Oily, shiny skin is a cause of frustration for many women, who then spend a great deal of time and money purchasing products to strip the oil and keep their face matte.
However, while this may be temporarily satisfying the issue, it is not an effective long-term solution.
It can even be counter-productive.
Skin needs a certain amount of natural oils to stay moist, hydrated and protected.
Oil, or sebum, is part of the skin's natural barrier function that aids in guarding the body from infection.
While some people naturally produce less sebum than their skin needs and have a dry skin type, others produce more oil than their skin needs.
This amount can fluctuate according to the time of month and weather conditions-many women produce more sebum before or during their menstrual cycle and hot, humid weather promotes increased sebum production.
Having occasionally or seasonally oily skin does not equal an oily skin type.
Many people with oilier skin use harsh products, such as foaming cleansers and alcohol-based toners to remove all traces of oil from their skin.
Over time, they are simply causing their skin to become even more oily.
The skin regulates its sebum production to maintain a necessary balance.
If the skin is repeatedly stripped of sebum, the skin will replace it and produce even more to compensate.
Making sure that excess oil is removed, but that a healthy amount of protective sebum stays behind helps keep your skin balanced and does not prompt your skin to go into sebum production overdrive.
Using a mild cleanser, making sure to massage it in for between one to two minutes, and cleansing twice if needed is a more effective strategy for combating oil than using a harsh cleanser that strips for 10 seconds, rinsing and then calling it a day.
Washing more than twice a day, morning and night, is not an effective strategy either, unless you have just completed a workout or went swimming in a chlorinated pool or salt water.
Skipping a moisturizer does not replace vital moisture lost during the cleansing process, particularly if you use hot water.
A light, oil-free moisturizer that features hydrators like hylauronic acid and aloe vera are your best choices.
Sunscreens formulated for oily skin that contain lighter formulas, blockers such as zinc and titanium dioxide and mattifying ingredients can give you the protection you need without the risk of sun damage.
Many women with oily skin load up on foundation and powder in an attempt to control shine.
By applying layers of makeup on top of oily areas, they are trapping the oil and any dirt the oil has attracted, along with blocking needed oxygen from reaching the skin.
This clogs pores and creates the perfect breeding ground for bacteria, including the p.
acnes bacteria responsible for breakouts.
Blotting papers that remove oily shine without displacing your makeup are a much better choice.
They are portable and they work.
While lunchtime shine is not high on anyone's list of desirable skin conditions, those who do have oily skin should take heart.
Studies have repeatedly shown that people with oilier skin do not show signs of aging as quickly as their normal and dry skin counterparts age, since their skin remains consistently moist.
Oily skin types also do not experience as much redness, irritation or sensitivity as other skin types because they maintain a higher protection level on their skin.
Even-toned, wrinkle-free skin well into middle age? What's a little shine?