Oily skin – DIY Help

If you would like to treat your oily skin to some skin treatments at home and are not sure what to use – try these simple recipes below to help improve the condition of your oily skin. They have been specially designed to help control the oil and unlike some harsher treatments available for oily skin will not actually make the skin oilier. When treating oily skin we do not want to strip away the skin lipids which protect the skin and will only cause the skin to produce more sebum and therefore look even oilier.

What we want to do:

When oily skin us a problem for us, we want to reduce the amount of oil on the skin and also to reduce the possibility of blemishes such as pimples and blackheads forming as oily skin is more susceptible to these. Skin treatments can be expensive to buy and these are easily made at home and it can be fun to try out different combinations.  There are no overnight miracle cures here, but regular use will help oily skin to be more under control.

If your skin is sensitive it would be wise to patch test any skin treatments on the inside of the wrist to see whether there is a reaction before using it on your face.

Oily skin mask recipe

• You will need a bottle of Milk of Magnesia which you apply a thin coating to the face on all the areas that are oily.  This can be bought at a chemist store and is in expensive and lasts for ages
• Let this dry and set on the skin which should take 10-20 mins.
• Rinse off with luke warm water and gently pat dry.

A mask for oily skin and a great pick up treatment for tired looking skin before you go out.

• Separate an egg.
• Whip the egg white with a beater until it is soft white foam.
• Apply to face and throat and let dry – 10-15 minutes, you will feel some tightening to the skin.
• Rinse with lukewarm water and pat gently dry.

Oily skin – who gets it?

Oily skin can be something we have a problem with in our teenage years, when raging hormones cause oily blemish prone skin and then disappears as we grow older. Pregnancy can do the same.Other people struggle with oily skin as a lifelong skin condition. If we analyse the reasons for oily skin we can see there are some skin care practices we can change or adopt to help our oily skin and some we can stop altogether as they could be making our oilier skin oilier. Oily skin can also be made worse by some medications such as birth control pills.

Oily skin – What can we do?

With a skin care regime specifically designed for an oily skin we can improve our skin condition but attention also needs to be paid to our diet and lifestyle habits. For women, the makeup we use also has a part to play and how diligent we are in removing it. Following some of the steps below will result in a less oily looking skin so although you may still have an oily skin type it will be more manageable. However the process will be a gradual one so a little patience and perseverance will be needed.

Things to try:

• Remove the excess sebum but don’t dry the skin by using a cleanser that is gentle and has no soaps or detergents in it.
• Use a cleanser that easily rinses away so a film is not left on the skin.
• Do not scrub at your face to try to remove oil.  Pat dry gently rather than rubbing.
• Use lukewarm water not hot.
• Don’t use strong astringents or alcohol based toners as they will over dry the skin.
• Use non oil based makeup and sunscreen products.
• Try to eat a balanced diet, rich in vegetables, fruits and grains. Avoid fatty , fried or foods with high sugar content.
• Cleanse the skin morning and night and after exercise to keep the pores clean.
• Use a moisturiser that is formulated to be non comodegenic which means it will not clog the pores.
• Using a tissue or facial blotting paper to remove excess oil during the day.
• If over a period of time this doesn’t help, a visit to a dermatologist may be in order to look at underlying physical causes.