How to get rid of oily skin for men?

The signs of oily skin are usually that your nose and forhead start to become a bit shiny. When you have oily skin as a man, it increases the chance for breakouts and acne, but luckily there are things to do to prevent this. You need to adopt a good skincare routine that is focused on getting rid of oily skin for men.

How to tell if you have oily skin?

First of all it is important to know what skin type you have. Luckily I already wrote a good blog post about how to tell what skin type you have. You can read that one here!

When you have oily skin as a man, you will quickly notice that your skin starts to get a bit shiny again after cleansing it. This shiny substance is sebum and that can cause grimy skin. Men's skin is very different from women's skin and that is why men have an oily skin more often in comparison with women.

What makes men's skin different to women's?

1. Men's skin is thicker.
2. The texture is different.
3. The glands and pores are larger.
4. Different hormones.

Because men's skin is thicker and has a different texture combined with larger glands and pores compared to women's, men's skin produces more sebum. An excess of sebum makes your skin oily. And that is the reason why men experience oily skin more often. Testosterone also plays a part in that.

Other causes of oily skin for men:

1. Genetics

Like with many things, your genetics determine if you have certain DNA that increases your chance of oily skin. That is why it is not possible to change your skin type by using products or getting treatments. There is many things you can do to deal with oily skin, but your skin type will never change.

2. Sunlight and UV

It is very pleasant to be outside when the sun is shining, but it can make your skin greasy or grimy. When you protect your skin with some sunblock it will make your skin more oily. But even without sunscreen your skin will still produce more sebum when being in the sun and being exposed to (harmful) UV radiation.

3. (Wrong) nutrition

When you eat too much (bad) food it can cause oily skin. The food itself does not even have to be greasy, because drinks with a lot of sugar, alcohol and other processed carbohydrates can all cause an oily skin.

Of course fatty foods will also contribute to this, for example red meats, fried stuff and nuts. These foods usually contain many saturated fats, so it is better not too consume too much of it.

So, stay out of the sun and eat healthy are two important tips to prevent your skin from getting to oily by external factors.

What can you do to deal with oily skin as a man?

So, the first two things you can do yourself are spending less time in the direct sun and strive to live a healthy life. That is an important start, but it is also important to create a good skincare routine that is targeted on oily skin.

Tips for men with oily skin

The steps below will help you to regulate the sebum production of your skin, so that breakouts and acne are being prevented. Here you can actually find more info when you have acne.

1. Use a face wash twice a day.

It is best to use a face wash in the morning and before bed. Use a natural and mild facial cleanser that does not contain too many chemicals.

It maybe seems necessary to use a harsher cleanser because you have oily skin, but that can cause skin tissue damage. This damage can change the natural hormone balance of your skin and actually make it more oily because of inflammations.

A few great examples of face washes to look at are: Brickell Gel Face Wash, Jack Black Deep Dive and Baxter of California Face Wash.

2. Use a moisturizer after cleansing.

When you think that a moisturizer is making your skin more oily, you are wrong. When you do not use a moisturizer after cleansing your skin, then it will overcompensate and actually make your skin more oily.

Use an oil free moisturizer or a product with hyaluronic acid, sorbitol or proylene glycol.. These ingredients provide excellent hydration without making your skin oily or greasy. A face wash and moisturizer are two products you cannot go without when you want to take care of your oily skin as a man.

When you have oily skin, check out these moisturizers: Jack Black Oil Free Moisturizer, Lumin Skin Biome Gel Moisturizer and Brickell Essential Moisturizer.

3. Exfoliate your skin 1-2 times per week.

Clogged pores and dirt can cause acne, so it is important to prevent your pores from getting clogged with dirt and dead skin cells. A face scrub is a great product to help prevent this.

It is best to use a natural face scrub with salicylic acid or other natural exfoliators to cleanse your oily skin. Some scrubs contain pulverized walnut shells, oatmeal, coffee beans or other natural ingredients to exfoliate your skin.

These face scrubs I would recommend to men with oily skin: Scotch Porter Face Scrub, Brickell Renewing Face Scrub and Billy Jealousy Assassin Scrub.

4. Use a face toner.

Facial toners are great products to use for oily skin, because you can target areas very specifically. Toners help to restore your skin's pH balance and they absorb excessive oil and sebum.

Toners are also good to use when you have combination or mixed skin, which means that only your forehead and nose are a bit oily, but the rest of your face is actually quite dry.
And usually face toners have anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties to help prevent impurities from causing acne.

Thinking of using a toner, try one of these: Lumin Skin Purifying Toner, Brickell Balancing Toner and Baxter of California Mint Toner.

5. Applying a face mask

The last step I want to mention to prevent oily skin is using a face mask. Clay masks are perfect for deeper cleansing to remove dirt and grime from your skin to make it less oily.

A clay mask also helps to improve your skin's complexion and nourishes it with important ingredients. It is recommended to use a face or clay mask about once or twice per week when you have oily skin.

You can have a look at these two facial masks for men: Brickell Smooth Finish Acid Peel and Lumin Skin Reconditioning Mask. And specifically for an oily nose, you can check out this product: Lumin Skin Pore Strip.

6. Cleansing wipes for oily skin.

My last tip is using cleansing wipes occasionally when you have oily skin. They help to absorb excessive oil and sebum. This step is not really part of the five steps I mentioned before. You can use wipes when you have been outside for a while and notice that your skin get a little bit oily.

So, you just use these wipes when you notice that your skin is getting a bit grimy throughout the day, because usually you will cleanse your skin in the morning and before bed. It is a little bit of a quick fix to quickly improve your oily skin and minimizing shine.

The Scotch Porter Anti Odor Wipes can also be used for your face.

Conclusion

As you read it is pretty normal for men to have oily skin, because our skin's texture is different compared to women's. And there are plenty of things you can do to minimize the problems that oily skin can potentially cause.

The best tips to prevent too oily skin: live healthy, stay out of the sun and start with a great skincare routine. In most cases you will be able to control your oily skin this way. If not, you might want to consider consulting a dermatologist, because they can research if any other problems are causing it.

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