Oily skin can be a frustrating condition that affects your mood and confidence levels. So, what can you do to get control over the situation? The skin is the biggest organ in the body, as well as the boundary line between the outside world, and your internal organs.
When we understand the skin from this perspective, it makes sense that we should consider the products we apply externally, as well as the foods we put into our bodies.
What are the worst foods for oily skin?
If you suffer from oily skin consider limiting or cutting the following foods from your diet to see if it makes a difference. The best way to test to see which ingredients could be causing your skin to become oily is by eliminating one food item or food group at a time, for a period of 3 weeks.
Then, slowly start to reintroduce the food into your diet, keeping an eye on the condition of your skin. Be sure to document any changes, both negative and positive, so that you can best tailor your diet for the future.
Dairy products: Products containing milk are known to over-stimulate the skin’s oil glands and lead to oily skin. This is because milk is high in the hormone testosterone. An excess of testosterone in the body causes the skin to produce more sebum, which in turn may trigger the inflammation of our oil glands – exacerbating the problem of oily skin.
Processed carbohydrates: On the same note regarding the ways in which your hormones can affect your skin, we need to talk about refined grains – or, most white processed carbohydrates like; white bread, white flour, white rice – as well as most breakfast cereals.
These foods are broken down by the body very quickly, which triggers an increase in glucose in the blood and raises our levels of the hormone, insulin. Insulin is just another hormone now believed to play a big part in excessive sebum production that leads to oily skin.
Processed foods: We’ve spoken a bit about processed carbohydrates, but what about processed foods in general? Processed foods are anything that has gone through some form of large-scale transformation, like canning or freezing.
In order to keep processed food over a long period of time, manufacturers add high levels of salt and sugar to their products. Both of which are culprits in the fight against oily skin. Before you buy and consume processed foods, check the labels! You’ll often be quite shocked at what you find.
Best skin routines for oily skin?
Now that we’ve looked at the worst foods for oily skin, let’s turn our attention to external care and treatment. However lucky or unlucky it may be, oily skin is a common condition and there are many products out there that have been formulated with this in mind. Don’t feel overwhelmed! Instead, let’s look at some basic tips to care for oily skin.
Moisturise Regularly
It may seem anti-intuitive, but moisturizer is a very important part of any oily skincare routine. This is because oily skin can often be caused by an underlying dry skin condition. When the skin is dry, the body responds by producing more sebum to lubricate and moisturize the skin.
This overcompensation can lead to a chronic oily skin condition. In fact, those with oily skin should pay even more attention to the kind of moisturizer that they use, opting for products that are lightweight and water-based like Johnson’s & Johnson’s Oil Control Facial Cream.
Always remove your makeup
We get it. You get home late and the last thing you want to do before crawling into bed is to run your face underwater. Here’s why it’s worth getting into the routine anyway. Makeup can clog the pores, trapping dirt, dead skin, and excessive oils causing breakouts on already breakout-prone skin.
It’s also important to pay attention to the type of makeup remover you use. One of the worst products for oily skin is a heavy oil-based makeup remover. Instead, opt for a makeup remover for sensitive skin like Neutrogena makeup remover wipes.
Add essential oils to your skincare routine
As an alternative to expensive skin care products, try using essential oils to help you control oily skin. Try mixing a few drops of orange oil into your favorite carrier oil like almond oil, coconut oil, or olive oil and applying it to the patches of your skin that feel especially oily or dull.
Certain essential oils like orange and tea tree oil, for example, are antiseptic and anti-inflammatory and should reduce the production of oil on the skin. Remember NEVER to apply an essential oil directly to the skin. Essential oils are extremely concentrated and therefore should only be used once diluted.