Cleansing in the evening is critical for maintaining the health of oily skin. We’re exposed to so much grime and pollution throughout the day, not to mention that the sunscreen from the morning and any makeup we might be wearing should be removed. Your evening cleanse should be thorough enough to remove your sunscreen completely, as well as anything else that might have found its way to your skin.
Double cleansing with an oil cleanser is a fabulous habit to get into, even if you have oily skin. Letztendlich, nothing dissolves oils as well as other oils. If you’re nervous about using oils on your skin, then you can try micellar water for your first cleanse instead.
For micellar water, apply it with a cotton pad and then rinse, while an oil cleanser is best massaged into the skin while the skin is dry. It can then be emulsified with a bit of water, and then rinsed away or wiped off with a damp face cloth.
Your second cleanse can be done with any gel, foam or milk cleanser. You can use the same cleanser you would in the morning, and with the same method:massage it into damp skin until it lathers, and then rinse it away or wipe it off with a damp face cloth. It will totally clean your skin and will also get rid of any residue from the oil cleanser.
Once again, I only see toning as a useful step if your toner contains ingredients that are particularly useful for your skin. In other words, this step is optional, but do keep in mind that it can be a great step for delivering beneficial ingredients to the skin, including antioxidants, resurfacers, and humectants.
Splitting your active-laden serums between morning and evening is a great way of putting together a great oily skin care routine. While some actives, like niacinamide, can be used both morning and night, resurfacing actives like vitamin A, Vitamin C, and chemical exfoliants should only be used once a day, or even every other day.
Zum Beispiel, if you use vitamin C in the morning (which is a good idea since it’ll help stabilize your sunscreen), then you can use salicylic acid at night. If you don’t use vitamin C but do use retinol, then it’ll be better to use the salicylic acid in the morning, and then the product with retinol at night.
Step 4:Spot Treat
Much like in the morning, you may want to apply a spot treatment to your skin if you happen to break out in addition to having oily skin. Most spot treatments are best applied after serums and actives.
Step 5:Moisturize
Your final step should be one that seals in all of the actives and humectants that were present in your previous oily skin care steps – especially if you live in a dry climate. You can do this with a well-formulated moisturizer, a light overnight mask or, if your previous steps included enough humectants, a non-comedogenic facial oil.
The amount of moisturizer you’ll need depends on how many other steps you had in your routine and how dehydrated your skin is at the moment. Start by massaging a pea-sized amount into your skin in a gentle, circular motion, and apply more if it sinks into your skin too quickly.
Weekly Oily Skin Care Routine
I’m firmly of the belief that what you do on a daily basis has a much greater impact than what you do just once or twice a week. That being said, masking can be a really nice treat, with clay-based masks being particularly great for those with oily skin since they give a deep clean and really get within the pores. You can mask whenever you find the time – whether morning, evening or middle of the day works better is totally up to you.
Step 1:Cleanse
Cleanse as thoroughly as necessary depending on the time of the day and what your skin has been put through. You will probably need a fuller cleanse in the evening, while a gentle foam cleanser should be enough in the morning. Make sure your skin is thoroughly clean and free of cleanser by wiping your face with a damp face cloth when done.
Step 2:Exfoliate
I recommend always chemical exfoliants over physical ones since they give a more thorough exfoliation while being gentler. Salicylic acid is, selbstverständlich, my favorite exfoliant for oily skin.
Before masking, salicylic acid actually helps improve the declogging abilities of your mask since it exfoliates and dislodges things from within the pores. A toner or oil-free serum with salicylic acid would be the best treatment to use. Apply it to your skin with the palm of your hands or by wiping it on with a pad, and let it sit for about 10-20 minutes.
Step 3:Mask
The best masks for those with oily skin are pH-balanced ones that contain a bit of deep cleaning and mattifying clay or charcoal along with some hydrating ingredients. A lot of clay masks don’t contain any hydrating ingredients, so they end up making the skin feel too dry and tight. It’s always possible to follow a more drying clay mask with additional hydrators, but I think it’s better to just choose a mask that does it all.
Apply your mask of choice to your skin with the help of a clean, flat brush. Wipe it on your skin in upward motions, starting from the bottom of the face and working your way up.
Once the mask is evenly applied all over your skin (except for around the eyes), let it sit for 10-20 minutes. Once the time elapses, rinse it off with water and then wipe away with a damp face cloth or some cotton pads.
Step 4:Rest of AM Routine
Once the mask is gone, finish it off with the rest of your oily skin care routine. If it’s morning then use your toners, Seren, spot treatments, and most importantly, an SPF product.
Step 5:Rest of PM Routine
If it’s evening time then finish off your routine with your toners, essences, Seren, spot treatments, and a final layer of moisturizer or overnight mask.
Oily Skin Care Tips, Dos &Don’ts
• Don’t over-cleanse! Cleansing too often or with overly harsh cleansers is not going to make your skin less oily – it’s only going to irritate and dehydrate it!
• Do moisturize your skin! Keeping it nourished with ingredients that won’t clog your pores or feel heavy will make your oily skin feel smooth, strong and glowy rather than overly greasy.
• Use blotting sheets throughout the day to absorb the excess oil your skin produces without disrupting your makeup or irritating your skin.
• Patch test products for a few days on your arm, and then introduce them into your oily skin care routine slowly and one at a time. This is even more important for products high in active ingredients, as they are likely to cause irritation, breakouts or allergies.
• Remember that your mileage may vary. I recommend a lot of different products and active ingredients in this article with the understanding that not all of them will necessarily work for you, although I did choose ones that usually do work for those with oily skin. Once again, this is why patch testing and introducing products one at a time is so important.
• Hair products matter! Thick hair mousses or shampoos that are not adequately rinsed away can be acne-causing culprits.
• Part of skin hygiene is also keeping everything that comes in contact with your face clean, including your phone, pillow cases, large headphones, etc. This is even more important if you have acne-prone skin!
Photos via @nikki.cruz, @jamiellanders, @laura.craffey, @jaenmcq, @laviedefawn, @yssaboutskin, @ohuprettythings, @evelyneslava_, @ashleighdmello