5 Mistakes Women With Oily Skin are Probably Making

Women with oily skin struggle day in and day out with a variety of things, large pores, a shiny appearance shortly after washing or applying makeup, being some of the the most common annoyances. Oily skin is hereditary (thanks mom and dad) and is easiest described as an overproduction of sebum (the natural oils your skin produces to keep your skin hydrated and moisturized) and can lead to other issues like breakouts and acne.

There are things you can do and products out there can help, you just need to find the correct ones and use them properly to keep your skin balanced. Here are five mistakes women with oily skin are probably making:

• Not washing with the correct cleanser is one of the main mistakes people with oily skin make. Oily skin requires a gel based cleanser that has ingredients that don’t strip the skin of its natural moisture barrier. Finding a good cleanser like this is not as easy as it sounds. Drugstores are filled with over the counter products that contain ingredients like alcohol that “work” by drying out your skin, stripping the skin of all its moisture, making it produce more oil to compensate for what it’s lacking.
• Under and over washing is common too! The perfect combination for oily skin is to wash two times a day, morning and night. If you start to feel dry, then just wash at night and rinse with cool water in the morning.
• Adding the proper amount of hydration to keep your oily skin balanced is crucial. So many people with oily/breakout prone skin are convinced that their skin needs to be tight and that drying it out is going to stop the oiliness and breakouts from happening but that is far from the truth. As mentioned above, drying your oily skin out produces more oil. What you need to do is rid your skin of the things that cause the breakouts (makeup, environmental bacteria, etc) and then apply a light, corrective moisturizer that balances the PH level of the skin and helps prevent bacteria from going into the pores.
• Not protecting your skin is big no-no. When you have oily or breakout prone skin, you typically are using products that contain salicylic acid or similiar. Some of these ingredients increase the skins sensitivity to light, which can lead to hyper-pigmentation and other skin issues. It’s best to avoid sun but since that is not always an option, applying SPF or wearing a hat is recommended.
• Lastly, eating habits. The cleaner you eat, the more balanced your body is. Your skin typically is one of the first organs to start showing signs of an unhealthy diet or imbalance in the body. The best thing you can do for your overall health is to stay active and eat nutrient rich foods. If you still experience breakouts after that, talk to a doctor as it might be unbalanced hormones or an allergy.

Don’t worry, if you are someone that is making these mistakes, it’s ok! Most oily skin people are. It’s not too late to make some adjustments and put your best face forward!