“My mother can make 10 paranthas with the amount of oil on your face.” As gross as it sounds, this is exactly what my friend said to me on a hot summer day. I’ve always had serious acne woes because of the amount of excess oil and sebum my body produces. From painful ones to small red bumps, something new was up on my face every day. Thanks to my genes, my skin is super oily and sensitive to most products.
Sick and tired of dealing with these problems and not getting desired results with homoeopathy, I decided to take matters into my own hands and carry out a Lil’ experiment:
What I Did
I’d heard that Multani Mitti is great for greasy skin. It absorbs excess oil and makes your face smooth and soft. So, I started applying a Multani Mitti pack twice a week. Apart from this home remedy, I thought that I’d try washing my face at least four times in a day. So, I started carrying my trusted Neutrogena face wash (Rs 439) everywhere. I also made sure to wash my face twice while I was at work and then washed my face after reaching home from work and before going to bed.
The Verdict
It didn’t go well. My skin started producing more oil and my face was full of blackheads. Moreover, my face started getting greasy more often and I had to wipe it off every now and then. Unfortunately, the number of zits on my face also increased.
Expert Speak
I spoke to Dr. Kiran Lohia of Lumiere Dermatology and this is what she had to say:
“This is a myth! Many people with oily skin think that they need to wash their face four or five times a day. Unfortunately what they’re doing is drying out their face, resulting in increased oil secretion. What does this mean? This means that when you try and wash your face too much, your body reacts by producing excess oil. So the problem you were trying to fix, gets worse! You end up in a vicious cycle that never ends.”
Products To Use
Dr. Lohia suggests that instead of washing your face more than three times a day, use these face washes:
Sebium Gel Moussant (Rs 720),
Avene Cleanance Gel (Rs 1,185)
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Foaming Gel (Rs 1,232)
Wash your face once in the morning, once after the gym, and once before you go to sleep. Some people like to wash their face when they get back home after work, you can simply use water or a face wipe at that time.
