My skin is oily/combination. It’s more on the combination side as I’ve got slightly older, so I get a little bit more dryness that I used to but I think I almost, almost, know how to control my oily skin. These are some of my favourite products and some top tips on how to beat blemishes and control oil!
Keep It Simple
All you really need is a great cleanser, a toner, a simple oil-free moisturiser such as the Dermalogica Active Moist and a blemish treatment to target those pesky spots. Using too many products can a) overload your skin and b) some of the ingredients in your skincare products might not work together or may hinder the effectiveness of some of the other ingredients. It is science after all! Do some research into what’s actually in your skincare to make sure you’re not causing more damage than good.
Don’t Be Scared Of Oil
One thing I’ve always read and have been told when it comes to oily skin is to not be scared of oil. Sometimes, due to washing and toning our faces, we can get stripped of oils and then our oily skin wonders what’s up and starts to produce excess oil to compensate. This leads to blocked pores and more horrible blemishes. If you’re serious about skincare, invest in a facial oil such as the Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate or Clarins Lotus Oil which is specifically designed for oily and combination skin.
Double Up
Double-cleansing definitely works for me. If you only remove your make-up with a face wipe or just wash your face, you won’t be getting rid of all the nasty stuff that’s deep down. I take the majority of my make-up off with a micellar water like Bioderma and then I like to use the Foreo Luna facial cleansing device with my chosen face wash. Sounds scary, but is literally amazing. Foreo have a specific device for combination/oily skin but I have the just ‘normal’ version. The little silicone bumps create a really deep clean with a good lather and this just makes me feel like I’ve really got in there and got rid of dirt and oil without being harsh and scrubbing away. I really like the Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cleanser as it’s really gentle. Another great face wash is Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel.
Leave It Alone
I am the worst for this. I’m trying and trying to not squeeze or pick anything that doesn’t obviously need to go and I can see an improvement in my skin, less blemishes through spreading and less scarring. Plus, sometimes squeezing blemishes can push them further into the skin and deepen the infection. Gross, right? Finally, if you have a lot of blemishes steer away from face scrubs as you can spread the infection. I use a face scrub every 5-6 days but only if I don’t have any obvious or angry-looking spots. I learnt this the hard way!
