Why am I so oily
Do you know your skin type? If your skin changes throughout the seasons, you might sometimes wonder ‘why am I so oily’ now? I’ll help you figure out your oil problems!
Know your skin type
Sometimes it can be hard to figure out your skin type but one of the easiest ways to know if you have oily skin is by doing the tissue test:
- Grab a clean tissue
- Blot different areas of your face, using different sections of the tissue.
- After each ‘blot’, check the tissue to see if there is any oily residue.
See a great infographic on the steps to figure out your skin type. It will help you to figure out if or ‘why am I so oily’. Not all areas of your face will have the same skin type. For example, your forehead and nose may be oily, while your cheeks and chin may be dry – or even normal. It’s very common to have combination skin.
Why am I so oily?
The oily parts of your skin can be frustrating and you may be wondering why you’re so oily. You may be surprised to find out that the largest organ of your body can produce more oil when you are stressed. Stress really does a number on our skin. When the stress is contributing to the oiliness of our skin, we may break out more. The acne causes more stress and it becomes a vicious cycle.
It can also happen because of the foods you’re eating. For example, I remember when I was a teenager, people would tell me that eating fries would make my skin oily. That’s not entirely true. The truth is that the types of foods we eat can lead to inflammation in our bodies. It is true, though, that the types of foods we eat may contribute to more toxins in our bodies. The more toxins we have, the more they need to be eliminated. It is sometimes eliminated through our skin. That’s when we get acne from the foods we eat.
When there’s inflammation, our skin compensates by producing more oil. So, it’s not the fries necessarily, it’s our bad diet that is causing a response in our bodies and skin. That’s an important distinction – one that is often missed.
What to do about it?
Many people try to get rid of the slick spots by trying to dry it out. That is the exact opposite of what you should do because our bodies will just compensate by producing more of it. The best thing to do is the following:
- Wash your face twice a day – once in the morning and once before bed. This is where a salicylic acid product may be beneficial – especially if used regularly to keep acne away – not to fix it.
- Dry your face.
- Use a toner – opt for a natural toner.
- Exfoliate – but only about 3 times per week. For more information on how to exfoliate, click here.
That’s it! It really can be that simple and inexpensive!
Featured photo credit: Marina.
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