Identify & Care for Your Skin: Oily Skin
Build a straight forward skincare routine and find your glow!
Many of us have grown up hearing we should wash our faces, but not many have been taught how to care for our skin properly. We see people with 12-step routines and think, “That’s too complicated,” or “Where do I even begin?”. In this series, you will learn how to identify your skin type, build a routine, and learn about professional-recommended products for your skin type.
Identify Your Skin Type
Your skin changes just as your body changes through the years. Using the wrong product can mask your skin type, so identifying your skin category is key to building a good skincare routine. Many people have “combination skin,” meaning your skin does not fit into a specific category. There are several ways to identify skin types, but this section focuses on the “bare-faced method”. This is an at-home test and can describe the skin type you most likely have, but come see our Esthetician, Elena, at La Vie for a professional assessment and treatment plan.
To test your skin, wash your face with a gentle cleanser, pat dry, and refrain from applying any products. Wait for thirty minutes, then assess how your skin appears and feels. If the skin is tight and dry, you have dry skin. You have oily skin if there is oil both in the T-zone and outside. If you have oil in the T-zone but dryness everywhere else, you fit in the “combination skin” category. You have normal skin if there are no signs of excess oil or dryness.
Build Your Morning Routine: Oily Skin
Those with oily skin may think, “I should try to dry my skin out,” but this can actually cause more damage. Your skin naturally produces oil, maybe more than you want, but drying it out without adding good moisture back will cause more oil production. Building your routine with good-quality products will allow your skin to stay healthy and thrive. In the mornings, look to cleanse, moisturize, and protect your skin.
Cleanse
Starting with the cleanser does not need to be a large expense, but look for products with glycolic or salicylic acid. Choose a gentle cleanser if you have sensitive skin, and pat the skin dry instead of rubbing it. If you choose an exfoliating cleanser, skip the next step and go straight to your serum.
Product Recommendations:
Obagi Gentle Cleanser
Neocutis Neo-cleanse Exfoliating Cleanser
Exfoliate or Toner
Exfoliation removes dead skin cells and unclogs pores, allowing your skin to absorb the serums and moisturizers in the following steps. It can be done 2-3 times per week, depending on the skin type, but those with sensitive skin should limit exfoliation to 1-2 per week. Chemical exfoliants are gentler on the skin and can be used more often than physical exfoliant scrubs. Toner acts similarly to the exfoliant by opening the pores, removing dead skin cells, and oil-control; it is used in place of the exfoliant. As with the cleanser, toner is not a high expense. Look for witch hazel, alpha-hydroxy, salicylic, or glycolic acid ingredients.
Product Recommendations:
Farmhouse Fresh Sanded Ground Clarifying Mask
Farmhouse Fresh Pajama Paste Exfoliant
Thayers Facial Toner with Witch Hazel and Aloe Vera
Serum
Serums deliver a concentrated dose of ingredients to target a specific skin concern. They dry quickly and leave the skin feeling hydrated, not oily. Benefits include boosting collagen production, which helps with wrinkles and aging, targeting acne, and/or soothing irritation. Because serums are highly concentrated, you do not need to use much of the product. Applying the serum before moisturizing allows it to penetrate the skin and work its magic without a barrier on the skin. Look for products with Hyaluronic Acid, Niacinamide, or peptides.
Product Recommendations:
Farmhouse Fresh Hyaluronic Acid
Image Ageless Total Pure Hyaluronic Acid
La Roche Posay Mela B3 Dark Spot Serum With Melasyl™ + Niacinamide
Moisturize
Yes, even those with oil-prone skin need a good moisturizer; however, you may skip this step if your sunscreen is also a moisturizer. Look for a lightweight moisturizer that adds moisture back to your skin to keep oil production at bay but does not feel heavy or contain oil. Do not skip this step if you’ve had a chemical peel done within the last three days. Part of the healing process involves keeping your skin moisturized.
Product Recommendations:
Farmhouse Fresh Three Milk Ageless Moisturizer
Obagi Hydrate Facial Moisturizer
Alastin Ultra Light Moisturizer
Sunscreen
Sunshine brings beauty and light to our world, but it can cause skin issues without protection. Even on cloudy days, sun rays affect your skin. Using sunscreen protects your skin from sunburn, irritation, skin cancer, discoloration, and aging. If you use Tretinoin or Retinoids in your evening routine, sunscreen is crucial as your skin becomes more sensitive to the sun when using these products. Don’t skip the lips! They need moisture and sunscreen, too. Look for products with 50+ SPF and reapply throughout the day if you spend much time outside.
Product Recommendations:
Cetaphil Sheer Mineral Sun Stick
Cetaphil Daily Facial Moisturizer SPF 50
Elta MD UV Active Broad Spectrum SPF 50+
Image Daily Prevention Ultra Defense or Pure Mineral Tinted
Build Your Evening Routine: Oily Skin
Your skin faces many stressors during the day, so the evening routine focuses on cleansing, moisturizing, and treating, which adds a few more steps than the morning routine. Give your skin some pampering with a mask before you moisturize. The last step involves a retinol treatment. This step must be done in the evenings, as sun rays eliminate the retinol properties.
The evening routine follows a similar order to the morning: Cleanse, Tone/Exfoliate, Serum, Mask, Moisturize, and Treat. You may use the same cleanser, toner, and moisturizer you did in the morning. The serums will differ, and instead of using sunscreen, you can add an optional treatment.
Serum
Your evening serums should contain vitamin C, Retinol (Vitamin A), peptides, azelaic acid, ceramides, or squalene. These ingredients help to hydrate, smooth, and soften the skin. As said before, Retinol can increase sun sensitivity, so wear sunscreen SPF 50 or higher when using a product with Retinol. Vitamin C or ascorbic acid does not create sun sensitivity, but it does become inactive when exposed to the sun, so use products with vitamin C in the evening to get the most out of your serum.
Product Recommendations:
Farmhouse Fresh Triple Lipid Facial Oil
Obagi Vitamin C Serum
EltaMD Skin Recovery Serum
Image VITAL C hydrating antioxidant A C E serum
Mask
Hydrating the skin keeps it healthy, but one can go overboard with masks, especially those with oily skin. Use masks 1-3 times per week, giving your skin a break between uses.
Product Recommendations:
Nutrient Mud Mask with Organic Pumpkin Puree
Biodance Bio-Collagen Real Deep Mask
Image I MASK hydrating hydrogel sheet mask *Sheet mask helps the serum penetrate*
Image I MASK Purifying Probiotic Mask
EltaMD Skin Recovery Night Mask
Treat: Retinol or Tretinoin
Retinol is part of the evening routine because sunlight inactivates its abilities. Retinol improves the skin texture, smoothes fine lines and wrinkles, reduces acne, and fades dark spots. There are many benefits to using it every night; however, if you have never used Retinol before, slowly introduce it. Start with 1-2 per week and work your way to every day. Carefully apply the Retinol, making sure to avoid the eyes and stop using it 5 days before a waxing appointment. It can be drying to the skin, so if you do this step, moisturize your skin 30-45 minutes after application. Some moisturizers or overnight masks contain Retinol but do not add more to your face if this is the case.
Product Recommendations:
Farmhouse Fresh Bakuchiol Booster, a natural Retinol alternative
Skin Better AlphaRet (Used in place of Retinol and must come from your Esthetician)
Image AGELESS Total Overnight Retinol Masque
Lip Care
We have arrived at the final step in your skincare routine. Don’t skip the lips! Hydrate and protect them with sunscreen in the morning and balm in the evening.
Product Recommendations:
Vaseline
Image MD Restoring Lip Enhancer SPF 15
EltaMD UV Lip Balm Broad-Spectrum SPF 36
Remedy Skin Remedy for Dry Lips
La Roche Posay Nutritic Lip Balm
Final Thoughts
Building a skincare routine does not have to be complicated. In addition to your at-home routine, schedule professional chemical peels and facials every few months. Your Esthetician will know how to treat specific problem areas and keep your skin looking and feeling its best.
Come see our Esthetician, Elena Brown, for a skin consultation and treatment.