Wondering why your skin is oily and how to treat it? You’ve come to the perfect place!

Many of us wash our faces with cleansers both morning and night, yet still seem to have oily skin. How is this possible? The only way to truly treat and properly deal with oily skin is by first understanding what causes the skin to produce so much oil to begin with. Once we explore the causes, then we can explore several natural remedies and treatments for oily skin types. And after we finally tackle those causes and treatments, then we can finally be confident about our skin and appearance. 

What causes oily skin?

 In the medical field, oily skin is known as seborrhea, due to the excess production of sebum oil. There are a variety of reasons why your skin may be oily. Some of us may be experiencing oily skin for the first time, while others have been dealing with oily skin for years. Our diet, lifestyle, genetics, environment and stress-levels all contribute to our skin type and oil production. We experience oily skin when our sebaceous glands are over-working and produce too much sebum oil to coat and hydrate the skin.The issue is when our skin appears glossy, or when the oil clogs the skin, causing pimples and dark spots to appear. But why all the oil?

1. Shifts in Hormone Levels- our hormones play an important role in our skin’s oil production. Many of us who have already made it through puberty have probably already experienced such dramatic effects. During puberty our androgen levels go up. When our androgen levels go up, so does our sebaceous glands’ oil production. We may not only experience a hormone imbalance during puberty, but also during pregnancy and menopause. 

1. Environmental Factors- tanning, the sun, the weather and the dirt and pollutants in the air can all contribute to our body’s oil production. Those of us living in warmer and more humid climates (or traveling to humid climates) may also experience oily skin.

Furthermore, the sun, while it may initially dry out the skin, will then cause the skin to produce excess oil because of the damage it’s caused to the skin. The production of sebum oil in this case is the skin's way of protecting itself from the harmful UV rays. The oil is also meant to soothe the damaged skin.  

1. Stress- stress, especially chronic stress, or recurring stress, will not only have an effect on your skin, but your entire immune system and body. Stress triggers the production of adrenaline and cortisol, two hormones which are meant to get us out of harm’s way. This hormonal imbalance typically results in oily skin. If the stress-factor isn’t smoothly removed, we may experience long-term oily skin and pimples. 

How to Combat Oily Skin

Opt for cleansers with salicylic acid, glycolic acid, and beta-hydroxy acid, which sound harsh, but are actually gentle cleansers that will remove excess oil, without stripping your face of its needed oil.

Use a lighter sunscreen on your face that won’t clog pores, or make your skin feel and look greasy. Sunscreens like the Extreme Suncare Gel, will hydrate and protect the skin without leaving behind any grease. And go for a clay mask treatment every other night. We recommend the Oil/Acne Mask which was curated to draw out impurities, while absorbing excess oil from the skin for soft and clean skin that glows!