Ditch The Blotting Paper: Here’s A Home Remedy Guidebook For Oily Skin

Women who have had oily skin, or an oily T-zone for the most part of their lives could as well be part of a support group, they have a common problem that infuriates them all. If you’re one with overactive oil glands, I know how hard it must be for you to get a natural glow! The extra wipes/blotting sheets you need through the day, the need to powder your nose all the time, battling the unnecessary shine in all the wrong places can get exhausting through the day. The endless ‘I could use the oil on your face to fry samosas’ jokes aren’t funny either.

Also Read About Makeup Tips For Oily Skin

But honestly, glowing skin is in, and with a few preventive measures and basic hacks, you could rock your natural skin type without even thinking about any of the problems that I just mentioned above! Before we get into the tips, hacks and home remedies for oily skin, let’s get down to brass tacks, what does it mean when we say ‘I have oily skin’ and what causes your skin or a certain area of your face to get oily. Let’s get one thing straight though, acne-prone skin is almost always oily but oily skin isn’t ALWAYS acne-prone.

Why Oily Skin?

We don’t really go into the depths of understanding why we have oily skin. It is just one of those things that happen to you either from the beginning or after you’re over your teenage acne phase. Of course, you have the basic idea that it is because of your overactive sebaceous glands or simply genetics — overproduction of the hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT) is often passed down generations. But I am here to tell you that you might, unconsciously, be doing things to your skin that is making it more oily than it would otherwise be! So here are a few other (curable) causes that might be adding to your already shiny face.

1. Stress!

Stress and anxiety basically lead to your body producing more cortisol, the main side effect of which is the extra oil on your face. Obviously, this oil factory will also cause breakouts because it will be clogging your pores! This is not even just for us with oily skin, but also for the ones without. I know I can’t ask you to keep calm, but we will get to how you can combat this in a bit.

2. Not picking the right face wash

Not all anti-acne, anti-oil face washes are good for you! Actually, some of them might be a little too harsh, which would dry out your skin making your skin produce more oil to cover up for that. I know, the skin is a weird thing, right? Anyway, sulphate-free, paraben-free, oil-free, and perfume free, are some good keywords to look for when you pick a cleanser.

3. Cleansing too often

Now that we have discussed the face wash, let’s also discuss the number of times you wash your face. Ideally, you should be “washing” your face just once a day with a good quality cleanser. But we know that never happens, we all have the latent need to want to cleanse more. So if you want to clean your face twice a day, use a mild cleanser for the morning and then use the heavy duty one, that’s specifically made for oily skin, at night. Ideally though, if you can, try and just splash your face with cold water in the morning. TRY, that’s all I’m saying.

4. Too much dairy

A lot of milk, milk product consumption MIGHT be playing with your hormones causing more oil production. While I am not saying to cut it out completely, you might want to stick to black coffee for a while.

5.  Your make-up might be clogging your pores

Okay, you knew I was going to bring this up at some point right? I know you loved the BB cream your friend had on and you bought it but your skin types are not the same. You need to be careful and pick out make-up that is made for your skintype. Most make-up, will clog your pores, making your glands go into overdrive to produce more oil. Go with something light, oil-free, and non-comedogenic. On the plus side, the right choice in make-up will actually stay on your skin for MUCH longer, because you won’t be wiping and dabbing it off all day!

6. You’re not using the right moisturiser

Repeat after me: WE ALL NEED MOISTURISER. Okay, now that this is drilled in your brain, understand, that if your skin is not properly hydrated it will feel like it isn’t doing its job and then your oily nose and chin won’t go away at all. So you need to pick a light, water-based, oil-free moisturiser to keep your skin from drying up.

Home Remedies & Packs For Oily Skin

While there are amazing beauty products that you could get to combat oily skin, going au natural is the fad today, and it just might be what your skin needs. Here are a few ingredients and packs using those ingredients that will help you deal with your woes right at home.

1. Tomato and honey pack

Tomatoes are rich in Vitamin C and come packed with cooling, clarifying and astringent properties. And this helps suck up the excess oil.

1. Take the juice of one medium sized tomato and mix it with a teaspoon of honey.
2. Leave this pack on for a good 15 minutes and apply it once a week for best results.

2. Banana is all you need

Banana is rich in iron, potassium, Vitamins A, B, C and E, and fights oily skin like no other ingredient. The lemon helps you get rid of that tan!

1. Mash one ripe banana and add to it a teaspoon of honey and the juice of one lemon.
2. Keep the pack on for 20 minutes before washing it off with lukewarm water.

3. A mix of avocado and oatmeal

Avocado comes packed with minerals, Vitamin E and unsaturated fats. Oatmeal, on the other hand, forms a protective layer on your skin while also removing dead cells.

1. Cook half a cup oatmeal and add to it half a ripe avocado.
2. Once you have a thick paste, apply it and leave it on your face for 15 – 20 minutes.

Apply this once in 15 days!

4. Cool off with cucumber

Cucumber helps keep your skin oil free, and egg is great to subtly moisturize your skin.

1. Make a puree of one egg white, one teaspoon lemon, one teaspoon mint and a small cucumber.
2. Keep this mix in a refrigerator and let it cool for 15 – 20 minutes.
3. Once chilled, apply the mix on your face and let it sit for 15 minutes.  Alternate between hot and cold water while washing it off.

5. Papaya is a quick fix!

Papaya is great for every skin type and it sure does work wonders for oily skin. It helps remove excess sebum from the skin while also helping in exfoliation.

1. Mash a bowl of papaya and apply it on your skin to remove dirt, dead skin cells and to also reduce your wrinkles.
2. Regular use will also help you get rid of oily skin.

6. The magic of Multani mitti

Multani mitti serves as a fab ingredient to soak oil and dirt off the skin surface. It also has oil reducing properties and will help reduce redness and greasiness on the skin.

1. Soak two tablespoons of Multani mitti in warm water for about an hour.
2. Once it’s soft, add a tablespoon of rosewater and lemon juice to make a thick paste.
3. You can add a few drops of milk to prevent dryness.

7. Get gorgeous with green tea

Green tea helps control sebum production and rice flour help absorb excess oil while also getting rid of dead skin cells.

1. Brew three teaspoons of green tea and mix it with an equal portion of rice flour once cooled.
2. Add a few drops of lemon to get a thick paste.
3. Apply this paste for 20 minutes and wash off with cool water. You can later use it to exfoliate your skin as well.

8. Coconut is all you need

Coconut oil and honey are enriched with antibacterial and antifungal properties to help you fight oil.

1. Take 3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil and add to it a teaspoon of raw honey.
2. Stir it well before adding a teaspoon of baking soda to the mix.
3. Apply this mix using a spatula. Leave it on for 15 minutes before rubbing it off with your fingertips to exfoliate.
4. Finally, wash it off with warm water. You can even store this mix at room temperature.

9. Almond meal scrub

Almond meal is fantastic for your skin when used in face and body scrubs for removing dead skin cells, repairing damage while moisturizing dry dehydrated skin. Almonds are high in B Vitamins plus Vitamin E, all of which are important for protecting and supporting skin function.

1. Take two tablespoons of almond meal in a bowl and add four tablespoons of milk and one tablespoon of lemon peel powder.
2. Apply this paste for 20 minutes and rinse off.

10. Rice powder and corn flour mask

Rice powder and corn flour help remove the dead skin cells present in the upper skin layer. The natural bleaching properties of lemon help reduce dark spots and breakouts.

1. Take two tablespoons of rice powder, two tablespoons of corn flour and few drops of lemon and mix it into a thick paste.
2. Add water if necessary.
3. Massage this paste over the face in a circular motion and rinse off.

11. Your new favourite toner

When you have oily skin, the toner becomes really important. This homemade one with rose petals and essential oils is great to combat the oilyness.

1. Add a few rose petals, five to six drops of chamomile oil and one drop of geranium oil to your bath water. It works as a natural toner for people with oily skin.
2. Alternatively, just add the same mix to distilled water, strain and add to a spray bottle to carry on the go!

12. Clay or mud to remove the oil

Mud or clay packs help remove the excess oil while restricting oil production and getting rid of impurities.

1. Combine 1 teaspoon of clay and enough amount of rosewater or witch hazel, to make it into a paste and apply it to the clean skin.
2. After it has dried completely, rinse off with water and pat dry. For added benefits, you can add few drops of any essential oil(tea tree and geranium are amazing).

13. Cornstarch as a daily cleanser

Cornstarch dries up excess oil, leaving skin soft and clear.

1. Mix 2-3 tablespoons cornstarch with warm water.
2. Apply the paste to your face and leave on until it dries.
3. Rinse with lukewarm water, repeat daily.

Oily skin isn’t the end of the world, there are a lot of benefits of that extra shine. So chuck the inhibitions along with that blotting sheet you just used, and dazzle like a superstar!