Oil Slick or Desert
Augh! My skin is so oily!
OMG! My skin is so dry!
Chances are that you have cried one or the other of those at some point during your life. What is a gal to do? What you might think of doing intuitively can have the opposite result than you intend. Let's look at why.
If you have oily skin, you are lucky in some respects because it means that you are probably going to stave off wrinkles. The negative for you is that you have more than likely been plagued with blemishes. The excess oil acts like a cement to your skin cells, and they don't slough off as readily, That leads to buildup that clogs the pores. You've come to the conclusion that you need oil-free products for your skin to nip the problem in the bud. The problem persists and might even worsen. What?! Why? Well, your cells have become accustomed to a certain level of oil, which is now lower than before, so your brain signals the sebaceous glands to produce more oil. Rats! Never fear, there is a solution. Use the right kind of oil on your skin, and your body will begin to move toward a more balanced amount of oil production. Many acne-prone people rave about the effects of using two drops of ´Éminence Facial Recovery Oil. Besides choosing the right oil for your skin, you need to make sure that you exfoliate. If you are really oily, you can exfoliate every day. So, wash, exfoliate, and moisturize every day, especially at night. Never go to bed with a dirty face, and oily faces need a clean pillowcase every night.
"But I have the opposite problem," you say. Join the club! So do I! My skin has always been dry. You know the type -- ashy, flaky, tight. Although I have been thankful never to have problems with acne (just the very occasional zit from hormones), I do have more expression lines on my face than do those with oilier skin. However, I have found some lovely solutions thanks to my training as an esthetician. Like many people, I hopped onto the coconut oil bandwagon because coconut oil has so many nice benefits. For a time, all was good, but as if by magic, my skin began to get drier. The coconut oil wasn't helping. That's because at a certain point, my oil glands thought that they didn't need to produce even a paltry amount. After all, cells were perceiving an adequate oil supply; coconut oil is close to human sebum. Having attended an esthetics school that was heavy on clean and botanically-based approaches, I learned that if I applied a serum to my clean face at night, my skin would begin to balance. That's what I did. There are nights now when I apply nothing to my clean face before going to bed, and I awaken to no ashiness. I wash my face with a cream cleanser in the winter (either Coconut Age Corrective or Lemon) and Stone Crop Gel Wash in the spring and summer; I exfoliate my face once or twice per week with a mild exfoliant; I use a serum at night and a fabulous moisturizer during the day.
Oh, let me give you a couple of bonus tips. Don't use a brush on your face because it could result in micro tears in the skin. There are safer ways to deep clean the skin. Also, regardless of whether your skin is oily or dry, use sunscreen every day. Apply it after your moisturizer. Use a mineral SPF during the day to recharge your protection. Lastly, drink enough water so that you (and your skin) don't become dehydrated (different than dry). I hope that this helps.
