Anti-Aging Skin Care Secrets

Oily Skin

Oily Skin Care 101 - How To Go From Greasy To Gorgeous

Do you have oily skin care issues? Let me share with you a little secret: everyone, at some point, deals with oily skin. Why is this important to you? Because knowing that secret will save you money and guide you to solutions that give better results than standard oily skincare products. This article reveals how to use that secret to your skin's advantage.

Curse You, Hormone Scum!

The first thing you need to understand to apply that secret is how you got oily skin in the first place. Under the surface of your skin are microscopic sebaceous glands responsible for secreting fats and dead cells onto the surface. These secretions are actually good for your skin in the right amounts. They protect your skin from dehydration and other environmental irritants.

In order for your glands to produce those essential oils (called sebum) your brain sends a message via a specific hormone (DHT). The DHT hormone delivers the production order, and Voila! Healthy, balanced skin.

Sadly, sometimes your body makes too many hormone messengers. The glands over-deliver and you're left with an oily sheen, rather than a healthy shine.

You can lay the blame of these workaholic DHT hormones at the feet of...

* your parents (genetics)
* your age (puberty)
* your gender (pregnancy, menstruation and the birth control pill all cause fluctuating hormones)
* and your location (hot, humid climates encourage more DHT messages for increased secretions)

The excessive skin oil provides a smorgasbord for the hungry bacteria living on your face. They start a party, and you're left to clean up the leftover splotches and zits. That's how oily skin leads to embarrassing breakouts (at any age) and unattractive blotches.

So what can you do about it? Are you doomed to hide behind your hair? Are you cursed to powder your face every 10 minutes?

A Balancing Act

Developing an oily skin care regimen that works is really simple, once you understand how to walk the tight-rope of "too much" and "not enough." As mentioned above, you need oils on your face. Using harsh products will strip your skin and encourage flakiness. Your body will attempt to counter-balance, (called "reactive seborrhoea") by over-producing oil the next day. And isn't that counterproductive to our oily skin care goal?

Oily skincare products that make your skin feel taut and dehydration are also working against you. The upper layers of your skin will shrink. This restricts the natural oil flow through your pores, which creates blockages (aka blackheads) and breakouts. You are looking for the perfect ying-yang balance. You need to find an oily skin care plan that effectively dissolves the excess sebum (oils) on your skin, kills the bacteria lurking on the surface, and then replaces the perfect amount of natural oils to leave your skin hydrated, healthy, and happy.

A Three-Pronged Attack

1. Wash Well...But Not Too Well

I know this sounds odd, but it is possible for a person dealing with oily skin care issues to wash too much. Too much washing will stimulate your skin to produce more oil. Your skin needs oil, remember? If you continually take it away, your body will naturally regulate itself to produce more. Plan on washing your face 2-3 times a day, max.

Not cold, not lukewarm...hot is just right. Hot water dissolves skin oil better than lukewarm or cold. Don't give yourself burns (that's not good oily skin care either!), but a nice warm wash will give you a great oh-so-fresh feeling.

2. Die Bacteria, Die!

Remember that bacteria that lurks on the surface of your skin and eagerly awaits to feed on the oils on your skin? Kill it with a good antibacterial cleanser. Specifically, use a cleanser with a natural form of Vitamin E (known as Alpha-tocopherol).

Choose a cleanser that uses only natural ingredients (plant oils, extracts, etc.). Don't choose a cleanser with alcohol, that will only dry out your skin and start the "reactive seborrhoea" process mentioned above.

3. Soothe Troubled Skin

Finally, soothe your trouble skin with a gentle moisturizer. Many people will tell you to choose oil-free moisturizers. Really, you should choose synthetic oil-free moisturizers. Remember, you just washed away all your natural oils. You'll need to replace them with other natural oils, to prevent your DHT hormones over-stimulating your oil glands again.

So, choose products with natural Grapeseed or Avocado oils. Both ingredients have powerful antioxidants and provide a healthy dose of plant-based Vitamin E.

A Secret Revealed...and a Penny Saved

Remember the secret I told you at the beginning of this article? You know, everyone, at some point, deals with oily skin. It's time to look behind the curtain of "Oily Skincare Products", and reveal...a big, FAT...nothing. That's right. Spending additional money to purchase those "designed for those with oily skin" products is a complete waste of your hard-earned money.

How do I know this? Simple reasoning reveals the answer.

We've already determined that oily skin is a result of hormonal changes. If this so, than the slightest change in DHT hormone will result in excess oils being secreted. So dry skin in the winter is oily in the summer, or dry skin on Tuesday is oily on Thursday, or dry skin at age 14 is oily at age 16.

This means that unless your skincare product isn't balanced, your skin (and your complexion) won't be either. You need to find a natural product that's tough enough to deal with your skin's occasional temper-tantrums (oily, flaky, breakouts, etc.), but gentle enough to maintain the delicate oil-ratio your skin requires.

If you have oily skin care issues, your task will be to find a product that is good food, not just good chemicals. A balanced product (for oily and dry times) will give you equally balanced (and gorgeous) skin. I've struggled with oily skin in the past. To peek over my virtual shoulder and see what worked for me, visit my website hyperlinked below.

About the Author

Ranae Pritchard is passionate about balancing "effectiveness" and "good for you" in skin care products. She believes beauty is much more than just skin deep. What you put on your skin is just as important as what you put in your mouth.

There are healthy and natural remedies to even the worst skin issues. The key is in the ingredients. Do you choose plant oils and extracts with proven clinical histories? Or chemical by-products that have been linked to cancers? The difference could be a long lifetime of glowing skin.

Learn more about how to choose good-for-you (and effective) skin care products on her website, "http://www.naturally-perfect-skin.com".

What are some home remedies for oily skin?

does it work for oily skin?what ingredients did you use?can you use natural ingredients 2 twice a day?what remedies can you use twice a day?what do you put to control oily skin.what clear up ance scars?what are home remedies mask and exfoliater should i use?

WELLLL HERE IS THE BEST ....EASIEST.....AND .....CHEAP....and i regularlly....use.....well stop thinking......here is the remidy LEMON..thats all....it's the bestt...best....thing for oily skin...just rub the lemon juice over ur face...than u fell little tiny itchy apply a little milk over it....thats all...lemon reduces...the oilness in ur face....it gives a brighter glow....becoz it act as a bleaching...and with the mix of milk it keeps ur skin soft...and give a whitening look.....all the things u want for a skin...to look beautiful... : )) hope i helped : )go on to glow up ur face..... : ))

How To Tip: Stop Oily Skin For Free

Tags: beauty, best, care, oily, oily skin acne, oily skin care, oily skin products, oily skin remedies, oily skin solutions, skin

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 9th, 2008 at 9:42 pm and is filed under anti-aging skin care. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.