Oily Skin: How You Get It
We all want skin that looks radiant and healthy, but oily skin can make achieving this goal especially challenging. If you have oily skin, then you know the struggle of constantly trying to stay ahead of its many issues.
It seems like no matter what you do or how much moisturizer you apply, your skin always ends up looking greasy and shiny. The good news is that there are a number of ways to help control excess oil production and even out your complexion.
In this article, we will explore the causes behind oily skin and offer some tips and products that can help keep your complexion looking healthy, even-toned and radiant.
Oil Production
Now, oily skin is actually not a true condition of the skin. Oily skin is actually a natural mechanism that was designed to help you protect your body from outside elements. The oil on the surface of your face and neck protects against environmental factors such as harsh sunlight and dry winds. It also works to regulate the temperature of your body, regulating your body temperature so that it doesn't overheat.
The oil in your skin actually serves a protective function, but when there is too much of it, it can end up clogging pores and causing various other problems.
The biggest factors that can cause excess oil production are:
1) Hormone-Based Excess Oil Production: Some women produce an excessive amount of oil during pregnancy or menopause or from using medications with hormones in them (e.g. birth control pills, hormone replacement therapy and corticosteroids).
2) Environmental Factors: According to the American Academy of Dermatology, excessive oil production can be caused by exposure to:
- Overly humid environments (e.g. swamps, hot tubs)
- Heat and/or indoor heaters without adequate ventilation (e.g. indoor pools, hot tubs, saunas)
- Very cold environments (e.g. windy outdoor weather or air conditioning)
3) External Factors: External factors such as makeup or any type of oil can clog pores and cause excess oil production. Makeup clogs pores by blocking the pores and preventing skin oils from draining properly. Excessive oil production caused by external factors is typically short-term, with the exception of unhealthy habits such as excessive facial touching or picking (aka "acne mechanica").
4) Sensitive Skin: Most skin products these days contain fragrances and other ingredients that can be very irritating to your skin. Even if you aren't willing to relocate your makeup bag, you might want to consider switching over to fragrance free products.
5) Skin Type: Unfortunately, oily skin is a common problem for many individuals. If you have oily skin, it's usually because your skin naturally produces an oil called sebum. Because of this extra oil production, having oily skin is hereditary and cannot be cured. However, if you find yourself over-producing oil or breaking out, there are some steps that you can take to get your skin under control.
Products to Overcome Oil Production
There are certain steps you should take to keep excess oil production in check. In addition, there are some products that work wonders for oily skin. We will look at both of these factors in the following sections.
Steps to Control Oil Production:
1) Cleansing Your Skin Properly: As mentioned above, cleansing is one of the most important steps you can take to maintain healthy skin. You should start by washing your face with a gentle cleanser and avoid using hot water, which can damage your skin. You must avoid the hot tub, sauna or hot shower as they can damage your skin. Also, try not to wash your face too often; it's best to choose a daily cleanser that doesn't dry out or irritate your skin.
2) Avoid Excessive Touching: You need to avoid touching your face as much as possible and it's important to wash your hands frequently throughout the day. This will help keep bacteria out of your pores, which will reduce the amount of oil you have to deal with.
3) Moisturizing Your Skin: Most people don't realize that oily skin actually needs moisturizer more than any other skin type. There are a lot of moisturizers out there, but here is our favorite for those with oily skin:
We recommend the new HydraBeauty® Mineralizing Facial Moisturizer, which doesn't contain parabens and alcohol. We generally like to use a product that doesn't contain alcohol as it can dry out your skin over time.
Conclusion: Controlling your skin's production of oil is an important step in having healthy skin. Many people have a difficult time staying ahead of their oily skin issues, so here are some products that will help you stay looking radiant and beautiful.
The products below are formulated with high quality ingredients to help control oil production while still allowing your natural oils to do their job. Some of the ingredients contained in these formulations include:
- Green Tea Extract: An anti-oxidant that helps prevent and repair damage caused by free radicals.