If you have naturally oily skin, summer can be a bit of a challenge for you. The warmer weather can lead to an increase in your sebum production, leaving you feeling greasier and stickier than usual. It can also be a struggle to layer on your skincare products, as you tend to oil up faster. If all this sounds familiar, read on to learn how you can balance your oily skin, so you can stay comfortable and fresh during the warm summer months:
Don’t Skip Moisturizer
Many oily skinned folks tend to avoid moisturizer like the plague. It can naturally oily skin feel unbearably greasy and sticky. However, the truth is that keeping your skin well-hydrated actually helps to balance it and regulate sebum production. Simply put, moisturizing regularly can make your skin produce less oil in an effort to hydrate it. The trick is to find a lightweight, comfortable moisturizer, like the one by Well Within Beauty, maker of high quality organic beauty products.
When choosing a moisturizer, go for gel type or light cream moisturizers that are weightless and don’t have a greasy feel. Look for a good mix of humectants and emollients in the ingredients, with fewer occlusives. Well Within Beauty’s antioxidant moisturizer features the finest natural ingredients that will nourish your skin without feeling thick or heavy. It sinks right into your skin and leaves it feeling comfortably hydrated and balanced.
Cleanse Correctly
You may be tempted to wash your face more often when it feels oily and sticky, but washing your face too often can disrupt your natural skin barrier and make your skin sensitive and prone to breakouts. Stick to cleansing a maximum of twice a day, with a gentle and pH-balanced cleanser. If you are prone to acne and breakouts, you can use a facial wash with salicylic acid, which effectively dissolves oil in your pores and washes it away.
If you are extremely oily and need to freshen your face between washes, try using oil blotting papers or sheets, and misting with a simple water mist. Resist the urge to scrub your skin aggressively with harsh scrubs or face brushes; these can damage and irritate your skin badly. Instead, try an oil-absorbing clay mask that can remove excess oil from the surface of your skin without all the harsh rubbing and scrubbing.
Choose Your SPF
You should always wear sunscreen every day, no matter what your skin type. Choosing the right sunscreen for oily skin can be a challenge, as many readily available and affordable sunscreens tend to have a thick and heavy texture that is uncomfortable to put on oily skin. Fortunately, there are also many new formulations being offered that are lightweight and cosmetically elegant, so putting on sunscreen is not such a chore. Be sure your sunscreen has an SPF of at least 30 and offers broad spectrum protection, so it can keep you shielded from both UVA and UVB rays.
With these three simple steps, you can strip down your summer skincare routine to be comfortable for your oily skin. Practice these steps consistently for at least six weeks, and you could notice a significant decrease in your sebum production. Your skin should feel less oily, matte yet plump and bouncy, and much more balanced.