Top 5 Reasons Why Having Oily Skin Sucks (and what to do to manage them!)

Updated May, 2020

Most people wish for a lot of things like win the lottery, have a smaller waistline, or have eyebrows on fleek. But for a girl with combination or oily skin, it could simply just to last a day without looking like an oily mess.

Oil is not exactly bad. Our skin produces sebum to keep it healthy, nourished and moisturized. What makes it bad is if it is produced in excess. Sebum plugs may form, bacteria may get trapped and lead to acne.

It is especially frustrating that after a few hours of applying makeup, you experience that oh so familiar greasy, slippy-slidey sensation that alerts you “It is time!” (For a retouch, of course).

Your skin feels like it is summer forever no matter what season it is. We understand the struggle to last a day without looking like you ran a marathon!

The upside? People with oily skin tend to have lesser wrinkles than those with normal to dry skin. That’s the positive way of looking at things but then, there are tons of negative points with having oily skin too.

Let’s shine a light, no pun intended, on these top 5 complaints from gals with oily skin and how we can avoid or manage them.

Ah yes! Of course, that’s the first thing that would come to mind if you have oily skin. It is difficult to find makeup that would prevent from sliding off your face a few hours after application. Some people will dab on powders to somehow absorb the oil but it often gives you that cakey appearance, not to mention, feeling like you have tons of layers on your skin.

It gets too suffocating!

So how do you control the oil? You have to incorporate several things to lessen the oil production and manage this messy crisis.

Find a foaming facial cleanser that is gentle and not too drying. Cleansers that strip your face with oil and leaving it feeling tight will just send the wrong signals to your skin. It tricks your body to think that there is less oil, that’s why it goes overdrive. The result? You get an oilier skin to compensate for the dryness.

Use makeup that gives a matte finish, oil-free and non-comedogenic. It may not completely prevent having oily skin but it will keep you looking fresh for far longer. Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer is a favorite among bloggers and people with oily skin. It also helps if you start with a mattifying primer before applying your foundation.

Keep a pack of oil blotting paper handy. When you need to retouch, it is better to blot the oil off your face instead of adding more powder that just feels thick, sticky and unpleasant.

Use a clay mask that helps absorb excess oil and draw out impurities as well. You can do this daily or weekly, depending on the type of clay mask you use.

You cannot totally banish pores. It is a natural feature of our skin where hair grows and it is where sweat and oils are excreted. Some may have porcelain, poreless skin but for those with oily skin, having large pores is a common feature.

The oil is produced and flows out of our pores to lubricate our skin. In the event that oil is produced in excess, it may clog our pores especially when it is mixed with dead skin cells and other elements such as makeup and dirt from the environment.

This usually results to stretching the pores and making it appear larger than usual.

It is important that you exfoliate efficiently once up to three times a week, depending on how well your skin can tolerate it. Using a tool to help remove dead skin cells will help prevent clogged pores from forming.

Avoid facial scrubs with crushed walnut shells because it causes micro tears in your skin. Microdermabrasion is a better option in exfoliating safely and with continued use, it may also reduce the appearance of pores.

You may also try the following home remedies to reduce the appearance of open or enlarged pores. 

People with oily skin usually do not use moisturizers because they think that they do not need any more moisturizing. And since we now know that wearing sunblock is essential, all the more that people with oily skin think that they are done for!  

“Hello? We have excess oil already, we do not need to add more moisturizer to it!”

The key here is to moisturize using the right product. If our skin is too dry, our body will compensate by producing more oil.

There are tons of products out there that is made for oily skin. Invest in moisturizers that are non-comedogenic (or won’t clog the pores) and that is lightweight. Gel-based moisturizers are better compared to moisturizers in lotion or cream form.

Other people also prefer to use serums. A pump or two of your favorite facial serum is normally enough to give your skin a boost of healthy nutrients and hydration it needs to last the day.

Sunblock like La Roche-Posay Anthelios Gel-cream with SPF 30 is a favorite among combination and oily-skinned people.

Oily-skinned people tend to have bumpy and congested skin. Like mentioned earlier, too much oil production mixed with dead skin cells can create clogs. Voila! A whitehead or blackhead is born.

It is essential to avoid products that can clog the skin. That applies to soaps, cleansers, moisturizers, sunblock and makeup.

Having an unhealthy diet can contribute to having comedones too. Avoid fried foods and foods rich in unhealthy carbohydrates.

Use cleansers with salicylic acid to help control oil and prevent clogs too. Exfoliate regularly and avoid devices with harsh brushes that may be too irritating for the skin.

Instead, use an Ultrasonic Skin Scrubber to efficiently decongest clogged pores and remove blackheads and whiteheads.

Not everyone with acne has oily skin and not all oily-skinned people have acne. But oily skin usually contributes to being more prone to having a zit.

There are many factors that contribute to having acne like genetics, hormonal imbalance, and the presence of microorganisms. When you have oily skin, your pores get clogged easily especially when it gets blocked with dead skin cells.

When bacteria enters the pores and gets trapped within, it causes inflammation under our skin that results in what we call pimples.

There is no one single solution to acne because it is multifactorial. We need to figure out what causes us to break out.

Food does not cause acne on its own but feasting on fried foods can add to the skin’s oiliness. Eat healthily and snack on fruits and veggies to nourish not just your skin, but your entire body.

Milk and other dairy products can also cause breakouts. Cows that produce milk are kept in hormones so they can produce milk the entire year! Because the hormones are transferred to the milk, it affects our own hormone level as well. It results in more oil production and waking up to a brand new zit. If you need calcium replacement, you can eat dark, leafy vegetables instead or go for calcium supplements.

Use an antibacterial toner or toners with salicylic acid. Avoid toners that contain alcohol because it tends to dry out the skin. Clinique Mild Clarifying Lotion is a must-try product.

Using Blue Light therapy also helps clear acne fast! The Blue light penetrates the skin and kills acne-causing bacteria. It is a good way to control acne without resorting to antibiotics. It is a great way to prevent hormonal acne too! Use it a week before that time of the month, for a minimum of 5 minutes a day until you have your period and you will notice lesser (if not zero) acne formation.

With continued use, you will also notice lesser oil production without being too drying.

Hopefully, this helped answer and manage the top 5 complaints of gals (and guys) with oily skin. If you are unsure of your skin type, you may take our online Skincare Assessment here to help you discover how best to take care of your skin.