How to Make Skin Less Oily: 5 Tips

Glow is one thing, but shine is completely another. And if you have oily or acne-prone skin, you know the struggle is real. Fortunately, there’s good news: Clear, shine-free skin is completely attainable with the right skincare. 

These five skincare tips will help you reduce oiliness during the day and get healthy, balanced skin.

1. Use a Gentle Cleanser

Many cleansers for  oily skin include harsh ingredients and irritating exfoliants. These can strip the skin, disturbing its natural moisture barrier which helps keep hydration in and bacteria out. If your skin feels tight after cleansing, chances are your cleanser is overdrying your skin. 

When your moisture barrier is damaged, hydration can escape from the skin in a process called transepidermal water loss (TEWL), leaving it dehydrated and often irritated. This prompts the skin’s sebaceous glands to go into oil-production overdrive, worsening the very concern you’re trying to treat.

Instead, opt for a cleanser that powers away oil and impurities without overstripping such as our Amino Aloe Gentle Cleanser. This powerful gel cleanser lathers to a satisfying foam and uses our innovative amino acid complex to deep clean pores while aloe calms and soothes and moringa extract removes remnants of pore-clogging environmental debris. Your skin is left clean, hydrated, and refreshed with reduced oiliness throughout the day.

2. Toner is a Must

Facial toner is an essential second step aimed at balancing the skin and preparing it for moisture, not cleaning it. Your skin is naturally on the acidic side, but cleansing — or even splashing plain water on your face — can kick your pH out of whack, causing your skin to become irritated and oily.

Balance your skin and refine pores with an alcohol-free toner. Our BHA Pore Minimizing Toner uses white willowbark extract — a natural, oil-soluble beta hydroxy acid — to gently but powerfully exfoliate and decongest pores. Meanwhile, caviar lime extract works its alpha hydroxy magic to gently exfoliate dead cells from the surface of your skin. All this happens without any drying or over-stripping thanks to our sugarcane-derived squalane, which makes skin less oily and leaves it smooth and hydrated. 

3. Use a Non-Comedogenic Moisturizer

A lightweight, nourishing moisturizer can help bring overactive oil glands into check, reducing oily skin and daytime shine. Our weightless Probiotic Gel Moisturizer delivers deep and lasting moisture without making your skin feel greasy thanks a clinically-proven combination of hyaluronic acid and  sugarcane-derived squalane. 

Hyaluronic acid bonds with water molecules in the environment, pulling them into skin to plump and hydrate while our hero ingredient squalane mimics your body’s natural moisture to fortify your moisture barrier and lock in hydration while driving active ingredients 40 times deeper into the skin.

4. Support Your Skin’s Microbiome

Your skin’s microbiome includes millions of beneficial bacteria, fungi, and even microviruses. It’s goal: To support the skin barrier and keep bad bacteria in check. A disrupted microbiome can lead to fungal and bacterial-related skin concerns such as eczema and acne.

Support your microbiome by choosing gentle, nourishing skincare products that include probiotics to increase microbiome diversity. Our Probiotic Gel Moisturizer uses a potent blend of live probiotics to support your skin’s microbiome, reduce oiliness, and improve skin clarity.

5. Be Consistent

Your skin is constantly renewing itself, bringing a fresh layer of cells to the surface of the epidermis every four weeks or so. A consistent skincare routine is therefore a must for reducing oily skin and improving the appearance of associated concerns such as enlarged pores, acne, and the dark spots blemishes can sometimes leave behind.