How to Keep Your Face Less Oily Throughout the Day
Oily skin plagues many people from adolescence on, and the fight doesn't necessary get easier as you age. That freshly washed face can quickly turn into an oil slick in a matter of hours, giving you a greasy, unkempt feeling. While caring for oily skin is a battle, it's certainly one you can win. By adding a few important tools to your arsenal, your skin can stay matte and look fresh all day long.
A woman is drying her face with a towel. (Image: HISAO OSONO/a.collectionRF/amana images/Getty Images)Step 1
Wash your face with a dime-sized amount of a cleanser containing a 2 percent solution of salicylic acid. Massage your skin gently in a circular motion using your finger tips for at least 60 seconds. Rinse your face using cool water and then gently pat it dry with a towel.
Step 2
Saturate a cotton ball with an antibacterial facial toner labeled as oil-absorbing. Wipe your face thoroughly using the cotton ball but avoid the eye area.
Step 3
Dab a non-comedogenic moisturizer onto the areas of your face that are dry, such as the cheekbones, eye area and temples. June Jacobs, founder of June Jacobs Spa Collection, suggests looking for moisturizers that contain hyaluronic acid. Apply only an oil-free moisturizer to areas of your face that tend to produce a lot of oil, such as the nose, chin and forehead.
Step 4
Squeeze a pea-sized amount of mattifying facial primer into your hand and dab it onto your face using your fingers. Spread the primer out evenly in a very light layer.
Step 5
Apply a light layer of oil-free foundation to your face by dabbing it onto your face in dots and them blending the dots evenly over your face.
Step 6
Blot your face as needed throughout the day using oil-absorbing blotting papers to remove any shininess that develops.
Things You'll Need
Cleanser containing salicylic acid
Cotton ball
Oil-absorbing toner
Non-comedogenic moisturizer
Primer
Oil-free foundation
Blotting papers
Facial scrub
Tip
Exfoliating your skin once per week using a gentle facial scrub can reduce skin's oily appearance. Massage the scrub over your skin gently and rinse off with cool water.
Warning
Don't use too many facial products to control your oily skin. This can lead to over-drying, which causes flaky skin.
Don't apply powder during the day if your face starts to get shiny. The powder will mix with your facial oil to create a paste.
