Shamir writes, “The summer is near and I’ve changed foundations. I’m now using a stick or cream foundation in order to minimize oil but haven’t seen a dramatic improvement. I’ve even tried the Milk of Magnesia and Monistat chaffing gel. While I agree the Monistat is a great primer it hasn’t reduced my oil production. Please help!!”

As I too suffer from the woes of having oily skin, I decided to reach out to Emmy Award winning hairstylist and professional airbrush makeup artist Lavette Slater. She was able to provide some very helpful tips (which, frankly, I am about to put into practice). Get into it!

Hairstylist and Professional Makeup Artist Lavette Slater

Oily Skin Makeup Tips and Remedies:

Lavette Slater:  In order to deal with oily skin we first have to understand what’s happening and why. The skin produces excessive oil for many reasons some of the reasons are hormonal imbalances, eating foods that are high in fat and cholesterol, drinking sodas and other carbonated drinks and excessive washing and irritating the skin.

 Drinking lots of water and eating fruits and veggies help with oily skin period. Eating these foods that are rich in antioxidants and vitamins helps to even and balance the sebaceous glands (oil glands) and a healthy diet is overall great for our health ,body and skin.

Tips to minimize oily skin:

Don’t over wash your face or use harsh cleansers. When using a strong cleanser, it can actually cause the skin to produce more oil. Be very gentle when washing the face. Sometimes since the skin is so oily we tend to scrub the skin harder which will cause the skin to become irritated and to produce more oil.

Use an “Oil-Based” cleanser to gently cleanse the skin. The oil in the cleanser can actually help to remove the oil (using oil to remove the oil) while leaving the skin moisturized without a buildup.

Use an Alcohol free toner/astringent, this will remove excess residue left over without drying or being to harsh on the skin.

Use an “Oil-free” moisturizer. These types of moisturizers act as a humectant, it locks in moisture without being greasy. Also check for moisturizers that contain benzyl peroxide this helps to clear oily skin and to fight against blemishes and blackheads.

Use anti-shine primers before applying your foundation.

 

Always use “Oil-free” foundation. This will help to minimize the shine by the end of day and it gives you a matte finish. Check all labels for “Oil-free” and/or foundation for Oily skin. It’s important to use foundations that are geared towards your skin type.

 

 When your face is starting to get oily through out the day, simply blotting the areas is best. Try not to keep applying makeup, this can cause a heavy makeup look. Try blotting sheets, they absorb the excess oil.

Aloe Vera is great overall. It helps control and reduce the amount of oil produced from the pores. It comes in a gel, a liquid or you can just get the plant. When used on the face in the morning and at night you will see a dramatic difference with your oily skin.

Skin Care tips for the summer:

Less is more! Tinted moisturizers are great it moisturizes the skin without a heavy buildup. It provides a light coverage.

Thanks, Lavette!

I hope this was helpful to you, Shamir. I know I am beyond grateful. Will you be testing out Lavette’s tips? Let us know when you began to see results.

~Cliché

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25 thoughts on “Beauty Bomb: How to Reduce Summer Oily Skin”

  1. I need this post so bad! my skin is extremely oily I’ve tried just about everything. Using African black soap and toning w witch hazel worked for about a year but I think my skin got used to it and I’m back to being oily. Those Clean n Clear blotting sheet work wonders. But I’m going to give the aloe and sephora primer a try. And yes I drink plenty of water :)

  2. I was reluctant to try a tinted moisturizer or liquid foundation because of my oily skin, but I may give tinted moisturizers a try. Is there a particular one you or Lavette or anyone recommend?

  3. If you have really oily skin, most of those tips will only last until noon… then you’re oily again… try carrying Shiseido blotting papers (I’ve tried many other brands and they all take off my makeup along with the oil, Shiseido leaves your makeup in tact).

    Or try a finishing powder. Koh Gen Do (buy online or at Barneys) has a great powders that absorb all the oil on your face, and you only need a thin layer. It helps to keep your makeup from melting off of your face too!

    And if you are on a budget, the really cheap toilet paper in your office bathroom works as a pretty good blotter too.

  4. @ Mia, I would recommend the Nars tinted moisturizer. I dont use foundation at all but i love the tinted moisturizer. As with everything Nars, they are on the pricey side but if you can afford it, they are worth the splurge. Sephora’s also carry them so you can go in and try it out.

  5. Yesss this post was very helpful and very much needed! I am definitely going to try the aloe vera gel and “oil-based” cleansers. I always thought it was best to use an oil-free cleanser, but I’m gonna try switching it up and see what happens. Thanks for this post!

  6. I also have an oily skin. i follow those tips since 4 months now and have seen a significant improvement. Despite my nose still gets oily and shiny during the day, i do cary Shiseido blotting papers and they save my day ;-)
    Nevertheless, i am still looking for a good oil-free tinted moisturizer for summer. who tried Bobbi Brown one? would you recommend it?
    thank you in advance for your help

  7. @Mia I’d recommend MAC tinted moisturizer, it’s light and offers a pretty good coverage for the summer months. I would also recommend cetaphil oil controlling moisturizer, I’ve been using that for the past few weeks and I think it does a great job. or if you’re thrifty, you can just use this moisturizer and mix it with your regular foundation and BOOM you have your own tinted moisturizer! =)

  8. I use LUSH Herbalism and Witch Hazel. Bare Mineral is a great full coverage foundation for the Summer months. But you must exfoliate before using. You have to change up your skin reg each season. Toilet seat covers make great blotting paper… Remove the middle part and wah la!

    I also use LUSH RO’s Argan… No lotion needed during the Summer.

  9. Yes, FIRST you have to watch what you eat, your diet could be causing bad,greasy skin..

  10. I’ve had this problem for years and I finally got it under control by using Milk of magnesia as a primer and using a foundation with a satin-finish. I don’t like MACs studio fix foundation as the matte finish does not look realistic. I do however use studio fix powder over my foundation to matify and use it to occassionally blot. I feel this gives a more natural look.

  11. I learned that the seat covers from bathrooms are also good (Tyra show). Unlike toilet paper, they only remove oil and not the makeup.

  12. @Joanne_ I agree with you on mixing a moisturizer with your liquid foundation. That is what I usually do in the winter when my skin gets really dry.

  13. I use ELF tinted moisturizer mixed with my medicated oil free moisturizer. Witch hazel as a toner is great, it really moisturizes the skin. I don’t know if some body with acne should try this but I don’t wash my face in the mornings. I just rinse my face with a cool damp towel, use witch hazel and apply my moisturizer. Focusing on adding moisture to the skin as opposed to stripping it away has really helped with my oily skin, and drinking LOTS of water

  14. If oil is the primary issue, I would first take a look at your foundation choice before switching up your whole routine. I swore by a $$$ cream stick (most do contain oil), but found a simple switch in foundation did the trick (starting having this same problem with oily skin as I started inching up in age). A makeup artist friend recommended Revlon Colorstay (for oily skin). I was very reluctant because I’d never used liquid, but I REFUSE to use anything else now!

  15. @Indigo & Apple……I thought I was the oily one who used the toilet seat covers to combat oily skin when on the job! LOL

  16. I have always been oily but earlier this year my face was horrible and I broke out like a 12 year old. It was bad. I went to my facialist and she told me the same thing listed in the above article which I implemented and my skin is smooth. I even remove my make up with oil (MAC oil cleanser) and my skin no longer over produces oil.

  17. Removing make up with olive oil helps, drinking plenty of water and watching your diet. I hate wearing a lot of make up during the Texas heat so I really work on my skin during the winter as well. I think keeping it natural as possible so you can enjoy the summer,have fun!!

  18. Well I’ve suffered from cystic acne and oily skin for years and the only thing that worked was Accutane. The problem with that is it can do serious damage to your liver, you have to get blood work done every month while on it and the max is 6 months. You can also only do 2 rounds, that’s it. The best thing I’ve come across is NATURAL products. Organic Apple Cider Vinegar mixed with a bit of witch hazel and lavender oil has been my best friend for my oily skin. The ACV is a natural pH balancer. I’ve also switched to the Oil Cleansing method every other night (believe it or not, certain oil’s help to keep your skin from producing too much sebum). The only chemicals i use on my face now is the sunblock lotion and that’s only in the day time. My skin looks a hell of a lot better. My regimen is:
    Morning:
    Wash face with gentile Cetaphil Cleanser
    tone with ACV mixture (in a spray bottle). Just mist it on your face.
    99 % Aloe Vera Gel (is a life saver for inflammation of acne)
    vitamin e oil under my eyes and on my lips
    Oil Of Olay spf15 sensitive skin moisturizer

    Night:
    Oil cleansing Method
    ACV mixture misted on my face
    organic unrefined coconut oil as my moisturize

    I have a glow every morning. I also take Salmon Oil pills and Vitamins A, C & E pills

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