Those of us with oily skin probably despair at that oily shiny look, the propensity for acne and other blemishes. Skin care for oily skin can be tricky, but the one can take consolation from the fact that oily skin will remain youthful and wrinkle free for a longer time.

Why you need skin care for oily skin

The skin produces sebum, a natural skin lubricant. The problem may arise with overactive sebaceous glands that produce too much sebum that gives that dreaded shiny, deep fried look to the face. This excess sebum production also means blocked pores, whiteheads and blackheads that in turn lead to pimples, acne and other skin problems. Also this can cause build up of dead skin cells on the surface of the skin, making it appear dull and sallow.

How to care for oily skin

Here are some useful tips on taking care of your oily skin.

1. Cleanse skin using product formulated for oily skin and more particularly products that work for you. Clean skin is healthy skin; so make sure that you use a gel based cleanser (many dermatologists recommend that these work better than soap and water) about thrice a day.

2. Don’t over dry skin. There is some evidence to demonstrate that over drying the skin can actually cause overactive sebaceous glands and may worsen the skin’s oiliness. An astringent may be indicated for skin that is very oily since an astringent will not only remove excess oil, it will also help in making the large pores that oily skin typically has, less obvious and less visible. However alcohol based astringents are not recommended since they may cause over drying of the skin.

3. Moisturize. It may seem counter indicative but even oily skin needs moisturizing (since oil and moisture are different things) because sensing dryness the sebaceous glands may once again start to overproduce the oil. So moisturizing should be part of your skin care regime for oily skin.

4. Use oil free make up. You may be using make up to mask the oiliness of the skin, but unsuitable makeup may actually compound the problem of oil skin. Rather than an oil based foundation, use a mattifying formulation or use loose powder instead.

5. You are what you eat they say, so skin care for oily skin should also pay attention to one’s diet. Fewer refined starches, unhealthy fats and sugars in one’s diet and a greater proportion of natural foods and healthy fats as well as drinking plenty of water are important to tone down the shine as well.