11 Tips For Oily Skin To Reduce Shine & Build Up

If you’re here, you’re probably looking for the best tips for oily skin to reduce shine and build up all day long, yes?

I know first hand how oily skin can be a pain in the butt, it shortens the longevity of your makeup and creates too much shine when you’re not looking for any additional glow.

And then there’s the clogged pores, blackheads and other congestion your skin can develop due to excess oils.

But there are definitely skin care and makeup tips and tricks you can follow to reduce shine and oil output during the day.

I’m here to share 11 tips to help you treat your oily skin, because life is too short to be worrying about excess shine.

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What Causes Oily Skin?

Oily skin is the result of the overproduction of sebum from sebaceous glands and is usually driven by your hormones – although your skin care routine and the products you use can also impact how much oil you skin pumps out.

While it isn’t all bad – oil helps protect and moisturize your skin, which is super important to the health of your skin. Too much oil, however, may lead to excessively oily skin, which can cause clogged pores, acne and a super shiny complexion.

Makeup also has a harder time lasting on oily skin, since the oil can cause your makeup to slip off and fade more easily during the day.

 

How to manage oily skin in 11 steps:

   1. Don’t Over Cleanse

When I was younger, I always felt super dirty when my skin got oily. All I wanted to do at the end of the day was scrub my face and suck out any trace of oil. This usually involved a heavy exfoliating scrub and a sulfate-based foaming cleanser  – both of which would leave my skin feeling tight and dry.

The problem with harsh cleansers? Stripping your skin of too much moisture can damage your skin’s natural moisture barrier and cause it to pump out more oil to compensate.

 

If you are using a cleanser that leaves your skin feeling tight and dry afterwards – ditch it! – and find a gentler option.

Avoid the harsh cleansers and opt for a gentle, water-soluble option like CeraVe’s Foaming Facial Cleanser (sulfate-free) for normal to oily skin; it will remove dirt and oil without over-stripping skin and has salicylic acid in it to deep clean pores.

Don’t be afraid of cream cleansers  or oil cleansers either – they’re super gentle yet effective and the good ones rinse easily with no greasy residue left behind to add oil to your skin.

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Keep your oily skin hydrated and moisturized with these awesome lightweight moisturizers for oily skin.

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2. Avoid Alcohol-Heavy Products and Opt For Salicylic Acid 

While I highly recommend using an exfoliating toner or serum to keep pores clear and help you manage your oily skin, it’s important to find the right one. Many products geared towards oily skin tend to include alcohol (usually listed within the first three ingredients).

Alcohol is known for its mattifying properties because it easily removes oil. However, it can also cause:

-dryness, which can lead to more oil production

-enlarged pores

-bumpy skin texture

-redness, irritation or breakouts.

When selecting any skin care product for oily skin, read the ingredients first and keep a lookout for alcohol-heavy products. This can be tricky because some types of alcohol are bad for skin, while others are not.

Bad alcohols include: benzyl alcohol, alcohol, isopropryl alcohol (rubbing alcohol), SD alcohol, denatured alcohol, alcohol denat., ethanol, methanol, ethyl and methyl alcohol, polyvinyl alcohol.

If these types of alcohol are near the top of the ingredients listing, you may want to think twice about using that product on your skin. Instead, target your shopping to products that include salicylic acid (a beta hydroxy, or BHA acid).

Salicylic acid is perfect for oily skin because it penetrates deeply into pores to remove dirt and oil that can cause blackheads, breakouts and enlarged pores. Two great beta hydroxy acid toners that I found to be super effective and alcohol-free are the COSRX BHA Blackhead Power Liquid or the COSRX Poreless Power Liquid.

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3. Choose The Right Moisturizer For Oily Skin

It’s a common myth that oily skin doesn’t need to be moisturized, but this is a crucial step for all skin types. If you have oily skin, it’s important to find a moisturizer that is made for oily skin.

The best moisturizers for oily skin are oil-free and usually come in the form of lightweight lotions, gels or thinner creams that have mattifying ingredients to control shine while hydrating skin.

Niacinamide is also a great ingredient for oily skin types because it helps reduce sebum production with continued use, which can help reduce shine and better manage oily skin. So before buying a moisturizer, check the label to ensure it suits your skin type

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Keep your oily skin hydrated and moisturized with these awesome lightweight moisturizers for oily skin.

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4. Use The Right Ingredients & Masks

Clay or charcoal masks are great for sucking out oil and deep cleaning pores. I use a clay mask once a week or before an event to reduce blackheads and shrink my pores for flawless makeup finish.

I’m currently loving the Aztec Secret Healing Indian Clay Mask; a powdered clay mask that can be mixed with apple cider vinegar for pore refining results. Salicylic acid is also great for deep cleaning pores, so a mask infused with this acid (like The Ordinary 2% Salicylic Acid Masque) will help keep them clean and minimized.

A skin care ingredient that is also great for oily skin types to minimize pores and reduce oil output is niacinamide (vitamin B3). Look for this ingredient in your skin care products or use a dedicated niacinamide serum (I love this one from Paula’s Choice) to control your oil – it’s one of my most favourite skin care ingredients for oily skin!

5. Skin Prep – Remove Excess Oil Before Makeup

If you find your skin to be too oily after moisturizing, grab a facial tissue and press the tissue onto your shiny spots.

The tissue will absorb the excess oil, as well as any moisturizer that hasn’t fully absorbed into your skin before you apply your foundation. This will leave you with a matte surface right from the start and help to better manage your oily skin from the start.

 

6. Try A Mattifying Primer

Skin primers provide a barrier between your skin and your makeup. They can help prolong the wear of your makeup products by physically blocking oils from breaking it down throughout the day.

Pore filling primers also help reduce the appearance of enlarged pores, as well as the much-despised “shine” that oily skin produces. Mattifying primers are oil-free and usually contain dimethicone (a type of silicone).

When selecting a primer, look for products that promote shine control or matte finishes, like the NYX Pore Filler Primer, which is one of my favourites! Avoid hydrating primers, or any primers that promote dewiness or glowing/radiant/shimmering finishes, as these are formulated for drier skin types.

An eyelid primer can also help eyeshadows and foundation from creasing.

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7. Choose The Right Foundation For Oily Skin

If you have oily skin, you need to find an oil-free foundation that is formulated for oily skin. Avoid foundations that claim to provide dewiness, a satin or sheer finish, glowing, radiant or semi-matte finishes. Instead, opt for foundations that provide a matte finish, such as the Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation or Maybelline Matte + Poreless foundation.

8. Properly Set Your Foundation

I’ve mentioned this before, but properly setting your foundation has a number of benefits, one of which is shine control. If you have oily skin, I highly recommend finding a good setting powder and setting your foundation.

I like to set my entire face, including my eyelids, with powder. If you don’t want to set your whole face, you can apply the setting powder to the oil-prone areas only. You can see Tati Westbrook setting her foundation with powder in the video tutorial below.

RELATED READING: 5 Reasons To Set Your Foundation With Powder

 9. Choose The Right Makeup Finishes

After you’ve primed, applied the right foundation and set your face, you need to select the right enhancing products. Avoid shimmering blushes and don’t go heavy on the highlighter, as these will only enhance shine.

If you have issues keeping your eyeliner in place due to excess oil, consider using a liquid or gel waterproof liner; these liners tend to have more staying power than an eyeliner pencil and can be budge-proof if you find a good one.

I find MAC’s Liquidlast Eyeliner to be removable only with a good quality eye makeup remover.

10. Use A Matte Setting/Finishing Spray

Setting sprays are a great option to lock your makeup in place all day and manage oily skin; they are sprayed onto your face after you have applied all your makeup. Again, avoid setting sprays that promote dewiness, glow, shine or radiance and opt for the matte versions.

I use the NYX Matte Setting Spray but a cult favourite is the Skindinavia Makeup Finishing Spray or the Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray.

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11. Use Facial Blotting Papers

Keep blotting papers on hand to absorb excess oil throughout the day. These papers are specially formulated to absorb excess facial oil when pressed against the skin. Most makeup lines have their own blotting papers, but when I’m in a pinch, I find those brown recycled paper towels great for absorbing excess oil. Coffee filter papers are also another great low-cost option!

And those are my 11 tips for oily skin!

How do you keep your oil and shine in check?

Follow my “Oily Skin” board on Pinterest for more tips, tricks, routines and products for oily skin.