Your skin produces sebum as a natural secretion which is responsible for keeping skin moisturized and protected. But the excess of sebum production is not ideal as it sits on the face and mixes with dirt and dead skin cells resulting in clogged pores.
It could lead to frequent acne breakouts and blackheads formation which could make the skin appear dull as well. The skin looks weirdly shiny due to excess oil production and tackling all these problems can be a difficult task. Finding the right skincare products helps a lot for managing excess oil.
A well formulated face scrub for oily skin is an ideal and perfect choice of skincare product in your routine. The main motive of a face scrub is to balance the oil production. It shouldn’t make the skin excessively dry or strip the moisture barrier, triggering rebound oil production.
The most appropriate face scrub would help in clearing out the excess sebum, unclog the pores of the skin by clearing out the buildup of dirt and dead skin cells from the skin. A proper guideline for selecting the right face scrub helps a lot in managing excess oil properly on the face.
Understanding oily skin and associated problems
Oil is a natural secretion of the skin which gets secreted by sebaceous glands in the skin. These glands produce oil in a normal amount but due to any trigger or underlying reason when the sebaceous glands get hyperactive they start producing excess oil on the skin.
It could be due to hormonal changes, genetic factors or environmental stressors. Oil production might get worse due to stress and dietary changes.
Problems associated with excess oily skin:
- Skin starts looking persistently shiny.
- Dirt and dead skin cells mix with sebum and create a sticky mix on the skin.
- It can clog the pores of the skin when the buildup enters the pores.
- It leads to formation of blackheads.
- It could lead to acne breakouts on the face due to clogged pores.
How does exfoliation help oily skin?
Exfoliation helps a lot for oily skin as it breaks the cycle of continuous deposition of dead skin cells and dirt. It helps in exfoliating the layers of dirt and dead skin cells which get buildup on the skin. It also helps in clearing the excess oil from the skin and exfoliates the sticky mix of impurities from the face. This helps in refining the texture of the skin as well.
Oily skin should exfoliate their skin in moderation as over-exfoliation strips the moisture barrier of the skin which makes the skin excessively dry. This leads to even more production of sebum as a defense mechanism when the sebaceous glands get triggered.
Choosing between physical and chemical exfoliation
Both physical and chemical exfoliation work differently yet both are effective for cleansing the skin.
Physical exfoliation involves manual scrubbing using exfoliating agents which help in clearing out the buildup of impurities from the surface of the skin. It helps in getting an immediate clearance of impurities from the face delivering a smooth and even skin after exfoliating. It is best to look for gentle non-abrasive exfoliating agents for your skin.
Chemical exfoliation involves using mild acids like AHAs or BHAs that do not need to be scrubbed into the skin. They work by chemically dissolving the bonds of dead skin cells. They can help in clearing out the sebum deeply from the pores by dissolving the impurities from the pores. They need some time to show results. Salicylic acid is one of the best chemical exfoliants for oily skin.
Ingredients to look for
Salicylic acid
- It is a powerful beta hydroxy acid which works by penetrating into the pores as it is an oil soluble acid.
- It then dissolves the plugs of impurities including excess oil and helps clear them out of the pores.
Neem
- It has an astringent action which helps in clearing the excess oil from the skin as it tightens the pores of the skin.
- It helps in delivering antibacterial action which prevents acne breakouts due to bacterial infection in the pores.
- Neem face scrub lifts surface impurities gently from the skin.
Charcoal
- It works like a magnet that helps in pulling out the oil and dirt based positively charged impurities from the skin and the pores.
- It works by adsorption method which makes impurities bind to the surface of charcoal and helps in clearing them out of the pores.
Clay
- Bentonite attracts the positively charged impurities like oil and dirt because of its negatively charged particle and helps in clearance of oil by absorption.
- Kaolin works by adsorption method by clearing the excess oil and these impurities as they stick to the surface allowing cleansing after rinsing.
Green PE microspheres
- They are round textured microbeads which help in exfoliating the skin gently without purging the skin.
- They do not cause micro-tears or feel abrasive to the skin.
Ingredients to avoid
- Avoid harsh and uneven edged particles in physical scrubs that could cause skin damage and micro-tears.
- Avoid highly volatile alcohols which could tighten the skin.
- Avoid heavy oils in a face scrub that could clog the pores of the skin.
Stepwise for using a face scrub
- Wash your face using water and gentle cleanser
- Let the face remain wet
- Take sufficient amount of face scrub
- Apply it gently to your face by massaging the scrub
- Exfoliate gently on regions with excess oil for about a minute
- Rinse off the product with water
Summing up
For choosing the best scrub for oily skin which deals with problems like acne breakouts, clogged pores and persistent shine you need to search for most suitable ingredients that do not strip the moisture barrier of the skin and help in gentle cleansing of skin to balance the oil on the face.
