How to Stop Oily Skin on Face: 4 Tips and Products to Try

Oily skin is your body’s way of protecting you from skin dehydration. It’s also an effective and natural body function that prevents skin sagging and wrinkles. However, having oily skin is not helpful during pro cheer auditions and live arena performances.

The abundance of sebum makes it hard for makeup to stay on your face. Plus, you have dripping sweat from dancing which hastens the wearing off of your makeup. You can avoid that nightmare now by finding the root cause of oily skin and how to control sebum production.

What Causes Oily Skin?

1. Genetics

If most of your family members have oily faces, then don’t expect to fall far from the tree.

2. Age

When you’re in your teens up to your mid-30s, the sebaceous glands under your pores are very active in producing sebum - an oily and waxy substance that moisturizes and protects your skin.

But don’t worry, your sebaceous glands will slow down as you age. Just enjoy having an oily face as it prevents wrinkles.

3. Where you live

Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma are very hot and humid states. Living in these areas will make your skin very dry. As a way for your skin to adapt, it must produce oils to stay moisturized.

4. The current season

Even if you’re not living in the South Central, the summer season will dry up your skin and cause massive sebum production.

5. Using the wrong skin products

Don’t mistake an oily face for combination skin. Combination skin is where you have an oily area with a dry area on your face. If you have this facial skin-type, use separate products for each area. Not one for all.

6. Overdoing your skincare routine

Too much and regular face washing or exfoliation will make your skin too dry. It will cause your sebaceous glands to go into emergency mode resulting in a very oily face.

7. Not using a moisturizer

One trick to avoid oily skin is to tell your sebaceous glands that they aren’t needed. To do this you need to moisturize your face in advance. Apply a water-based moisturizer after every bath.

Tips and Products to Try to Prevent Oily Face

1. Wash your face with different water temperatures regularly

Use a soap with gentle chemicals like glycerin as you wash your face before applying makeup and before going to bed. Warm water will open your pores allowing makeup to soak into them.

Use warm water again during the night to reopen your pores for makeup removal. Then, end your face washing session with cool water to close your pores and prevent oil production as you sleep.

2. Use blotting papers

These affordable sheets of paper may not control the output of your sebaceous glands but they will soak up a little oil from your face. The best part of using blotting papers is that they don’t remove a lot of makeup. Just pat a sheet on your face to reduce shine and grease then slightly retouch.

3. Honey

Apply honey to your face before the auditions or a live arena performance. Spread it raw in a thin layer. Let it dry for 10 minutes before rinsing it off with warm water as said in #1. Honey has antibacterial, antiseptic, and humectation properties. Meaning it doesn’t only make your face clean but it also moisturizes your skin without being oily.

4. Use a fan to keep your face cool

On the audition and performance day, your makeup is in danger of wearing off due to sweat from dancing and oil produced from the heat. Avoid this by keeping a small handheld fan in your bag.

It can be with the one with the battery or not. When you’re on the bleachers, use the fan to keep your face cool.

Oily skin is easy to control once you know which skincare products to choose from and what causes sebum production. Not that you’ve learned the tips and tricks, focus on your other pro cheer activities like dance improvement and strength building. Go get it!

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