Dealing with a combination of troubled skin with oily and acne prone nature needs a more careful and targeted approach. It requires extra efforts to clear out the excess oil, unclog the pores along with preventing breakouts on the face.
So you need to use a proper cleansing product for this. Your routine cleanser might not help that much as it only clears out the surface grime and does not help in removing the buildup inside the pores or clear out the oil completely.
This is why you need to incorporate a face scrub for oily skin in your weekly routine along with cleansing to deeply clear the buildup of impurities from the pores and the surface. This helps in exfoliating the accumulated dead skin cells from the face as well.
It is better to look for a gentle cleanser instead of harsh ones that strip the moisture barrier and lead to even more oil production as a rebound effect. It is advised to select a blend of physical exfoliating agents along with mild chemical exfoliants to properly cleanse the oily, acne-prone skin.
Knowing oily and acne-prone skin
Oily skin is a result of excess sebum production by the hyperactive sebaceous glands in the body. These glands ideally produce normal levels of sebum (natural oil secretion) but due to any trigger or underlying issue they go overdrive. Over production of sebum on the skin makes skin look shiny and greasy all the time.
Factors like genetics, hormonal imbalance, environmental stressors, dietary changes. This sebum interferes with the natural shedding process of dead skin cells and they start depositing on the face. Dirt and other impurities also build up on the face and result in formation of a hard plug in the pores and it is called comedones.
These clogged pores lack oxygen as the air does not pass through. The acne causing Cutibacterium acne can survive here and it multiplies inside the pores leading to inflamed acne breakouts on the face. Acne breakouts in acne prone skin can be triggered by other factors as well.
Incorporating exfoliation with daily cleansing
Daily cleansing is not sufficient for an oily skin as it just works to clear the surface grime from the skin. It does not help in clearing out the stubborn buildup from inside the pores. It only helps in surface cleansing and when it does not clear the impurities inside the pores they harden and form hard plugs which can’t be cleansed using routine cleansers.
This is why you need to incorporate an exfoliating scrub in your routine in order to get rid of that stubborn buildup of dirt, oil and dead skin cells from the pores. This scrub helps in lifting the plugs of impurities from the pores and clears the pores. A scrub must be used just twice or thrice a week instead of routine scrubbing.
Suitable active ingredients for oily, acne-prone skin
A blend of physical and chemical exfoliants could work best for oily and acne prone skin.
- Salicylic acid: A powerful oil-soluble beta hydroxy acid which helps in clearing out the buildup of oil and impurities from the pores by crossing the oil barrier of the skin and reaching pores.
- Neem: Neem face scrub is a physical exfoliating scrub that contains astringent properties to control the excess oil from skin and also helps in killing the acne causing bacteria due to anti-bacterial action.
- Tea tree oil: A potent antibacterial and anti-inflammatory agent which helps in calming down the acne triggers on an acne prone skin and calms the skin.
- Activated charcoal: It pulls out the impurities from the skin and pores like a magnet and a porous structure. It works by adsorption and the positively charged impurities that stick to the surface of charcoal get rinsed off after cleansing.
- Glycolic acid: A water soluble, tiny sized alpha hydroxy acid that works by chemically dissolving the bonds of dead skin cells and helps in shedding the buildup of impurities from the skin.
Ingredients that need to be avoided
- Harsh exfoliating agents like walnut kernels which are uneven textured and large sized so they can easily strip the skin and cause micro-tears.
- Strong fragrant ingredients which when applied to skin cause skin irritation and could result in breakouts.
- Highly volatile alcohols which can leave the skin tight and dry after cleansing.
- Heavy oils in face scrub which can cause clogging on the pores and worsen the breakouts.
Exfoliating routine to follow
It is advised to use a face scrub twice or thrice weekly instead of routine use. Routine use can strip the moisture barrier of the skin and result in even more production of sebum as rebound action.
Follow these steps while exfoliating
Mistakes to avoid while scrubbing
- Do not scrub on daily basis
- Don’t apply high pressure while scrubbing
- Don’t exfoliate on your active acne breakouts
- Don’t use hot water while scrubbing
- Don’t combine a lot of actives at once
Summing up
The best face scrub for an oily and acne prone skin is the one that helps in clearing the remaining buildup from the pores and the surface which does get cleared out after regular cleansing. Such scrub should not cause skin dryness or strip skin barrier, it must work gently on the skin and clear the excess oil and impurities.
