To understand how to treat oily skin, it’s important to first understand the cause of oily skin. Put simply, oily skin is a result of an excessive production of sebum, a substance produced naturally in the skin. While a normal production of sebum is not harmful for the average type of skin and its purpose is to provide natural moisture, an excessive amount can be a nuisance to treat and keep under control. This overproduction of sebum leads to clogging of skin pores, resulting in accumulation of dead cells and usually causes the formation of pimples and acne.

The basic goal in treating oily skin is to slow down and control the over production of sebum and balance the skin. Oily skin care products or procedures should never lead to complete removal of oil from the skin. Stripping the skin of all its’ oil would lead your the skin to behave worse by ‘thinking’ it needs to make more oil, and the cycle of over producing sebum begins again and again.

Care for your oily skin starts with the use of a good cleanser. You will usually need a cleanser that contains salicylic acid (i.e. a beta-hydroxy acid that retards the rate of sebum production). Cleansing should be done at least twice a day.

Most of the oily skin care products are oil-free, however it is always good to check the ingredients of the product before you actually buy it. This is especially important if a product is marked as ‘suitable for all skin types’, instead of ‘oily skin care product’. Oily skin care is also dependent on the degree of oiliness it contains. If you aren’t too oily, some of the ‘suitable for all’ type of products might work for you just fine. But for extremely oily skin, only oily skin care products should be used. Your routine can also include an alcohol-based toner to use after cleansing. Alcohol-based toners should only be used once or twice a day. Excessive toning with products containing alcohol can harm and strip your skin when used in excess.

The next step in your oily skin care routine can be a mild oil-free moisturizer. Again, the degree of oiliness of your skin will determine whether you need to include this in your oily skin care routine. If you do decide to include a moisturizer, be sure to use one that is not only oil-free, but wax-free and lipid-free as well.
You could also use a clay mask once or twice a week as an oily skin care preventative measure. Clay masks not only remove surface oils, but also go into the pore and absorb oil there as well. A good clay mask will absorb oil and impurities from your skin, not strip it of vital moisture.

As far as the oily skin care products go, you might need to try out a few before you arrive at the one that is really suitable for your skin.

Medicated Astringent Toner for Acne Blemish Oily Skin US $28.99 Auction Ends: Wednesday Mar-10-2010 22:47:15 PST   | Watch this Item

NATURAL SKIN CARE SOAP ACNE SCARS PIMPLES BLEMISH OILY US $14.95 Auction Ends: Wednesday Mar-10-2010 22:52:52 PST   | Watch this Item

Dermalogica SKIN CARE for Oily/Acne Skin Types *NIB* US $25.00 (1 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-11-2010 7:58:31 PST   | Watch this Item

GUNILLA OF SWEDEN SET FOR OILY/ACNE SKIN /NEW/ US $120.00 Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-11-2010 12:15:30 PST   | Watch this Item

ACNE TREATMENT, CURE OILY SKIN DEEP CLEANSER FACE MASK US $7.48 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-11-2010 13:12:40 PST   | Watch this Item

HYDROVITON CR Oily Skin Acne Cleanser Soap Treatment US $33.60 Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-11-2010 13:45:34 PST   | Watch this Item

NATURAL ACNE TREATMENT, CURE OILY SKIN DEEP CLEAN MASK US $4.42 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-11-2010 14:23:22 PST   | Watch this Item

Obagi Clenziderm Acne System - Normal to Oily Skin US $64.00 Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-11-2010 14:46:48 PST   | Watch this Item

NATURAL ACNE TREATMENT, CURE OILY SKIN DEEP CLEAN MASK US $4.42 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-11-2010 16:05:09 PST   | Watch this Item

WORLD'S NUMBER 1 CURE for those Prone to Oily Skin/Acne US $26.95 Auction Ends: Thursday Mar-11-2010 21:26:15 PST   | Watch this Item

Clarins oil control night gel acne blemish oily skin US $12.34 Auction Ends: Friday Mar-12-2010 4:22:05 PST   | Watch this Item

OBAGI CLENZIDERM M.D. ACNE SYSTEM NORMAL TO OILY SKIN US $64.00 Auction Ends: Friday Mar-12-2010 6:58:07 PST   | Watch this Item

OBAGI CLENZIDERM M.D. ACNE SYSTEM NORMAL TO OILY SKIN US $64.00 Auction Ends: Friday Mar-12-2010 6:58:23 PST   | Watch this Item

NATURAL ACNE TREATMENT, CURE OILY SKIN DEEP CLEAN MASK US $4.42 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Friday Mar-12-2010 11:19:13 PST   | Watch this Item

NATURES ACNE TREATMENT, CURE OILY SKIN DEEP CLEAN MASK US $4.42 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Friday Mar-12-2010 12:58:31 PST   | Watch this Item

NATURES ACNE TREATMENT, CURE OILY SKIN DEEP CLEAN MASK US $4.42 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Friday Mar-12-2010 12:59:26 PST   | Watch this Item

ACNE TREATMENT, CURE OILY SKIN DEEP CLEANSER FACE MASK US $7.48 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Friday Mar-12-2010 13:06:14 PST   | Watch this Item

ACNE TREATMENT, CURE OILY SKIN DEEP CLEAN FACE MASK US $7.48 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Friday Mar-12-2010 13:07:59 PST   | Watch this Item

ACNE TREATMENT, CURE OILY SKIN DEEP CLEAN FACE MASK US $7.48 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Friday Mar-12-2010 13:09:10 PST   | Watch this Item

Obagi Clenziderm M.D. Acne System Normal to Oily US $59.99 (1 Bid) Auction Ends: Friday Mar-12-2010 14:11:09 PST   | Watch this Item

SHILLS FOR acne oily SKIN PINK Whitening Mud Mask US $14.99 Auction Ends: Friday Mar-12-2010 17:53:15 PST   | Watch this Item

Neem Acne Facial Mask Oily Skin Herbal Oatmeal Clay US $9.50 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Friday Mar-12-2010 19:29:24 PST   | Watch this Item

DINUR BIO CLEAN DRYING LOTION, Oily Problem Acne Skin US $20.00 Auction Ends: Friday Mar-12-2010 19:42:09 PST   | Watch this Item

Lemon Lime Teatree Acne Oily Skin Cold Process Soap US $4.00 Auction Ends: Friday Mar-12-2010 21:10:29 PST   | Watch this Item

mary kay DEEP CLEANSER formula 3 OILY ACNE skin LOT 3 US $29.99 Auction Ends: Friday Mar-12-2010 21:26:36 PST   | Watch this Item

mary kay OIL CONTROL LOTION formula 3 OILY ACNE LOT 3 US $42.99 Auction Ends: Friday Mar-12-2010 22:01:02 PST   | Watch this Item

NEW Aveda Balancing Infusion Oily Acne - Retail $21 US $15.50 (5 Bids) Auction Ends: Saturday Mar-13-2010 9:44:14 PST   | Watch this Item

Facial Astringent for Men - Oily and Acne prone skin US $4.50 Auction Ends: Saturday Mar-13-2010 9:54:07 PST   | Watch this Item

TREATMENT: Acne spots blackheads eczema scars oily skin US $7.48 (1 Bid) Auction Ends: Saturday Mar-13-2010 12:11:18 PST   | Watch this Item

OBAGI CLENziderm MD Acne SYSTEM /oily to normal skin US $64.95 Auction Ends: Saturday Mar-13-2010 16:00:50 PST   | Watch this Item

BelleDerm Salicylic Facial Wash: Oily/acne prone skin US $39.99 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Saturday Mar-13-2010 19:55:46 PST   | Watch this Item

BelleDerm Salicylic Facial Wash: Oily/acne prone skin US $39.99 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Saturday Mar-13-2010 21:11:30 PST   | Watch this Item

DHC SALICYLIC ACNE SPOT THERAPY 15G NEW JAPAN OILY SKIN US $16.99 Auction Ends: Saturday Mar-13-2010 21:40:03 PST   | Watch this Item

Nano Silver Cyclic Soap 15g Normal / Oily Acne Skin NEW US $8.99 Auction Ends: Sunday Mar-14-2010 4:24:45 PDT   | Watch this Item

WILMA SCHUMANN DNA 15ml(0.5oz) OILY/ACNE SKIN US $37.75 Auction Ends: Sunday Mar-14-2010 8:13:18 PDT   | Watch this Item

MINERAL MAKEUP~BARE~ACNE~PIMPLES~OILY~10g GREEN TEA US $7.99 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Sunday Mar-14-2010 11:24:43 PDT   | Watch this Item

TREATMENT: Acne spots blackheads eczema scars oily skin US $7.48 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Sunday Mar-14-2010 13:11:14 PDT   | Watch this Item

Rx SYSTEMS Acne Oily Skin Solution Glycolic Acid 15 NEW US $7.99 Auction Ends: Sunday Mar-14-2010 21:22:13 PDT   | Watch this Item

PROACTIV Refining Mask Oily skin pores acne EXPIR 2011 US $11.00 Auction Ends: Monday Mar-15-2010 1:07:32 PDT   | Watch this Item

OBAGI CLENZIderm MD ACNE SYSTEM - OILY - EXP: 2011 US $64.99 Auction Ends: Monday Mar-15-2010 7:56:54 PDT   | Watch this Item

Oily Acne Skincare Kit US $20.00 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Monday Mar-15-2010 11:27:50 PDT   | Watch this Item

Obagi Clenziderm M.D. Acne System NORMAL OILY exp 02/11 US $71.99 Auction Ends: Monday Mar-15-2010 19:49:25 PDT   | Watch this Item

2 Mary Kay Oily Control OIL MATTIFIER Acne Blemish FAST US $16.96 Auction Ends: Monday Mar-15-2010 22:32:29 PDT   | Watch this Item

Acne Oily Skin, Tea Tree,Green Tea & Hemp handmade Soap US $2.99 Auction Ends: Monday Mar-15-2010 23:38:19 PDT   | Watch this Item

Acne Handbook breakout oily skin blackhead pimple zit + US $3.49 Auction Ends: Tuesday Mar-16-2010 13:14:59 PDT   | Watch this Item

ACNE ,OILY SKIN SPOTS CLEANSER FACE MASK. REALLY WORKS. US $7.48 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Tuesday Mar-16-2010 15:55:46 PDT   | Watch this Item

Homemade Soap BLACK SOAP Goat Milk-Tea Tree-Acne-Oily US $3.95 Auction Ends: Tuesday Mar-16-2010 19:08:08 PDT   | Watch this Item

Rosette Hello Kitty Acne Wash 120g face cleaner oily US $23.99 Auction Ends: Tuesday Mar-16-2010 22:09:35 PDT   | Watch this Item

Mary Kay BLEMISH CONTROL TONER Acne Oily FORMULA 3 QWIK US $9.97 Auction Ends: Tuesday Mar-16-2010 23:18:03 PDT   | Watch this Item

2 Mary Kay Oily Control OIL MATTIFIER Acne Blemish FAST US $21.99 Auction Ends: Wednesday Mar-17-2010 7:52:27 PDT   | Watch this Item