oily skin care

What is the best skin care routine for oil skin types?

The best skin care routine for oily skin is to be as gentle as you would if you had paper dry skin. The major mistake many people make with oily skin is in believing that you can beat it into submission with hot water, steam, toners, masks and topicals, when in fact what it truly wants is a little understanding. Oily skin is trying to protect itself from a harsh environment, and making its world even harsher through heat, cold or chemicals, will tend to make it produce more oil than ever.

Wash your face with lukewarm water—never hot and never sold—and a cleanser for oily or even normal skin. Don't scrub or rub, just lave with water, the way you would delicate lingerie. Follow with a light, oil free moisturizer. That's right; your skin needs moisture, as in something water based, preferably with skin soothing components like calendula, aloe vera and lavender oil. If you can find products with significant amounts of green tea extract (look in the first six ingredients), you'll also be doing nice things for your skin cells.

The best makeup for oily skin is mineral makeup, which goes on lightly, can be easily layered for more coverage, minimizes pores, contains no irritants and absorbs oil. It won't clog your pores, and it has a natural SPF, too. At the end of the day, take off your makeup with a lukewarm splash of water and a light cleanser, followed by a toner that contains no alcohol. Alcohol irritates the skin. If you want to make your own toner, use a combination of green tea you steeped yourself and cucumber juice, which you'll want to keep in the fridge. Just make a cup at a time, to keep it fresh.

For blemishes, use straight tea tree oil, preferably at night, so the smell won't bother anyone else. You can buy tea tree oil in dab-on anti-blemish tubes at most drugstores, or just get a bottle of your own and touch it on with your finger. It's a powerful antibacterial, and clears up pimples like nothing else can.