Oily skin? Fix it with…oil.

With all of the water based, oil free, oil removing products on the market, it’s easy to see why people believe that oil is the enemy. Nothing could be further from the truth. Oil is an essential part of skin protection. When we strip the skin of oil, it becomes more fragile, easily fissured and, ultimately, extremely compromised.  In addition, the harsh products that can be found on the store shelves and in some salons/spas today can remove oil so efficiently that the body reacts negatively to the sudden loss of oil. This condition is known as Reactive Seborrhea. In this condition, the skin sends an SOS to the brain, alerting it to its sudden loss of lubrication and protection. The brain reacts by sending the message to the oil glands to kick up production, thus creating a situation where excess oil is being pumped out. It ultimately turns into a vicious cycle that is frustrating to the person and hard on the skin.

So what’s an oily person to do? Stop the cycle by following these easy steps:

 1) Wash the skin no more than 2x per day. If possible, washing it once per day is optimal – just in the evening. This will ensure that you aren’t over stripping your skin with frequent cleansings.

2) Use oil to remove dirt and grime. Sounds counter-intuitive.  Cleansing oils are amazing. But even if you don’t own a cleansing oil, you can sweep your skin with a cotton ball doused in olive, almond, jojoba, grapeseed or apricot kernel oils. This will break up oil on the skin’s surface, as well as destroy make-up. It will remove all traces of grime without stripping your skin.

3) Apply olive, almond, jojoba, grapeseed or apricot kernel oil at night to entire face an neck. Apply oil in the amount of 1/2 the size of a dime. It will help with oil regulation of the skin. These oils also have varying degrees of vitamin E, squalene and have anti-bacterial properties.

Oils alone will not cure acne. But, in conjunction with any combination of benzoyl peroxide, sulfur and salicylic acids, it can help to restore the skin to its perfect balance.