WHAT IS OILY SKIN?
Finding the balance between hydrated and oil-slicked can be tricky when your skin exudes more shine than you’d like it to. Fortunately, our expert guide of tips, tricks and top skincare picks will help keep your skin both supple and shine-free.
WHAT CAUSES OILY SKIN?
Oily skin is when your body’s sebaceous glands overproduce oily, fat-like molecules called sebum. While everyone’s pores need sebum to help keep their skin protected and hydrated, there are a few factors that can cause these sebaceous glands to go a little overboard. These include:
GENETICS
From good old DNA to the body’s natural ageing process, how our sebaceous glands behave is often down to our genetic makeup.
HORMONES
Androgens, the nifty hormones linked to our reproductive system, can contribute to our lack of sleep, stress levels, and, you guessed it, our oil production.
ENVIRONMENT
While it may not be the deciding factor, where you live can play a part in how much oil your hormones produce, as it may be shinier when it’s colder to compensate for a lack of hydration.
SKIN TYPE
Figuring out your skin type and finding the products that suit it best could prevent you from stripping or overloading your pores with moisture, resulting in an oilier than necessary surface.
SKINCARE TIPS & ADVICE FOR OILY SKIN
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN OILY AND COMBINATION SKIN?
The difference between oily and combination skin lies in your T-zone – that’s the forehead, nose and chin combined. If you find that your T-zone is oily, but the rest of your face seems normal or even dry, news flash – you’ve got combination skin. If your skin is generally oily all-over, then ding ding ding, you’ve got oily skin
IS MY SKINCARE MAKING MY FACE OILY?
Using the wrong skincare products for your skin type may be what’s causing your oily skin to begin with. Your skin, by design, is meant to moisturise itself, and when you use products that strip it of its natural oils and don’t replenish them, your pores will try to compensate for the lack of hydration, which can lead to an overproduction of sebum, clogged pores and blemishes.
HOW CAN I HELP STOP MY FACE FROM BEING SHINY?
It’s perfectly normal to have a little shine here and there, but if you’re looking for ways to simmer that sparkle, any product with the word “mattifier” should do the trick. Our Tea Tree Skin Clearing Mattifying Facial Toner, Matte Clay Skin Clarifying Foundation, and Matte Clay Concealer, are here to help keep you shine-free, all day.
WHAT SKINCARE INGREDIENTS ARE BEST FOR OILY SKIN?
Known for its naturally purifying prowess, tea tree oil has always been a winner for oily and blemished skin. That’s why we love it in our Tea Tree skincare range. Our Community Fair Trade partner programme in Kenya harvest the tea tree leaves by hand and steam-distils them within 12 hours of picking to retain as much of the tea tree’s good stuff as possible. The small-scale farmers in Kenya that we work with benefit from the steady income that this work provides, so every time a little bottle of our iconic Tea Tree Oil, or one of our Tea Tree skin products for oily skin goes home with you, it’s not just helping your face, it’s helping the local farmers in Kenya, too.
TOP INGREDIENTS FOR OILY SKIN
TEA TREE
Known for its naturally purifying prowess, tea tree has always been a winner for oily and blemished skin. And the benefits stack up. It helps to purify the skin and reduce the appearance of blemishes.
That’s why we love it in our Tea Tree skincare range. Our Community Fair Trade partners in Kenya harvest the tea tree leaves by hand and steam-distils them within 12 hours of picking to retain as much of the tea tree’s good stuff as possible.
SALICYLIC ACID
This blemish-battling beta hydroxy acid (BHA) is a skin-loving chemical that helps to gently exfoliate dead skin cells, promoting clearer-looking skin. It stimulates cell turnover by exfoliating the top layer of skin, clearing away any dirt or excess oil. This helps to visibly reduce blemishes and, because it has antibacterial properties, helps to prevent new breakouts from making an appearance – powerful stuff!
WHAT’S THE BEST SKINCARE ROUTINE FOR OILY SKIN?
CLEANSE
Our Tea Tree Skin Clearing Facial Wash is a daily must to help cleanse the skin of impurities and excess oil, all without over-drying the skin. Word to the wise – be careful not to scrub your skin or over-wash it, as overly harsh actions can stimulate sebum flow. Once washed, pat your skin dry instead of rubbing to gently prepare your skin for the next step.
TONE
Helping to balance your skin’s excess oil is our Tea Tree Skin Clearing Mattifying Toner and the next step in your oily skincare routine. Enriched with Community Fair Trade tea tree oil and shake-to-mix mattifying powders, it helps to remove any last traces of makeup and impurities that might be clinging on post-cleanse. Swipe all over the face, avoiding the eye area.
TARGET
2-3 drops of our Tea Tree Oil Anti-Imperfection Daily Solution can help restore balance to your complexion. Oily skin types often think adding moisturisers or serums to the mix are going to make oily skin even oilier, but that’s not necessarily true, as even oily skin needs the right balance of moisture.
MOISTURISE
Finally, our Tea Tree In-Control Hydrator quenches thirsty skin while helping to keep shine at bay. Squeeze out a dollop of our hydrator, smooth it onto freshly cleansed skin, et voila! Your oily skincare routine is complete.
WHAT’S THE BEST MAKEUP PRODUCT FOR OILY SKIN?
Say goodbye to oil-slick skin with a little help from our Tea Tree Face Base. This mattifying powder foundation is a buildable formula that can be used to take away shine or to cover up blemishes. Enriched with purifying Community Fair Trade tea tree oil, it doesn’t just help to mattify skin, it also helps to leave it looking clearer. A win-win, right? Available in 40 shades, apply it as part of your makeup routine and you’ll be good to go for 12hrs. And the best part is that it's non-comedogenic, so it won’t clog up your pores throughout the day.