I would always slather my skin in products for oily skin – mattifying, pore control, oil-free products, but nothing would help the problem. By mid-afternoon, my face would be come an oil slick. It wasn’t until realized that my oily skin was actually dehydrated that I was able to actually make any improvements to my skin. Instead of trying to control the problem, I catered my skincare routine to trying to solve the problem.
How Do I Know If I Have Dehydrated Skin?
Dehydrated means lacking moisture. Dehydrated Skin is a skin condition meaning that it is temporary and fixable! Your oily-feeling skin may actually be dehydrated skin. Make sure you are drinking enough water each day! Dehydrated skin will attempt to overcompensate for dehydration by overproducing oil. When dehydrated skin craves moisture and hydration, but does not receive it from skincare, it will produce more oil to “nourish” itself. This is why mattifying skincare products won’t actually fix dehydrated skin but only temporarily calm the symptoms. Once I was able to combat my dehydration, I could better address the other needs of my skin, such as congested pores, dryness on my cheeks, and hyper-pigmentation areas.
I recommend trying these 7 skincare steps for a few days and see if you notice a decrease in oil production.
The 7 Skincare Steps to Combat Oily, Dehydrated Skin in Action
Step 1: Oil Cleansing
*Steps one and two are staples of my double cleanse routine, you can read more in-depth on the benefits of double cleansing with my blog post here.
I lightly work the oil cleansing balm in my hands before massaging my face to break down the makeup on my skin. After that, I remove the makeup and cleansing balm with a warm, damp towel.
Step 2: Second Cleanse
For my second cleanse, I use a more gentle cleanser and my FOREO LUNA 2. I like this combination because it removes the remaining makeup and cleansing balm from my skin as well as gently exfoliates to decongest my pores.
Step 3: Detox Mask
I want to remove the build-up of oil and impurities in my pores before layering on the rest of my skincare. I use a clay mask to detoxify my skin so I can ensure the following skincare steps will work effectively.
Step 4: Hydrating Sheet Mask
I follow up the detox mask with a hydrating sheet mask to replenish and restore my skin after removing the impurities.
Step 5: Eye Cream
This step is optional! I prefer to use an eye cream to help keep the delicate skin around my eyes moisturized and youthful-looking. I also add a tiny bit in the corners of my mouth to help with dryness as well.
Step 6: Moisturize
We need to continue building up a moisture barrier to protect the skin and prevent moisture loss. I like to use a water-based moisturizer to hydrate my skin without leaving a heavy feeling on the skin.
Step 7: Oil
The most important step for dehydrated skin! We want to seal in the moisture from the sheet mask and moisturizer by layering an oil on top afterwards. The oil will also slowly sink into the the skin throughout the night to provide long-lasting moisture. When you wake up, your skin will feel plump and moist instead of dry and textured, AND it will also help balance your skin by fighting oil production!
Brittny