STRUGGLE OF OILY SKIN
The struggle of us, oily-skin gang, is real. Not only having overly active sebaceous glands, we have to deal with overly shiny face during the day. Our skin produces higher level of sebum as result of our large pores, and these large pores are not only prone to clog, which can lead to acne, but also adds difficulty in choosing every single product to put on our skin.
I'm sure we've all been there, religiously checking every singe blogs and reviews, every single products for anything with shine free, matte, doesn't clog pore, oil-free, long wear, etc before actually biting the bullet and shell our money. Wrong product can easily trigger break out, which will trigger us to find another product that can conceal it while we try to banish the leftover scar (which probably require us to find yet another product to add in our skincare arsenal). In conclusion; the struggle is real!
I've been having this skin type since I can remember, my mom even joke that she can fry an egg on my face! Yes, my face is that oily. Living in tropical country with high level of humidity, and highly-polluted area isn't helping either. However, lately, I'm starting to find peace with my skin, I think it's in best condition yet!
THE IMPORTANCE OF DOUBLE CLEANSE
Often times, you'll find yourself too done to actually clean your face after a long day. All you want to do is dive face-first on the bed and embrace the sweet, sweet dream.
Then wake up with a red spot on your face. Upcoming acne. Oh, no.
That was me. And probably you. Yes, been there, done that. It's such a horrible thing to wake up in the morning to find a red bump anywhere in my face. Especially on the nose!
Although acne is not necessarily caused by clogged pores, when pores are clogged by excessive oils, it can set a perfect condition for acne bacteria to bred. Our skin's fight against the bacterial-infection causes inflammation which is the acne itself.
Other problems that often occur on oily skin is black and white heads. Whiteheads occur under the skin and can easily be removed while blackheads are on the skin itself. Luckily, I don't have any blackheads but whiteheads! They're like an entire troop on my face! Other than my skin looking unsightly, they also ruin any chance of flawless skin because they add these gritty, little bumps. Can you relate with me???
All these skin conditions are caused mostly by sebum and clogged pores. Hence, it's extremely important to make sure my pore is as clear as possible to avoid any bacteria party. If I cannot fix the biochemistry of my skin, at least I can stop the break out by preventing it.
Cleaning my skin has become something I religiously do over the years, especially as of late after I struggled with the worst break outs yet back in March~April. Double cleansing - makeup remover, followed by regular cleanser - isn't enough. Some extra care is needed to ensure the clarity of our skin, namely clay masks.
THE PURIFYING MASKS
Clay mask has been staple for everyone with oily skin and pesky, gigantic pores. Clay mask contains kaolin that's been known to absorb excess oil, draw out dirt and impurities. Often times, they're volcanic clay, which is known to have the best and good minerals, as volcanic ash is supplies high nutrients to the soil. Clay also has anti-microbial properties to deal with acne. The only downside is they can be drying, although volcanic-clay is said to be a lot gentler.
I find that my nose and my chin are the spots that I break out easily. My pores around there are the worst; they're large, home for black and white heads alike, the bottom line is they're horrid! Instead of applying the mask all over my face, usually, I just put them on these two area since they can be too drying for my forehead and other face area.
KIEHL'S RARE EARTH DEEP CLEANSING MASQUE is the second clay mask I've tried. The first one was from TBS but it was too harsh on my skin, often times leaving my skin feeling tight and raw due to its high level of alcohol. This one is a lot gentler as it contains aloe that soothes and hydrates the skin. The bentonite in this works to absorb the sebum, while amazonian clay removes the impurities from the skin.
INNISFREE JEJU CLAY MASK is highly coveted among k-beauty for being the best mask for oily skin, however, seeing that I still have a whole tub of clay mask left, I decided to go with INNISFREE JEJU VOLCANIC 3 IN 1 NOSE PACK. This one is specifically targeted to use on nose area, as the name suggested. Ingredients wise, it's more or less the same with KIEHL's, but this one offers ease of black/whiteheads removal after use.
INNISFREE is something that I use on weekdays while KIEHL's is often used during weekend. I avoid using both on the same day in fear that it'll over-stripe moisture from my skin which leads to irritation. To make sure my skin isn't too overly dry after, I usually put on sheet mask that I've cooled on the fridge or immediately continue with my night skincare routine which includes facial oil.
THE PEELING MASK
The downside of clay mask is I have to wait until they dray for at least 15 minutes. They're not perfect on the go, nor when I'm too sleepy or tired to properly wait 15 minutes before rinsing off my face. At those times, I turn to peeling mask.
LANEIGE CLEAR C PEELING MASK might not cleanse my pore, but it ensures my cell turn over on top of getting ride of my dead skin cells, that not only make my skin looking dull, but also contribute to forming of acne. It contains plant-derived malic acid AHA from sugarcane, orange, lemon, and bilbery. The strawberry seeds in it ensures my skin staying smooth while gently removing the dead flakes.
This is incredibly easy and quick to use. After washing my face, I apply this on and massage it, focusing on my nose area. Wash with warm water, then proceed with regular skincare. I notice that my skin always feels plumper, brighter after usage.
How do you deal with your oily skin?
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