Tips for oily/combination/acne-prone skin

I know that the excess oil, the acne can be a pain in the backside especially when you have tried so many products but the problem is still not being solved. I've been there, too, and I am still suffering but my skin has definitely improved after I started this regime.

1. Only wash your face with a foaming cleanser at night
I know this sounds scary at first because when you wake up in the morning, first thing you want to do is to wash off the oils that peeped out during your sleep. What you are doing when you use a foaming cleanser is that the soap (what makes it lather up) in it is stripping your skin, all the oils are washed off. If you only use water to wash your face followed by toner and a flash of moisturiser, your skin would not be as dry therefore it wouldn't feel the need to produce oil in order to condition it. I find that my makeup also goes on a bit better when there is a bit of oil on the face where the makeup can cling onto.

2. Soap free cleanser
Now if you want to wash your face with a cleanser both at night and in the morning, I recommend using a soap free cleanser. Soap free cleansers don't foam up whilst foam is what dries the skin, it is best to avoid it if you can. I started using the Jane Clare Hydrospark cleansing jelly after the lady at the counter recommended it to me because she explained that it does not foam up and it is designed to put back moisture into the skin. I have noticed a dramatic difference after using it for a few weeks. Note that it's not a one-use-and-you-can-see-a-massive-difference sort of product which brings us to the next tip.

3. Use gentle products
I know this sounds very obvious but if you have acne, using strong products would just aggravate the acne even more. A lot of acne treatment claim to zip the spots within a short period of time and it is getting rid of the spots but not truly healing it. I only use something very strong like the Origins spot remover when I have a inflamed spot that I want to dry out because those are normally very bumpy. Instead on a regular basis I only use products which contain tea tree. Although it does not work as quickly, it slowly heals the acne instead of trying to get rid of them fast and irritating the skin.

4. Face scrubs once a week
Using a face scrub will help to remove dead skin cells and prevent clogged pores but it also dries out the skin. So the best is to use it once a week at night for the benefits of it but not every night because that will just cause the skin to produce more oil since it needs something to condition it. Same applies to mud masks and clay masks.

So I hope that was helpful to some of you. Until next time, take care.

Jess