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It’s ironic how something so valuable — oil — can be such a nuisance sometimes. I have combination dry/oily skin now, but in my early-20s it was more oily than dry. Halfway through the day my skin would look shinier than Mr. Clean’s bald head!

Flash forward to 2009. Now, I have the worst best of both worlds, LOL! One week I’ll be wrestling with dry skin, and the next it’s a struggle against oil.

If you’re trying to deal with oily skin, keep your chin up. There’s a silver lining, albeit an oily one. They say oily skin tends to age better, with less dryness and fewer wrinkles over time. 🙂

Caring for oily skin

1. One challenge with oily skin is avoiding the urge to over-cleanse, which can confuse the heck out of skin, making it either crank up the oil production or swing between oily and excessively dry. Experts recommend avoiding alcohol-based cleansers, which can strip the skin. Instead, reach for gel cleaners and wash no more than twice a day. I may also use a gentle exfoliating product, but not more than once a week.
2. Even though moisturizer might seem like the last thing oily skin needs, think twice about skipping it. Oily skin gets thirsty, too. Don’t forget to moisturize your neck and decollete, as these areas show the first signs of aging. When my skin was uber-oily a few years ago, I liked light oil-free moisturizers without rich mineral oils and cocoa butter.
3. I’ve always been pretty good about wearing sunscreen, but many are oil-based and can worsen oily skin. I opt for non-greasy, broad spectrum sunscreens with a minimum SPF 15.
4. When my skin’s all about the oil, I reach for oil-free makeup, particularly foundations and powder. I like to use a makeup primer under my foundation, and if I’m using a cream blush, then I’ll top them off with a similar shade of powder blush. Same goes for my eyeshadows, too.
5. When I get breakouts with oily skin, I’ll use cleansers and toners with salicylic acid. My skin tolerates SA better than any other topical acne treatment.

Oily skin can still be dehydrated

Some oily skin products to consider

Over the years I’ve tried gazillions of products for oily skin. Here are some of my favorites.

Cleansers

1. Basis Cleaner Clean Face Wash, $5
2. Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel, $30
3. Clean and Clear In-Shower Facial, $7

Moisturizers

1. Dermalogica Active Moist, $35
2. DDF Ultra-Lite Oil-Free Moisturizing Dew, $38
3. Oil of Olay Complete UV Protective Moisture SPF, $10

Salicylic acid products

1. Clinique Mild Clarifying Lotion, $11
2. Clean and Clear Advantage Acne Spot Treatment, $7
3. My Blend Accelerated Acne Antidote, $75

Makeup

1. MAC Blot Powder Pressed Powder, $21
2. Shiseido Pureness Oil-Control Blotting Paper, $17
3. Laura Mercier Oil-Free Tinted Moisturizer, $42

Oily-skinned ladies, would you care to share your favorite treatments or products? Help your oil-slicked homies out!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. If you enjoyed this post, you might also enjoy Caring for Dry Skin, 18 MAC to School Makeup Tips and 10 Fantastic Smokey Eye Tutorials.

P.P.S. If you’re new here, thank you for visiting. Makeup and Beauty Blog is a makeup blog with daily product reviews, beauty tips, giveaways and the random shenanigans of a crazy cat lady/makeup enthusiast named Karen (that’s me!). 🙂