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Enlarged pores, feeling of discomfort, shiny skin, blackheads? In addition to being unsightly, oily skin on the face has its share of inconveniences. Being one of the most common skin problems encountered in our modern societies, there are many solutions to try to get rid of it. This is what we will see today by answering the question: what to do about oily skin on the face? In the first part, discover all the causes that may be responsible for oily skin on the face. In the second part, discover the solutions to prevent your face from getting greasy. 

Oily skin on the face: the causes causing its appearance

By the way, what is oily skin?

Oily skin on the face is easily recognized. It is characterized by too much sebum making and suddenly, the skin looks shiny. Sebum is an oil produced by the skin which is responsible for protecting it from potential attacks from the external environment and from dehydration. It is the first component of the hydrolipidic film (or otherwise called the protective film) of the skin.

Even though sebum is required to keep skin in good condition, it very often appears that it is produced in a too important way. When this happens, that's when the skin becomes oily on the face. Be aware that sebum is made by sebaceous glands which localize in the dermal tissue. These will respond to each stimulation -or what seems to them to be an attack- by producing more oil.

The factors cause it in the development of oily skin on the face

What are the causes can be responsible for the formation or aggravation of oily skin on the face?

The sebaceous glands are found to be very numerous on the face and in particular on the T zone (chin, nose, forehead). This is why the skin will be more oily on these areas than on other parts of the body. In addition, the skin of your face is constantly in contact with the outside. As a result, he suffered assaults 24 hours a day. To defend itself, the sebaceous glands produce more sebum and your facial skin becomes more oily. These attacks can come from:

• Products you use and particularly soaps which weaken the skin hydrolipidic film and stimulate the sebaceous glands.
• Climatic conditions such as cold, pollution, temperature changes, wind, sun etc.

In addition, aggravating factors can at the same time disrupt the skin's balance and cause oily skin on the face :

• Hormones. Indeed, during large hormonal fluctuations, oily skin on the face is more likely to appear. This is the case during puberty, in pregnancy, when taking hormonal contraception, or even during menopause.
• A skin dehydrated. When the skin lacks hydration, the sebum which has the role of maintaining hydration in the skin will be produced in larger quantities to fill this lack.
• The lifestyle : tobacco, coffee, stress, diet, sleep, alcohol and certain medications.

What can you do to avoid having oily skin on your face?

To mitigate or avoid the greasy effect on the face, you will need to adopt good lifestyle habits. This with the aim that your skin finds a balance. To this end, it will be essential to first have a good routine for the skin with good products. And second, to have good lifestyle in order to preserve skin in good condition.

Which cosmetics to choose to fight against oily skin on the face?

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

Which washing product should you use to prevent greasy skin on your face?

Use truly mild soaps with neutral pH suitable for facial skin to combat oily skin on the face. Indeed, as we saw earlier in this article, the sebaceous glands tend to produce too much sebum as soon as the skin is attacked. And washing can very quickly be considered as one of these attacks if the soap used does not respect the sensitive balance of the skin.

Mild soaps are made with non-irritating and non-abrasive compounds. This is to avoid disturbing the sebaceous glands and therefore the normal production of sebum.

We advise you Goat's milk soap from Savonnerie du Regagnas against oily skin on the face

Why choose it?

Certified organic, its formula is allergen-free and petrochemical-free (toxic to the skin).
Highly dosed in goat's milk known to be absolutely gentle on oily skin.
Perfect for oily facial skin.
Designed using the cold saponification method, it has only 100% natural ingredients that are non-irritating and non-drying to the skin.

Discover a selection of 2 other effective soaps for oily skin of the face and all the criteria to choose it by clicking here.

How to choose an effective cream against oily skin on the face?

Oily skin on the face is characterized by an excess of sebum on the skin and therefore of fatty substances. It does not lack nutrition but generally hydration. In fact, the skin hydrolipidic film is made from water and fat. The fat will help contain water in the dermis. In this way, when the skin is lacking in hydration, the sebaceous glands will increase their production of fat to counterbalance.

In order to fight against a oily skin on the face, it will therefore be essential to hydrate it well. You will therefore have to use a moisturizer, anti-aging or anti-wrinkle cream -depending on your needs- which will suit oily skin and therefore mattifying. At the same time, it should contain sebum-regulating ingredients which will allow to find a natural production of sebum.

In other words, your cream should be formulated:

• essentially with components derived from water such as, for example, hydrosol, aloe vera or even hyaluronic acid.
• with sebum-regulating and purifying active ingredients (powders, essential oils, certain oils).
• without too many fatty substances (butters or oils) which tend to increase the oily skin effect.

On the other hand, be careful to systematically select a cream with natural active ingredients against the development of oily skin on the face. Indeed, a large number of cosmetic creams are manufactured based on toxic, irritating, drying substances and resulting from petrochemicals such as, among others, sulphates, silicones, parabens, quats, preservatives or synthetic fragrances. What is more, it can present dangerous health risks, it can also weaken your skin and make it even more greasy. In order to make it easier for you to select a good product, we recommend the application INCIbeauty which analyzes your products independently and transparently and which tells you if it is good for you or not.

The 100% natural to fight against oily skin on the face

Some natural and pure products have sebum-regulating, cleansing and balancing virtues ideal for get rid of oily skin on the face. These are vegetable oils, essential oils and Ayurvedic or vegetable powders.

• About vegetal oils specific for oily skin. Contrary to what one might suppose, a certain number of oils have purifying and sebum-regulating virtues. These are the oils that can be characterized as "non-comedogenic". Consequently, they will not lubricate the skin but on the contrary regulate the sebum. We recommend that you use them as a mask on the skin on a weekly basis. By doing this, the skin will naturally drink the fluid and feed on all of its benefits. The best vegetable oils to cleanse and regulate oily skin on the face are: Jojoba, Hazelnut, Carrot, Avocado, or Hemp.

• At the level of essential oils specific for oily skin. Essential oils have the characteristic of being very concentrated and therefore of having powerful therapeutic virtues. There are many, some of which have purifying, regulating and balancing properties: lemon, rose geranium, petit grain bigarade, true lavender, tea tree, ylang ylang, grapefruit, and lemon beds. However, a little warning, essential oils being very concentrated, you must avoid overdoing them and it is necessary to always dilute them. In practice, you can mix 1 to 2 drops in your day cream or in your weekly mask.

• About Ayurvedic or vegetable powders specific for oily skin. To purify, cleanse and balance the overabundance of sebum production naturally, powders will be your best allies. The best powders you can adopt to combat oily skin on the face are: White Clay, Green Clay, Neem, Orange, Reetha, Bhringraj Nagarmotha. These are used in masks, by mixing them with a small amount of water. (in order to have a smooth texture) and using the mixture as well on your face. Be careful, they can dry out the skin of the face if you leave it on for too long. Keep the mask on for about 5 minutes.

What skin routine to avoid oily skin?

In a way to take care of your oily skin on the face, it is essential to adopt a good skin routine. Basic but effective, habits following will help restore skin balance:

• Cleanse your skin with lukewarm water daily, morning and evening with a mild soap.
• Make a gentle, non-abrasive exfoliation once a week to cleanse your skin from impurities.
• Always remember to remove makeup before going to bed so that the pores of the skin can breathe. For this purpose, prefer the use of a vegetable oil such as sweet almond, a lotion or a micellar water.
• Use a moisturizing day cream and / or a specific moisturizing serum for oily skin types every morning and every evening.
• Once a week, make a purifying natural mask from powders or a balancing mask from vegetable oils.

A good lifestyle to avoid having oily skin on your face

To take care of the oily skin on the face, it is essential to adopt a good way of life. Indeed, healthy, problem-free skin is often linked to a healthy body. Thus, poor lifestyle habits, nutritional deficiencies or internal dysfunction will inevitably have repercussions on the condition of your skin. Certain main principles should then be followed to avoid having oily skin:

1 - Pay attention to your diet

• Pay attention to your diet. It is best to avoid foods high in saturated fat and refined sugars. Indeed, the latter are involved in the production of free radicals and toxins. Conversely, prefer food that contains good fats (vegetable fats). Indeed, bad fats will tend to stimulate the production of sebum, conversely to good fats.
• Try to eat foods rich in antioxidants that prevent premature aging of cells on a regular basis. We recommend the consumption of red fruits which are among the foods richest in antioxidants. Hence, they effectively fight free radicals and skin tissue decline in the face.
• Consume products rich in vitamins, trace elements, proteins and omega-3 which help maintain healthy skin.

2 - Adopt good lifestyle habits to avoid having oily skin on your face

• Make sure you drink at least 1,5l of water daily to meet your skin's hydration needs.
• Avoid cigarettes which is responsible for the degradation of the quality of the skin. Indeed, cigarettes are full of toxic products for the body which degrade certain components of the dermis and prevent irrigation of skin tissue. As a result, the balance of the skin can be upset and it will then become more oily on the face.
• Avoid prolonged exposure to the sun and protect your skin as much as possible by wearing a hat, cap and putting on Special sunscreen for the face, certified organic and with the maximum of natural ingredients if possible. This is because sunscreens are filled with chemicals that can also damage your skin.
• Good sleep is important for the body to recover and regenerate. Ideally, sleep 8 hours a night and a minimum of six hours.