How To Reduce Acne and Balance Oily Skin

What is acne prone skin?

• Breaks out easily or constantly has breakouts
• Can be dry or oily
• Is sensitive and should be treated gently
• Is mostly caused by diet, hormones, stress, skincare products, and pollution

Remember that your skin needs its natural oils to stay balanced. Removing these with harsh cleansers causes your skin to overproduce oil which in turn clogs pores and causes more acne.

Recommended skincare routine for acne prone and oily skin

On a daily basis:

• Remove makeup – use a gentle formula, oil/cream based work well
• Cleanse but don’t over cleanse – after cleansing your face should not feel dry or tight, it should have some moisture – squeaky clean is not good. Don’t wash your face more than twice a day. Avoid: fragrances, sulfates, too much foam, alcohols
• Apply natural toner – helps remove excess oils and leftover dead skin cells after washing, balances pH, helps boost your moisturizer. Look for floral waters/hydrosols, apple cider vinegar, herbal tea, aloe vera, and witch hazel based toners. Avoid toners with alcohols and fragrances. 
• Apply any special treatments – spot treatments, serums, etc. Our clearing serum is a great preventative 
• Moisturize – use cream, gel, or oil based moisturizer

On a weekly basis:

• Clay mask twice a week - charcoal, bentonite, green, rhassoul 
• Soothing masks can be used as needed – honey, oatmeal, yogurt
• Facial steams help unclog pores
• Wash makeup brushes/sponges
• Exfoliate 2- 3 times at night – cleansing powder, exfoliating mask, brightening serums, sugar scrubs if tolerated, fruit acids and enzymes like willow bark, papain, bromelain
• Exfoliating helps with scarring but be very gentle on breakouts

What to do when you have a breakout

Spot treat any breakouts as soon as you notice one coming on using nondrying treatments that include acne beneficial ingredients. Your goal is to reduce inflammation and redness and speed up healing, not dry it out as that can cause scarring. Avoid benzoyl peroxide.

Which ingredients will help acne and oily skin?

Acne beneficial ingredients include: tea tree, willow bark, thyme, citrus, aloe, chamomile, calendula, neem, turmeric, helichrysum, safflower oil, grape seed oil, watermelon oil, passion fruit oil, hemp seed oil, prickly pear oil, evening primrose oil, tamanu oil

Which ingredients will make acne and oily skin worse?

Avoid: coconut oil, argan oil, sunflower oil, sweet almond oil, avocado oil, olive oil, shea butter, cocoa butter. Blends that contain a mixture of these oils are ok if most of it is made with acne beneficial oils. 

Diet for clear skin

• Remember that acne is an inflammatory response – reducing inflammation overall is key.
• Common triggers include dairy, sugar, fried foods, gluten, eggs, and soy (ALL foods which cause inflammation!)
• Diets high in omega 6 cause inflammation – avoid canola, sunflower, rapeseed, soybean, peanut, sesame, safflower, corn, and cottonseed oils (this is what most food in restaurants are cooked in)
• Diets with lots of high glycemic foods can cause acne – balance sugar levels to avoid
• Keep a food and skin diary for 2 weeks to help find triggers
• Try eliminating 1 food group at a time for 30 days and observe any changes – or you can eliminate all and introduce 1 at a time for 2 weeks
• Easiest change to make is adding in lots of anti-inflammatory foods to your diet:

Green tea

Fish or flaxseed oil (high in omega 3s)

Fatty fish like salmon

Peppermint – try infusing into water

Nuts

Red grapes

Garlic

Berries

Dark, leafy greens

Oysters

Cook with oils like flaxseed, coconut, olive, avocado, and ghee

• Drink tons of water!

• Check your supplements – B12 and biotin are known to cause acne
• Supplements that help: collagen powder, zinc, selenium, magnesium, probiotics, vitamin d3
• Hormone balancing herbs (adaptogenic herbs): ashwagandha, holy basil, maca, vitex, astragalus, magnesium, vitamin d3, red raspberry leaf

Lifestyle Tips

• Change pillowcases regularly
• Use a separate towel on your face & change it regularly
• Exercise lowers inflammation in your body
• Make sure your hair products are not getting on your face
• Use air filters or purifiers, air “cleaning” plants to help with pollution, and beeswax candles
• Keep stress at bay with regular self-care rituals – taking magnesium helps relax
• Get enough sleep!

Article by: Beatnik Naturals

The views expressed in this article intend to highlight alternative studies and induce conversation. They are the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe & Chic, and are for informational purposes only, even if and to the extent that this article features the advice of physicians and medical practitioners. This article is not, nor is it intended to be, a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and should never be relied upon for specific medical advice.