It's important to understand your skin type in order to best treat it. However, it can be confusing!
Did you know that oily skin can often be dehydrated? Then people treat it by using harsh products that dry out the skin further, when in fact they should be doing the opposite. This further exacerbates the problem, and the skin gets - you guessed it - more oily!
Dry skin is a skin type. Dehydrated skin is a skin state that can affect all skin types. The skin can get dehydrated from using products that are too harsh, from spending too much time in the sun, wind or cold without proper protection (sunscreen, face coverings, etc).
The skin can overcompensate for the dehydration by producing extra oil to protect itself. Then we use harsh cleansers which strip the oil, and the cycle begins again.
So how do you treat dehydrated, oily skin? It's counterintuitive.
First of all, you need to stop doing anything that strips the skin's natural moisture barrier. Avoid chemical or physical exfoliants. Steer clear of harsh cleansers, instead choose a gentle cleanser like our Two-Step Cleansing Systems.
Next, you need to replenish the skin's natural oils. Yes, if you have oily, dehydrated skin, you need to apply oil! This will signal to the skin that it's getting the oil it needs and it will stop overproducing its own oil. If you have more normal/combination skin, try our Organic Facial Serum. If you have more oily, acne-prone skin, try our more lightweight Organically Clear Moisturizer.
Avoid scrubs and even clay masks during this phase of rebuilding your moisture barrier, however you can use a hydrating mask like our Acai Pomegranate Anti-Aging Masque a few times a week to deeply nourish the skin.
Finally, you can use our Organic Intensive Therapie at night as a last step. It's a thick balm which can be both nourishing and sealing at the same time. Try it out and see how your skin reacts, if your skin is really oily, you may want to skip this.
So to sum up, if your skin is oily, it may actually be dehydrated. To combat this, you'll want to avoid harsh cleansers and exfoliants, protect your skin from the elements and make sure to replenish the skin by applying natural oils.