What to do with an oily skin? What is the best product for oily skin?
How do you care for a skin which reacts to almost any product, develops pimples, zits, eruptions?
The short answer is, you care for it simply, gently and naturally.
Most of us eat three times per day. We are hungry. We eat. Our skin does need "food" all the same on a regular basis. A skin which is feed is a lot more likely to be a happy skin. The question then is, which food do we give it?
A moisturiser or a cream is a fairly complex product for the skin to absorb which, for what is considered normal or dry skin, is a fine exercise to do.
The other options are lotions, serum of "liquid" products. Those might do good work as long as the list of ingredients is short, you can understand those ingredients and they are natural or even better certified organic.
Choosing a skincare is very similar to choosing food. Consider these elements:
* Where are the ingredients from?
* How transformed are they?
* Do they contain preservatives, colouring, fragrances?
* How long has the product been on the shelf?
* Are the ingredients beneficial in the first place?
* Are there filling ingredients which increase the volume while adding nothing to the end product?
So the skin needs some nurturing, it needs to be simple, easy to absorb, fresh, natural, ideally local, even better certified organic.
These considerations point to one product. An oil.
A simple and pure oil which will absorb quickly and easily to bring nourishment to the skin. It is a simple as that. Truly. I have seen and heard it over and over from my clients in consultation. Simple is best for an oily and reactive skin.
Some of the top oils I recommend for skincare are:
Jojoba oil - this is actually a liquid wax, yet it is excellent to balance the pH of the skin.
Macadamia oil - it is considered a dry oil as it absorbs quickly.
Apricot oil - the favourite for baby products as it is delicate and light.
Almond oil - a little heavier yet worth having in a skincare routine.
Olive oil - extra virgin, first cold pressed, certified organic (or even better Demeter Biodynamic) offers excellent results for the skin.
Botanical oil - such as our calendula infused oil. Calendula is renown for its anti-inflammatory and anti-oxydant properties since Ancient Greek times. Calendula could be considered the Goddess of herbs for skincare. When choosing a botanical oil be sure the list of ingredients is very short (ours has two ingredients, hard to beat). Remember, you want a product which is simple. No additive, no mix of other oil, no preservatives, no fragrances.
Select one, two or three oils and alternate their use. See which one suits you best for the morning, for the night, depending on your activities (more or less inside or outside), and the time of the month.
All the oils listed can be found in Australia so they are a lot more likely to be fresh. No travelling in containers for god knows how long, probably irradiated or fumigated when landing in the country. Choose fresh, local, certified ideally.
How much oil is use?
Oily skin will do well with only a few drops, gently rubbed between the fingers and applied delicately all over the face and the neck. You can repeat the application morning and night as an ultra light, nourishing and quickly absorbed moisturiser.
I would love to hear from you about the results you have with this simple approach. Email me at lise@theherbalgardener.com.au
Looking forward to hearing from you.