Oily skin is not only a pain to deal with, but it can also make you feel downright embarrassed if you are in a brightly lit place and your greasy complexion reflects the light, gleaming like…you know what that’s like, right? Look no further than our proven, superb home remedies for oily skin for a solution to your problem!
Causes of Oily Skin
Excess oil accumulates on the outer skin layer since your glands are producing too much sebum, leading to large pores. This, in turn, causes whiteheads, acne, blackheads, and other pimples as well as general skin irritation.
Disheartening as that may sound, there is one big advantage – people with oily skin develop fewer wrinkles and age better. Wrinkles are typically caused by dryer than normal skin.
But why do some people’s glands produce more sebum than others? This has a lot to do with genetics. In other words, if your parents have oily skin, the apple didn’t fall far from the tree there. You are not going to escape the oily skin. But genes aren’t the only cause! Other causes include:
- Stress
- Your Menstrual Cycle
- Cosmetics
- The Weather
Both physical and emotional stress can induce oily skin. The hormonal surge will put your oil glands into overdrive.
Have you noticed that you can break out in acne a few days before your period? That has to do with hormones as well.
Some cosmetics, especially the heavy kind, will trap oil in the skin cells, making a naturally greasy complexion go from bad to worse. Avoid touching your face and spending too much time on the phone, or if you can’t, wear headphones.
Warmer, more humid weather exacerbates problems with oily skin. At least now you have a reason to look forward to winter.
Signs and Symptoms of Oily Skin
Before getting into treatment, you need to understand what your problem is and make sure you are treating the right one. Large pores and a shiny complexion are typical signs. The skin can feel thick, especially on the face. You feel you have to keep washing your face to make it appear less shiny.
Oily skin can be hard to manage, but there are quite a few things you can do to deal with this common problem. Expensive skincare products are not necessary – in fact, you’d be best off just getting rid of them. They haven’t only put a dent in your wallet – they are chemical-based and damaging your skin even more as a result.
Treatments
Home remedies can be quite effective against oily skin. I know that it feels like an endless uphill battle, but the end is in sight! Please realize that your skin isn’t your enemy and with the proper care it will improve. Try a few of the home remedies below and see!
1. Lemons – super-rich in minerals and vitamins
As we all know, lemons have a high Vitamin C content, making them a great home remedy for oily skin. Lemons boast a variety of vitamins and antioxidants, which can help limit oil gland production.
Required Ingredients:
- Glass of water
- Half a lemon
Process:
- Squeeze the juice of half a lemon in a glass of water and rub on your skin. The acidic content will dry it out. Leave on for 15 minutes, then wash off with water at room temperature.
2. Fight skin-damaging bacteria with yogurt
Yogurt is the best, most effective probiotic out there. For this remedy, you will need the plain, unsweetened kind. Yogurt with active cultures is an excellent remedy to dry skin. Active cultures counteract oil production by killing the bacteria thriving on skin oil.
Required Ingredients:
- Some plain, unsweetened yogurt
Process:
- Dip a cotton swab in the yogurt and cover your face with it. Leave on for fifteen minutes, twice daily, then wash off. You will begin to feel your skin start to dry out in a few days. You can supplement this treatment by eating plain, unsweetened yogurt as often as possible
3. Aloe Vera – the top skin care plant
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You know that skincare is among aloe vera’s top medicinal properties. It also works against oily skin by stabilizing the body’s pH.
Required Ingredients:
- One cup of aloe vera juice or half a cup of gel
Process:
- Mix the gel with water and cover your face. Leave on for ten minutes, then rinse. Repeat as often as needed until you start to feel the effect.
Note: You can supplement this remedy by mixing the aloe juice with lemon juice and drinking the mixture in the morning on an empty stomach. You can add water or brown sugar to improve the taste.
4. Cucumbers do wonders for oily skin
Cucumbers are very good for oily skin due to their healing, cooling and astringent properties. They have a host of other amazing medicinal properties such as a high concentration of magnesium, vitamins A and E and potassium, all of which are quite beneficial for oily skin.
We can offer you two cucumber remedies – try one or both for optimal results
Remedy 1
Required Ingredients:
- One fresh cucumber
Process:
- Cut the cucumber into thick slices and rub them on the face before going to bed. In the morning, rinse off with cool water. Do this once a day.
Note: It works best with organic cucumbers.
Remedy 2
Required Ingredients:
- Half a tablespoon of fresh cucumber juice
- Half a teaspoon of lime juice
Process:
- Blend or make the cucumber into paste by hand and mix its juice with the lime juice. Apply this mixture to your skin once a day and wash off once it dries. This remedy will also help reduce sunburn or lighten freckles.
Note: Lime is very acidic so do not exceed the recommended quantity – unless you want the skin to get even worse!
5. Tomatoes are a great natural astringent and cooler
Tomatoes are very beneficial for oily skin because they have a very high vitamin C content as well as a host of clearing, cooling and astringent properties. Their oil-absorbing acids help treat oily complexions.
Required Ingredients:
- One organic tomato
Process:
- Cut the tomato in half and rub the juice on your face. Wait 15 minutes, then wash off with cold water and use a clean soft cloth to pat your face dry.
- Alternatively, you can make a face mask with the juice of one tomato and one tablespoon of honey.
Note: You can supplement this therapy with a light, oil-free moisturizer.
6. Apple Cider Vinegar – Immediate relief from oily skin
Apple cider vinegar can help relieve greasy, shiny skin – you won’t believe how great is it. This remedy will calm the irritated skin, ensuring instant effect. Vinegar has been used for medicinal purposes for ages – if you can’t get apple cider vinegar, regular vinegar will work too.
Required Ingredients:
- One tablespoon of apple cider / regular vinegar
- One glass of water
Process:
- Add the vinegar to a glass of warm water, let it cool to room temperature and rub on the face. Do this daily for several days. Stop when the irritation is gone and the skin starts to dry.
7. Honey – the enemy of oily skin
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One of the oldest natural skincare products in the world is honey. Honey is not only extremely beneficial but also delicious – no wonder it has been likened to ambrosia so often! Its ethereal oils and alcohol in honey help reduce skin irritation.
Required Ingredients:
- One teaspoon of honey
- A glass of hot water
Process:
- Mix one teaspoon of honey into a glass of hot water (but not too hot to bear) and rub it slowly on your face several times a day. Every time you perform this process, wait for the mix to dry on your skin to take effect.
How to Prevent Oily Skin
We always say that the best treatment is prevention, and you know it’s true. It’s not hard to take care of the skin to prevent excess oil – you just haven’t been doing it properly. This is how to do it:
- Toning
- Washing
- Avoiding harsh cosmetics
- Light moisturizing
- Exfoliating
- Using sunblock
To look better, oily skin needs a mix of toning, exfoliation and light moisturizing. Cleansing is key for oily skin to prevent the oil from filling the pores because that’s when you start to break out and acne and blackheads appear. Wash your face twice a day on average, more if it is oilier than usual. Wash once in the morning and once before you go to bed at night. If you skip a wash, use a blotting sheet.
Toning helps treat oily skin by removing excess oil from your pores. Using a toner has occurred to many people, of course, maybe you are one of them – but it hasn’t worked for you? Maybe you have not been using the right type of toner. Use a gentle one that does not contain any alcohol or other harsh ingredients that dry out the skin.
If the toner contains alcohol or menthol, this will cause the oil glands of the skin to produce even more oil to make up for the drying effect.
You may find it unnecessary and even counterproductive to moisturize your skin as there is enough moisture on there to last a lifetime. You are, in fact, wrong. This is a very important step. Skin can get too dry even if it is creating a lot of its natural moisturizer – oil is not the same. Oily glands will produce even more oil when the skin is dry.
Use a light, water-based moisturizer which does not contain oil and doesn’t clog pores. Apply it daily and keep doing so until your skin becomes normal – that is, neither oily nor dry.
The number of skincare products on the market today is downright overwhelming. There are so many that people are always trying new ones to help normalize greasy skin. Sometimes the products themselves can make the skin produce too much oil! Let your skin breathe – literally – and give it a break from all the ointments and other stuff.
If you must try out a new product (you’re sure it will help for some reason) introduce it slowly and be very careful about how your skin reacts to it. Less is more when it comes to preventing oily skin.
Exfoliating removes dead skin cells and helps clear the skin pores. This is especially significant for oily skin as it helps remove the excess buildup that is typical of oily skin. Make sure you buy a gentle scrub that doesn’t dry out or exacerbate your skin condition. The best exfoliators contain salicylic acid which reaches deep down into the pore lining, helping remove buildup and clear up blackheads and blemishes.
Last, but not least…
Don’t forget the sunblock in summer, especially if you live in a hot country with humid weather. I can’t stress this enough. Sun protection is essential for all skin types, of course, but for those with oily skin, it requires special consideration. This is because you may be tempted to go without it as it seems the skin oil provides enough protection.
Use a light sunblock without oil or alcohol. One option I can recommend is mineral powder sunscreens – these oil-free powder formulas are made up of iron and zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. These components do not clog pores, but they do offer great protection by blocking infrared rays.
Conclusion
Did you enjoy our list of home remedies? Can you think of anything to add to the list? Oily skin can get annoying, and if it persists – quite embarrassing. I hope you have learned how to treat it without worrying, panicking, and buying expensive skincare products!
Please tell us what you think in the comments and share this article so you can help other people out there who are suffering from the pangs and arrows of greasy, anti-social skin, unwise to simple, effective treatment.
Cory Fang
A beauty professional, Cory Fang earned her two-year diploma in Beauty and Skin Care before going on to study Reflexology, Somatology, and electrical face and body treatments.She is committed to her client's well-being, and after working at a local beauty business for three years, she went into business for herself four years ago. A proponent on peels, skin needling, facials, and basic home care, she knows what it takes to keep skin and the body healthy.
