As the sun starts setting, she begins glowing! She shines likes a shining beacon, in fact her shine is so radiant that you can see your face reflected on the tip of her nose! You might have guessed by now, that this is no fairytale with a happy ending, in fact this story has a rather sad ending with acne and blackheads along with pimples!
This is the story of every woman and man, who is the owner of an Oily skin! Oily Skin, as we all know is the result of excessive production of Sebum by the skins sebaceous glands. These sebaceous glands are generously scattered all over the skin of our faces and scalp, and are responsible for the production of Sebum, a natural lubricant needed for the skin and hair. Over activity by these glands results in excessive sebum, this in turn causes oily skin!
Why do I have Oily Skin?
Do you leave the house looking all kinds of fresh in the morning, and does the evening find you oily and greasy? If you have answered yes to these questions then you are a definite victim of some very over active sebaceous glands!
Even though these glands can be held responsible for your oily skin, there are other factors too, which can be held responsible for your oily skin,
Genetics: Believe it or not, but your genes also play a part in you having an oily face! Our Genes dictate how much sebum will be produced by our sebaceous glands, meaning if you have oily skin in your family; chances of you having an oily skin are pretty high.
But there’s good news for those with a hereditary oily skin problem, as sebaceous glands begin producing lesser and lesser sebum as one ages!
Hormonal Imbalances: Hormonal Imbalances can cause oily skin which further leads to the dreaded acne. This condition is highly visible in teenagers, especially teenage boys! As the body is growing, it experiences hormonal fluctuations; certain hormones such as androgens and testosterone are known to affect the sebaceous glands production of sebum, which cause oily skin. A teenage boy’s body has considerably high levels of Androgens along with testosterone, which leads to oily skin and acne in them.
High levels of Androgens lead to the enlargement of the sebaceous glands, paving the way for more sebum production, which then gathers at the base of the hair follicles. Travelling through the hair shafts, it reaches the external layers of the skin where it gets polluted with dirt and external bacteria. This leads to acne and blackheads. Adult women with oily skin too, experience acne just before their menstrual cycles due to hormonal fluctuations in their bodies.
Other noteworthy factors causing oily skin can be oil-based cosmetics, an unhealthy diet, along with a lack of hygiene such as not washing your face even once during the day!
Is there any remedy for oily skin?
Oily skin has long plagued people with acne; black heads, blemishes, greasy skin, clogged pores and so on… but did you know that you can get rid of oily skin by following simple things such as using a suitable facial skin cleanser, getting your diet right and knowing some easy to make home remedies!
One of the main things that people fail to take into account is the skin’s pH balance. Ideally our skin’s pH balance is 5.4; disturbance in this balance leads to various skin conditions such as oily skin, dry skin, acne, blemishes etc. One must take care to see that this pH balance is not disturbed when using any beauty products, thus making it necessary to use suitable cleansers, toners, creams etc on the skin.
Get the diet right!
What you eat shows on your face! Individuals who consume junk food in high quantities often end up with an oily skin which is riddled by acne! A fast track way to getting rid of the oily skin and achieving a healthy skin would be through a diet full of vitamins and essential fatty acids.
Following is a list of vitamins, which can help achieve a healthy skin:
Vitamin C- Found primarily in citrus fruits, helps reduce blemishes and gives a healthier complexion
Vitamin E, B complex – Vitamin E is found in Eggs, Milk, Spinach and Vitamin B complex is found in whole grains, cereals, wheat along with green leafy vegetables. Both the Vitamins are responsible for the production of elastin, which promotes a healthy skin, which has a lesser chance of producing excessive sebum!
EFA (Essential fatty acids)- Found in cold water fish, shell fish, soya oil, walnuts and leafy vegetables along with sunflower seeds and flaxseeds, EFA’s provide the skin with natural lubrication! In the absence of this lubrication, the skin produces excessive lubrication in the form of Sebum, leading to an oily skin! EFA’s also include Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids.
Water, drink lots of water! Water hydrates skin from within and flushes out all the toxins. This takes care of the pimples even if you have an oily skin!
Some ‘quick to make home remedies’ for Oily skin,
Methi – Fenugreek or Methi, as it is popularly known in India is very good for getting rid of your oily skin. Soak a couple or more tea spoons of Methi seeds and leave them overnight. Grind them into a not so fine past and rub the granular paste on your face, leave it to dry for a while. Once it has dried out completely, wash it off with cold water to close your pores.
This works as the granular extracts from result in the removing black heads, and the Methi helps remove the oil from your face without disturbing the skin’s pH balance!
- Tomatoes– This is the easiest of the lot to make and apply! Cut a tomato into two halves and rub the halves generously on your face. Leave the tomato essence on your face for a good 15 minutes, this will allow for it to be absorbed through the skin’s pores. Wash the tomato off your face with cold water to close the pores.
Tomatoes are great for oily skin as it contains anti-oxidants, Vitamin C and it is naturally acidic, thereby it maintains the skin’s balance!
Lemon Juice – Lemon juice though highly in acidic nature is excellent for removing the oil from your face. To maintain the skin’s pH balance, add water to two tablespoons of lime juice, then pat your face with the mixture and let it dry. This should be done twice daily, but if your skin dries out quickly or reacts to the lime juice’s high acidity, add more water to the mixture and apply the mixture just once during the day.
Remember to wash the mixture off your face with warm water, followed by rinsing of the face with cold water to close the opened up pores.
- Cucumber juice – Cucumber works great on oily skin! You can make a mixture of cucumber juice along with an equal proportion of lime juice, as cucumber balances out the lime’s acidity content and maintains your skin’s pH balance even while taking care of the oil and cleaning out your clogged up pores. Remember to rinse the mixture of your face with warm followed by cold water.
If you plan on leaving the mixture on your face for the entire night, you should only use cucumber juice.
- Besan- Besan or wheat flour should be mixed with curd to make a paste; this paste can be rubbed on your face and later washed off with cold water.
Besan acts as a good natural scrub, removing the oil of your face along with the black heads and clears up the clogged pores of your skin! Adding a couple drops of lime juice will help maintain your skins pH balance!
There are many such homemade remedies that you can make by using Besan i.e. wheat flour, sandalwood, rose water and so on, by adding a suitable amount of lime juice to the mixture along with water or honey if needed. All these are quick to make and will keep your face oil free!
So the next time you find yourself literally glowing in the evening or even mid-day, forget the fairy tales and go wash your face!
