How To Moisturize Oily Skin In The Summer

Hot weather does not mean we do not need to moisturize skin in the summer.  Instead, moisturizing skin in this season should be emphasized more as the fierce sun can cause damaged and dehydrated skin more than ever. However, keep in mind the methods you use to moisturize skin in the summer to avoid greasy skin or more acne breakouts.

Here's what causes oily skin and tips to take care of oily skin in the summer.

How To Moisturize Oily Skin

• Reduce The Number Of Products Applied
• Avoid Fragranced Skincare or Parfum
• Use a water based moisturizer
• Apply a clay mask weekly to absorb excess oils
• Avoid heavier moisturizers or skincare products
• Consider exfoliating more frequently
• Don't over cleanse, cleanse twice a day with a gentle cleanser.

Reduce the Number Of Skincare Products

In the summer heat, you should refrain from applying too many skin care products on your face. The overload of product can clog pores if there are too many products sitting on top of your skin and this prevents proper flow of sebum out of pores to the surface of the skin. If the blocked pores get infected, acne may appear.  

Use a water based moisturizer

Summer skin easily catches the heat from the sun and sweats quickly, so you should choose water based moisturizer to penetrate the skin quickly and keep skin hydrated. Thinner moisturizers that are water based won't leave the skin oily. For a day cream, you should choose something with SPF in it to take care of your skin from harmful UVB and UVA rays, to avoid many potential skin damage and hyperpigmentation issues in the future.

Avoid Fragrance

Summer heat involves humid temperatures and higher UV levels that could cause skin to be more prone to inflammation or drying out. The use of fragrance in skincare in the summer can be a factor in causing rashes, irritation or breakouts on people who have sensitive skin. You should not use skincare products that contain fragrance or parfum to avoid potential irritation.

Use a Clay Mask Weekly

Clay masks can help absorb excess oils in the skin if your skin type is oilier than usual in the summer.   You can use this weekly and follow up with your favorite lightweight or water based moisturizer after. 

Consider Exfoliating More Frequently

Exfoliating with salicylic acid washes or something glycolic acid could benefit oily skin and help keep skin moisturized since skin will remain soft for moisture to easily absorb into skin.  Oily skin may have more build up of sebum and dead skin so exfoliating helps remove that.  Depending on the product, you may exfoliate 2-3 times weekly.

Don't Over Cleanse

Cleansing is important and while the instinct may be to wash more frequently or use stronger stripping cleansers, it is counter productive.  Over washing can cause skin to produce more sebum in the long run and it may upset the skin barrier too.  Use a gentle cleanse that lightly foams for oily skin twice a day. 

Evenly Distribute Skincare Application

Most of us have a habit of spreading cream from center out around the face. However, in doing so, the amount of cream will be more concentrated on the outer edges of your face without being rubbed in.  The thicker layer near the outer edges may clog pores Therefore, you should create a process that would evenly distribute the amount of moisturizer or cream you apply.

You can also apply a small amount of moisturizer on the fingers, then gently tap some of the cream on the cheeks, forehead and chin to evenly distribute it. With your fingers lightly rub the cream into your cheeks, then move onto the forehead and finally the neck, nose, and chin area.  

Avoid Heavier Moisturizers 

For oily skin, avoid using heavier skincare products or oil based ones.  Since your skin is already producing plenty of oil, heavy products could leave skin feely greasy and more prone to breakouts. Stick with products or creams that have a more thin or watery consistency.

What Causes Oily Skin During Summer Season?

Our facial skin has the most concentrated number of sebaceous glands  As per skin experts, oil and sweat are not really best friends. 1 "Sweat and oil do not mix well, so it will give the appearance of little droplets on the skin, making your skin look even sweatier than it already is", according to medical expert Dr. Aanand Geria 

Aside from the summer heat doing its job of making our summer skin oily, there are 2 other factors that could give the skin an oily appearance like hormonal fluctuations and genes that lead the sebaceous glands to overproduce oil. 

Other possible factors for oily skin are the following:

• Pre-menopausal women during ovulation period
• Chronic conditions that affect hormone levels
• Stress
• High-glycemic diet

Product Recommendations For Oily Skin in the Summer

Looking for products to keep oily and acne prone skin moisturized in the summer?  You may try using these products as part of your skin care routine:

Banish Fighter Gel – The Banish Fighter Gel is ideal as it is a water based gel great for acne prone skin. It helps relieve irritation, redness and provides an instant and long lasting relief. It contains key ingredients like arnica, MSM or dimethyl sulfone, green tea extract and organic gotu kola.

Vitamin C Crème – The Vitamin C Crème is good for hydrating while eliminating dark spots for oily and acne prone skin. It is a light plant based hydrating cream that is concentrated with Vitamin C to help reverse dark spots and skin damage.

Moisturizing oily skin in the summer requires finding the right balance of products that work for you in the environment and understanding of what causes it. Simply following the tips can help you get on the right track on managing oily skin and keeping skin healthy and glowing.