PHEW! Just made my 2 post a month deadline! Today I'm going to talk about something suggested by one of my favorite readers: Zelna Smith! Zelna wanted to know about products to help deal with oily skin and I have quite a few suggestions to share with all my readers.
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| Squiggles apologizes for not making and appearance. This stock photo will just have to do. I'm sorry about that one. Like all my images, I'll gladly give someone credit for their image or take it down if whoever owns it throws a hissy fit. |
Step 1: Cleanser--
Yep you need to get that oil off of your face since it likes to harbor bacteria and impurities that can lead to break outs. One of the latest (and definitely greatest) new cleaner ingredients to combat oil and impurities is....CHARCOAL! I know it sounds crazy, but remember when someone said if you eat poison, eating charcoal could help save your life? I don't know if this old wives tale is actually true, but I do know it works miracles for your skin. Lots of companies are getting on this trend, but Michael Todd's Jojoba Charcoal Facial Scrub*- $18 for 3.4oz is a really amazing version if you are looking at fairly high end. In contrast, my absolutely affordable and most favorite (which will be in my cabinet until my skin stops being oily *prays*) Is Shisheido Ultra Black Wash -$11 for 8oz! You only need a pea sized amount, and it forms a rich lather than tingles nicely as it detoxifies your face, yet does not overly dry it out. I'm in love with Shissheido's drug store line. You have to buy online from the US, since we only carry the pricy stuff, but it's amazing. One other charcoal product to try if you are feeling adventurous is Origins Clear Improvement Mask -$25 for 3.4oz I'm sure there are lots more charcoal products out there, so feel free to let me know in the comments if you recommend any others!
Now if you are thinking charcoal is too out there for you, I suggest really any basic and gentle cleanser to remove oil from your face will be sufficient. Why not one of the MILLIONS of "oil control" cleansers you ask? Because I think that these are overly stripping. As you will find out later, the trick to oil control, is actually proper moisture/oil balance. As for gentle cleansers I recommend e Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser-$7-10 for 16oz! Really affordable and effective.
Step 2: Tone Gently (if at all)
Honestly, this isn't really a necessary step, but I like to cooling feeling of a toner. If you use a toner, make sure that it is alcohol free! This is because alcohol will dry out your skin, leading to more oil (yes, I'm getting to that whole balance point in Step 3. Hold your horses). If you feel the need to use a toner, there are many alcohol free ones out there. My favorite is on the affordable end: Simple Soothing Facial Toner- $6-7 for 6.7oz.
Step 3- Moisuize-with oil!
This is the big tip which sounds super crazy. But your face becomes a big grease ball....when it thinks your skin needs it. So by putting other moisturizers containing good oils, you actually reduce your skins over production of oil. A good moisturizer has oils such as jojoba, argan, or some other oil that replaces the oil you have lost from cleansing and toning, and keeps your skin from producing lots of excess oil! Crazy. So when you have been searching for oil free moisturizers to avoid oil, you have actually be making your skin produce more of it. I like to pick a moisturizer I like (such as Olay Complete All Day Moisturizer With Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF15 - Sensitive) and add 1-2 drops of pure jojoba, argan, or teatree (for really bad break outs) oil. This honestly keeps my skin nice all day.
Mini-Tip: Let all steps dry and absorb before going on to the next step! It makes a huge difference!
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Tips to Mitigate Oil When Wearing Make-up
Oil is make-up's worst enemy. If you ever want to remove really heavy/water-proof make-up fast, take some oil (coconut or olive are my favorites) and rub it all over your face-- the make-up will simply melt into the oil. Then wash your face. Forget crazy expensive make-up removers. That being said, your natural face oils try to make your carefully applied make-up look terrible halfway through the day. I imagine the little oil particles with a monocle, handle bar mustache, and a bowler hat going, "Bwahahaha!". Lucky for us, there are some great products and steps that can really help reduce oily-ness and extend the wear of your make-up:
Primers:
- Face: While finding a primer you like before foundation is very personal, but they do have ones aimed at reducing oil.
- Eye: I find that Urban Decay Primer Potion-$10-20 is the worlds best eyeshadow primer, no matter what your skin type! Makes all your eye make-up last all day!
- Powder Setting: After applying any liquid or cream based make-up products (which last longer in general) top it off by setting it with a powder version. This applies to liquid foundation (set with a powder), liquid/cream eyeliners/shadows (set with a similar shade powder eyeshadow), and cream/stain blush (set with similar powder blush).
- Setting Sprays: The final step to long-wearing make-up is setting sprays. If you were ever in dance or theater, an inside tip to long wearing make-up was spraying your face with hair-spray from afar. We have come a long way since then and there are setting sprays that work much better and are healthier for your skin. I'm a huge fan of Urban Decay Setting Sprays, which include ones for oily skin.
- Worst comes to worst, blotting papers are your best anti-shine friend. You can see my review of my favorite E.L.F blotting papers here!
Shine & Sparkle!
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