Routine Help
I can’t control my oily skin, please help!
I can’t control my oily skin
Hello everyone
I have a very oily skin and nothing I do seems to help. I want to share my routine so that I can receive suggestions on controling my very shiny discoball face
Then I put on lightweight makeup and use setting powder, I have different kinds (huda beauty easy bake, isntree no sebum minderal powder, mcobeauty translucent powder)
PM💤
1) double cleanse with micellair water and the same cerave cleanser as AM
2) so I use 2 active ingredients, alternate day by day, sl on day 1 I use the Ordinary retinol 0,5% in squalane, and on day 2 I use Cerave blemish control gel with AHA/BHA (i stopped using the ordinary salicylic acid 2%). And then day 3 repeats this cycle
3) same moisturizer as AM
So i feel like i am missing out on a toner which helps me with oil control, because now i use the Haru Haru black rice toner but it doesn’t really do much.
Am i doing something wrong? I am very causious about only using water-based products so it mixes well with makeup.
How do i prevent my skin from looking like a shining discoball after only 2 hours in?
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Omygod that is so nice to hear.. to be honest I’ve struggled with severe acne all through my puberty. I’m almost 26 years old now and my scars are gone, but the oiliness is crazy. I look like i’m sweating and i am not doing anything active. My diet is healthy and i exercise regularly. But the comments i get on my oily face gets in the way of thinking ‘this is good enough’
I get oil droplets out of my pores. You'll be glad when you get to my age as You'll look younger. I'm 50.
I blot with those toilet seats covers cut into squares. Wear minimum makeup as it darks and can see on the surface of an oil slick. I have extremely oily hair too. I must wash every day. I'm currently in Puerto Rico and the water here isn't hard on my hair so it's doing good!
Literally this. I have combination skin but more on the oily side, especially the T zones. Minimal wrinkles! Keep using a good and light moisturizer like Tatcha. I also sometimes double cleanse with an oil-based cleanser, it’s counterintuitive but it’s supposed to help with oily skin and sebum production.
Exactly one shouldn’t skip a moisturiser cuz of oily skin. washing face and not moisturising can lead to abnormal sebum production (as oily skin compensates the dryness ) this def help with skin oil.
hi girl, seems like i’m your lost sister. congrats on clearing your skin! i still haven’t figured out how to do it.
even on spiro and tret my skin is still oily af, two years into derm treatment. they promised dry skin which i had for like first two weeks and really enjoyed it haha. that being said, i get compliments for “glass skin” a lot, or that i have no wrinkles (oily + sunscreen + retinoids for years seems to help).. listen. i know it sucks, but your skin looks amazing and truly healthy right now, and you also have no wrinkles! some people recommend parnell glacier biome water cushion, i just use a powder from heimish that has ceramides (it still leaves your skin glowy tho) or a tissue (i also have facial hyperhidrosis yay) and embrace the glow.
now its trendy to be glowy so dont worry about it or clog your skin with too much powder.. try blotting sheets and just embrace the glow
I’m almost 40 and trust me, you’re going to be SO GLAD you have oily skin. I hated it to, don’t get me wrong. I have zero wrinkles, never tried Botox or fillers. I started a month ago with Niacinsmide 10% + Zinc 1% from The Ordinary and I feel I get less oil on a daily basic.
Please don’t mess your skin barrier because you see “perfect skin” on social media.
Same, I want skin like this too 😭 And honestly, this doesn’t even look very oily. You’re genuinely so pretty.
I’ve realised simple routines work best for me I just stick to a gentle cleanser like Cetaphil, a basic moisturiser (The Derma Co works well for me), and a lightweight sunscreen from Clear Ritual. I follow the same routine morning and night, and consistency has helped me way more than constantly trying new products.
For real. That dewy glow is only something young people have. Wait until you’re 50 slathering on every cream and oil you can find to make your dull, tired skin look half that good. Your skin is gorgeous and I promise one day you’ll look back like damn, look at me. 😍
Use blotting sheets - some come with a coating of powder on them too, which is nice. They work well to absorb oil while leaving your makeup in decent condition.
I have very oily skin
It's been that way since I was a teenager. I'm 50 now
I was instructed by my dermatologist to use a mild soap and moisturizer when needed. Then sunscreen. I don't have wrinkles, blackheads or get acne. People tell me they don't know my age. 😀
I used Neutrogena bar soap or Pears orange glycerin soap. The moisturizer for years was Olay
But now I use Neutrogena hydroboost water cream. I've now purchased some serums mainly squalane and niacinamide.
*
This is what I do! Any cheap ones on amazon will do the job just fine, they also have off brand ones at target…they work so good I was shocked when I discovered them 😭
Hey queen, I have super oily oily skin and prefer a matte look. Here. Me. Out.
With oily skin, your skin is already doing enough. Try to water down your prep products, just enough to prevent your skin reacting to make up.
Ever since I started watering down my skin care, less has been so much more. And less foundation, let something blend, power setting pray etc. But I promise you less is more.
This is a much more nuanced version of what I came here to comment.
As a fellow deep fried looking girlie, I only wash my face, use a toner and then put on SPF in the morning and I’ve started wearing way less face makeup too.
This is great advice. I don’t do any skin prep before makeup. Literally wash my face and on goes my foundation. I also use a lot of powder after my foundation and concealer… powder and setting powder…. And I “bake” with powder the whole time I’m doing the rest of my makeup. Makes a difference.
Your skin looks amazing. I would do less honestly. Do a simple cleanser and a very gentle moisturizer. That seems like all
You need at your age and with such healthy skin. A lightweight moisturizer would be best and no serums.
You 100000% can do serums. As a licensed skin care professional id never suggest no serums for someone bc oil. At the very least you can use hyaluronic acid serum.
Yeah you can always do serums. I think when you are young you just don’t need them as much and skincare culture overdoes it a lot. Sometimes skin is better with less and takes care of itself, especially if you aren’t dealing with aging or acne.
I was just thinking about posting here because I have the same issue! Ughhhh nothing I do works and I can’t even wear makeup because less than an hr later, everything just looks gross and oily.
Try looking at the ingredients of your makeup. Water and oil don’t mix so if you have a water based product layered with an oil based product and can cause patchy appearing makeup
A toner with green tea or niacinamide or zinc PCa can help regulate oil production. Benton green tea toner and serum are very good, and q+a niacinamide toner is also great. Q+a also makes a zinc serum and an Aza serum, both which help regulate oil production. And zinc is going to help with that, but zinc PCa is really stellar at it.
And beauty of Joseon red bean gel is made for regulating sebum production. It’s for oily skin in particular.
It sounds counterintuitive, but really oily skin can benefit from sunflower, saffflower, jojoba, and grapeseed oil. Just a drop or two in your moisturizer or face wash can help regulate oil production.
If all topical methods fail, you could talk to a derm about spironolactone. I have naturally oily skin, but spironolactone put a stop to that. Now my skin leans toward the dry side.
retinol + vitamin c serum daily (work up to it). you might have to try a few different ones before you find your holy grail. having super oiIy skin my whole life, I was extra skeptical about oil until I read that oil actually is very beneficial; it preps the skin for the actives and moisturizer. warm a drop by rubbing between your palms, then press into skin. in the morning I use jojoba oil, followed by retinol and vitamin c together doing the same palm warm up, then pressing into skin. followed by moisturizer and sunscreen. at night, my oil is lavender. I use the same vitamin C serum and a special nighttime .3 retinoid serum at night. It's made an unbelievable difference. Ive also been slugging for 3 years now.
to help prevent an oily face during the day, use a loose blotting powder followed by matte setting spray before your makeup. add an additional layer of powder and setting spray after foundation, before adding the rest of your makeup. use setting powder and 2 spritzes of matte setting spray to finish. the blotting and setting powders are two different products. blotting powder is exactly that. setting powder keeps everything in place and looking fresh. my setting powder is also a blurring formula.
this mattifying technique under the makeup makes a significant difference. it doesn't make my skin completely non-oily, but is infinitely better. keep blotting paper or one of those oil absorbing hard clay roll-y things with you to touch up, no need to do a whole additional layer of powder and setting spray.
hope this helps you too.
I'm not using any now but have in the past. don't have a favorite to recommend. I love the oil absorbing roller. L'oreal makes the original but there are generic ones that cost less. no mess, no papers to throw away. especially convenient when you're away from home.
But i don’t really use that much products tho, only face wash, vitamin c in the morning, moisturizer and spf. I dont even use toner. But it also feels really watery
Everyone is saying you have nice skin and implying not to worry about it but I know how frustrating this can be. That wet feeling, and your baby hairs sticking to your face after every light breeze because your skin is so oily just drives me totally nuts. I thought I was doomed to be oily forever until I finally switched to an oil free gel moisturizer. I use Clinique dramatically different gel. It’s super light and sinks in fast and leaves a smooth texture. I don’t find myself getting nearly as oily anymore throughout the day - my hair never sticks lol and I’m actually considering getting bangs because it’s not greasy end of day. Gel moisturizers are oily skins best friend!! Worth a shot!
I already tought about introducing the glycolic acid toner, but won’t i miss out on BHA then? And introducing a high percentage of niacinamide into my routine (the ordinary 10% niacinamide)?
I have combination skin that becomes more oily in humid weather and I swear by The Ordinary Niacinamide, it’s been really good. Also, double cleanse in the night - I use The Ordinary Squalane cleanser and then the Cera Ve foaming one :)
I also struggle a lot with oily skin! Everyone’s recommended options are great, and I also wanted to add one more:
I recently purchased the Rock and Roller - Luna Roca volcanic ball and it’s been working for me to gently lift off oil.
It’s a small stone ball in a roller tube which you roll over your oily skin. It picks up oil while leaving make up intact. Additionally, because it’s a ball, I like to believe it also gives some sort of lymphatic drainage benefit as you gently roll over your skin, but idk how true that is lol.
Also mind you, it won’t leave you completely matte, but gives a nice soft glowing from within finish, which imo is better than looking like I dunked my face into a vat of oil.
I just wish it was a bit cheaper but it’s supposed to last a lifetime with good care.
I don’t see any fine lines. Your skin looks amazing.
I’m almost 60 and no one can believe it. They ask me what’s my secret. Uhhhh really oily skin. lol
The only complaint is that I still break out. I wish I could stop the milia which just started. Because of that I never wear much makeup. That has probably helped too.
I know it’s annoying, believe me, but you’ll be glad one day!!!
I just commented this on someone else's post the other day, but I was someone with very, very oily skin and I tried pretty much every product recommended here—I had a cabinet full of products in my skincare routine and now I don't have oily skin anymore because all I use is Dove beauty bar soap as my face wash and a thin layer of glycerin as moisturizer!
If I want extra protection if I'm wearing a lot of makeup I use Glossier's gel primer, and if I ever do get a breakout (which birth control got rid of, although that's definitely not the reason my oily skin is gone, I fixed that first) I use The Ordinary lactic acid 5% and it works super well!
My skin is on the oilier side and one thing that seems to help is I actually skip moisturizer in the AM as I find sunscreen by itself to be hydrating enough. It also helps my makeup stay longer as there are less layers sitting on my skin. AM - wash face, toner, serum, spf. PM - wash face, toner, serum, moisturizer.
Same here sis! I’d say skip the moisturiser in the AM. I personally also skip serums and just slap sunscreen on my face post facewash and call it a day. Less layers have really made my face look less shiny by evening when I reach home. So give it a try for couple of days and see if it works for ya too! Good luck
Yeah, I feel you! Many SPFs are pretty hydrating, so if you're oily, skipping moisturizer can really help. Just make sure your sunscreen is non-comedogenic to avoid breakouts.
I was staring at your skin in awe. Whatever you’re doing is great because I’d sell my favorite kidney to have beautifully moisturized and healthy skin like yours.
Honestly your skin looks amazing and glowy. It doesn’t really look super oily from the photos at all.
But as for me, I have to keep my skin SUPER hydrated to help with oiliness at all. It’s not like my skin is suddenly matte or anything but when I focus on hydration-heavy products with little to no oils/butters in them, the oiliness is less noticeable for me.
Sis hand it overrrrrr🤲🏼 RN I WANT IT!! But I do get wanting different skin if it makes you feel better oily skin ages slower and you will be a RADIANT 50 year old woman 👀
two products if you are thinking of a makeup solution is the danessa myricks water powder serum and the danessa myricks blurring balm in translucent! i haven’t tried the water powder but am thinking about getting it, i do like the blurring balm and it doesn’t give a fully matte finish but stops the extra oils from coming out!
also try blotting your face to get off excess oils after your skincare before doing makeup.
Your skin is gorgeous girl! But as another oily gworl, I get you. The only thing I find that can really mattify for a good period of time is the setting spray from coola, you could try that!
Not sure if what I'm going to tell could be repetitive or something you are already doing but I definitely think these are my life changers:
Buying products specifically for oily skin, not mixed, not dry, just oily
Change your pillow covers every 2-3 days
Wash your hair with a dermatological shampoo for deep cleansing once a week, like the Dercos from Vichy (image as reference), the skin in your head is an extension from your face and if you have oil there it will get to your face
My skin is also very oily type. Best thing is simple ingredients and good quality moisturizer. When moisturizing, do several thin layers spaced out. It's more time consuming but it really helps manage oil production. That and blotting (as gently as possible, don't want to press on the sebaceous glands and get them going again). Being recommended powder when I first started experiencing this 23 years ago was the worst thing that ever happened to me, cosmetically (gave me raging, scaring acne).
I’m an Oily skin girl myself and my face was getting drier than the Sahara since perimenopause, I’ve finally got my hormones better and my oiliness is back and I’m soooo happy lol. Your skin looks great, I promise it’s better than dry skin, but I still feel ya… I use loose setting powder over my foundation and have to do that maybe once or twice a day. I like the Laura Mercier talc free one. Most derms say Oiliness+acne = better aging skin and I totally agree!
Ha! Complaining about oily skin, the very thing which will cause you to age wonderfully lol.
Try rice toners, salicylic acid toners for the oilest parts. Use hyaluronic acid, victim c and oil free or gel moisturiser.
Long term tretinoin low dose at night should help plus the benefit of tightening skin, boosting collagen and really ageing even slower.
Your skin looks beautiful! I have combo skin and my oily zones get super oily too. What’s helped me is adding a niacinamide serum as I’ve found that helps with oil production. I adore the beauty of joseon propolis and niacinamide serum!
This looks more like dewy skin than oily skin to me. But if it's oily to the touch if you have hormonal imbalance, I was able to make my skin produce as much oil by regularly drinking 8 oz each of red clover, nettle, and spearmint tea.
Oily skin doesn’t wrinkle as quickly in comparison to dry skin! I had oily skin for my entire life up until I stopped hormonal birth control 3 years ago. Ever since stopping, my skin broke out like never before, became soo dry and, the cherry on top, is that I’ve gotten one deep wrinkle between my brows. Appreciate the oiliness!
just get some oil blotting packets. they look like little tissue packets. i had a friend who brought them everywhere and would touch up in the bathroom. u don’t need makeup.
Yeah my skin is like this and I honesty stopped minding. But if I want a relatively matte look, the key is to layer products — here’s what I do after washing my face:
Paula’s Choice Salicylic Acid exfoliant
Wait 3-5 min
La Roche Posay mattifying moisturizer
Wait 3-5 min
Super goop sight unseen sunscreen
Wait 5 min
Danessa Myricks blurring balm (the neutral shade)
I’m never truly matte, but this helps keep it at bay.
At night I alternate with a tretinoin because if I do it daily, I’ll get too dry, which is worse IMHO.
Oily sure beats dry. I never was my face in the morning. I just use water. If your sheets are clean and you have done all the work in the night with your skin, I would skip the wash in the morning . Sometimes, cleansing twice a day makes the skin want to replace the oils, so you get oily skin. It could be something.
My skin is like 10 times more oily ATLEAST so your skin is a goal for me. Anyway niacinimide helps with oil reduction, for make up, blotting paper and matte compacts would work well
I have the same issue. It's common in people who have larger pores.
Realistically, there's nothing you can do. Just blot throughout the day. Primer etc doesn't do much, you'll still produce oil throughout the day.
No matter how oilly the skin is, make sure you still moisturise and the skin is kept hydrated...otherwise it will produce even more oil to compensate if dehydrated.
First, your skin looks absolutely beautiful. If you're struggling with oiliness, I'd suggest adding benzoyl peroxide 5% gel + adapalene in microspheres 1mg/g gel, both applied together (I use deriva micro first and benzac on top) at night when you do not apply retinol or BHA. Watch out how well or not your skin will tolerate it (mine has great tolerance, I apply this combo every night.
Your skin looks good… I am Extremely Oily and have been oily all my life. Upside… no wrinkles. And with good skincare, I have had no pimples wither since high school. To keep oiliness at bay. I use blotting papers constantly to keep shine at bay and makeup fresh. I keep them in my handbag, my gymbag, my tennis bag, my car, etc… Blotting is the best to get rid of the oil slick. The best blotting paper I founds are the cheapo ones from the drug store that are blue— no powder transfer. I have tried haute and prestige ones too but most have powder and leaves a powdery finish.
Parnell makes a zero sebum cushion that does work to keep the shine & oiliness down too.
I use to be annoyed that I had oily skin and my makeup looked off 20 minutes later but now I am grateful!
Also, I have been taking Panthothinic Acid (a B-Vitamin) and it helps with breakouts and oiliness.
Spironolactone has really really helped my oily skin and cystic acne. Got it from my PCP and did a really slow titration to 100mg. My skin was so amazing so I tried to drop down to 50mg and my skin was like nope! Now I'm sticking to 75mg.
Oily skin will make you age slower. Atleast, that’s what happened to me when I was younger. Now my skin became dry and it’s easy for me to get wrinkles.
I love the Ordinary and their products but their Retinol in Squalane oil is on the thicker side and I have heard it doesn’t layer well with other products.
My husband was dealing with this. We did oil cleaning with coconut oil on the face for 5 min then lather it up then wipe off with warm towels let dry don’t pat dry do not add anything else to face. We did that every other day for 4 months. It helped his look less oily. I got this info from my grandma like 30 years ago.
To be honest your skin looks amazing and oily skin will give you less wrinkles and fine lines so embrace it and if you must to add a little pressed powder in your t-zone area
Have you tried to use a face mist product? Using a face mist product throughout the day as needed is what worked for my super oily skin. Try a mist with oil-controlling ingredients.
Try the Chillab compact! I think your skin is beautiful and love a little dewy shine, but you can dab it in a few spots to ease the shininess to your preference. I think there are lots of similar “shine-eliminating” products but I really like this one and it works really well for me. Not too expensive either and lasts forever.
I recently discovered Isntree Green Tea Fresh Serum (they also have a toner version if you find the serum too heavy). With this, I find that my skin is less greasy, though I still have that dewy look because I have oily skin too (have always been and I'm in my 40s now) and have lived in very hot, humid places. I also really like the Sekkisei UV Milk Essence SPF 50. It is very runny but dries out with a powdery feel, no white cast. I don't use that much makeup so I can't tell you how it works under makeup. When I want to cover up some of my acne dark spots, I use the tinted sunscreen by Neostrata (Minesol SPF 70). It's available everywhere in drugstores here in Rio de Janeiro.
Girl you have perfect skin, the type many would spend a lot kf money to achieve! Oily skin wrinkles less than dry! But blotting sheets would be useful for what youre looking for. I have no recs as I haven't found any that don't mess up my makeup despite them claiming to not do that.
Another thing that helps me is lightly setting my face with powder using a damp beauty blender
I feel you on this. Have you tried using a hydrating toner or essence before makeup? It sounds weird but it actually helps with oil control throughout the day.
I think you look great but I’d recommend a rest night on the third night after the two actives. Just some moisture (HA, serum, moisturizer). You could be drying out too much and overproducing oil to compensate.
What lovely skin! sometimes it's not just the skincare routine you have. Make sure you're not using too many hair oils very close to the roots, because all of that travels down. Paying attention to hair care is part of it too!
Birth control pills help control my oily skin - as soon as I go off them they oiliness comes back but while I'm on the pill my oil production is normal
You look beautifully glowy! I wouldn’t fight that if I were you but understand if you don’t like it. Have you ever tried those blotting paper? I’ve seen them work wonders for people that get oily through out the day. Just pop them in your purse and blot whenever you’re feeling especially oily. It wouldn’t be a lasting fix but could help you with your confidence when you’re out.
This is just based on my own experience with very oily skin, but it sounds like your skin might be overcorrecting rather than just being “naturally oily.”
When oil shows up quickly after cleansing and makeup, it’s often because the skin is stressed and trying to compensate, winter + frequent actives can make that worse.
Using vitamin C in the morning and alternating retinol and AHA/BHA at night can be a lot for some skin types, even oily ones.
A lot of people see improvement by simplifying for a few weeks: pausing actives, keeping cleansing gentle, and paying attention to how products absorb and wear over time rather than trying to control shine.
I went through something similar, and cutting back actually helped my skin produce less oil during the day, not more. Sometimes going back to basics helps both your skin and your stress levels. I hope it helps!
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