulating and purifying ingredients (powders, certain oils).
• with few fatty substances (butters or oils) which will tend to increase the oily skin effect.
• without irritating, drying or stripping ingredients. 

In addition, always be careful select a cream with compounds of natural origin against the development of oily and irritated skin. In fact, there are very many creams made from toxic, irritating, drying molecules from petrochemicals such as, among others, sulphates, silicones, parabens, quats, preservatives or synthetic fragrances. What is more, they present dangerous health risks, they may weaken your skin and make it more greasy. To help you select a good product, we recommend the app INCIbeauty which transparently analyzes your beauty products and tells you whether the product is healthy or not.

Natural products for oily and irritated skin

Some products from nature and pure have sebum-regulating, cleansing and balancing virtues ideal for get rid of oily, itchy skin. These are vegetable oils and Ayurvedic or vegetable powders.

• About vegetable oils for oily and irritated skin. Conversely, as one might suppose, certain oils have purifying and balancing virtues. These are the oils that are described as " non-comedogenic". Thus, they will not make the skin greasy but on the contrary balance it. We recommend that you use them as a mask on the skin on a weekly basis. Like this, the epidermis will naturally drink the fluid and feed on all its benefits. The most effective oils to cleanse and regulate oily and irritated skin are: Hazelnut, Jojoba, Carrot, Avocado, or Hemp.

• Regarding Ayurvedic or vegetable powders for oily skin. To purify and regulate excess sebum in a natural way, nothing better than powders. The best powders that you can use to combat oily and irritated skin are: Orange powders, Neem, Green clay, White clay, Reetha, Bhringaraj Nagarmotha. These are used in masks, by mixing them with a small amount of water. (in order to obtain a creamy texture) and applying the mixture as well to the skin of the face. Be careful, they can dry out the skin if you leave it on for too long. Keep the mask on for about 5 minutes.

A good skin routine for less oily skin

To take care of your oily and irritated skin, it is essential to adopt a good skin routine. Basic but effective, the following principles will help restore normal sebum production:

• Scrub and cleanse your skin with lukewarm water daily, and twice a day with a mild soap.
• Make a gentle, non-abrasive scrub once a week to cleanse your skin from impurities.
• Remember to always remove your makeup before going to bed so that the skin can breathe. For that, prefer the use of a vegetable oil such as sweet almond, a lotion or a micellar water.
• Apply a moisturizing day cream and / or moisturizing serum specific for types of oily skin every morning and every evening.
• Weekly, make a purifying mask based on powders or a regulating mask from vegetable oils.

Healthy lifestyle against irritation and oily skin

In order to take care of the oily skin having irritation, adopting a good lifestyle is essential. Indeed, the skin is a reflection of the health of our organism. Therefore, poor lifestyle habits, deficiencies or internal concerns will inevitably have repercussions on the condition of your skin. A few main principles should then be followed to avoid having oily skin:

1 - Pay attention to your diet to fight against irritation and oily skin

Pay attention to your diet. Avoid foods high in saturated fat and refined sugars. Indeed, the latter are involved in the production of free radicals and toxins present in the body. Be careful not to completely remove grease-based products. But choose foods that contain good fats (vegetable fats). Indeed, bad fats will have the annoying tendency to increase sebum production, unlike good fats.

In addition, try to eat foods rich in antioxidants that prevent premature aging of the body on a regular basis. We recommend the consumption of red fruits which are among the foods that contain the most antioxidants and therefore effectively fight against free radicals and the aging of skin tissue.

Finally, consume products rich in vitamins, trace elements, omega-3 and proteins which contribute to the good balance of the skin.

2 - Adopt a healthy lifestyle against oily and irritated skin

• Drink daily and at least 1,5l of water per day to sufficiently hydrate your skin.
• Avoid tobacco which is involved in the degradation of the quality of the skin. Indeed, cigarettes are full of toxic products for the body which degrade several components of the dermis and block the irrigation of skin tissues. As a result, the balance of the skin is disturbed and the skin becomes more oily and irritated.
• Protect your skin from the sun by wearing a cap, scarf or hat and using Special sunscreen for the face, certified organic and natural if possible. Indeed, sunscreens are full of chemicals that can also attack your skin.
• A good time of sleep is important for the body to regenerate itself. Ideally, sleep 8 hours a night and a minimum of 6 hours.