Question: I have an extremely oily skin, especially on my face. Plus, I have school photos in just a few days! I don’t want my yearbook photos to be ruined by my greasy face AGAIN! Since they are only a few days away, I don’t have time to follow your recommendations since it takes a while to see results. Is there anything I can do for IMMEDIATE results?
Answer: Yes.
However, please keep in mind that IMMEDIATE results does not mean long lasting results. To achieve long lasting relief from an oily skin problem, you must start from the inside… and this takes time. Read more about my Oily Face Remedy for more info.
If you have oily skin in general, there are several things you can do for immediate results. But, it takes a lot of work. Since you are mainly interested in help with an oily face, let’s focus there.
This is what I would do for immediate help with an oily face:
- Go into the bathroom and get in front of the mirror. Put the tips of your fingers directly on your face, and begin slowly and gently massaging your face in circular motions. Only press LIGHTLY. Do not pinch or squeeze. You will be pushing inward toward your face the whole time, but not hard enough to cause pain or bruise the face. The key here is to stimulate the sebaceous glands, forcing them to release whatever oil they are currently holding. This will take about 10 to 15 minutes to do a really good job on your face.
- Using a very fine bristle face brush, and a Tea Tree Oil Face Wash (we recommend the one from The Body Shop), gently cleanse your face using small circular motions. Don’t press too hard, though. You are not trying to take off the top layer of skin. The point is to gently exfoliate and clean your pores of any of the oil that you have left in them. After you are done, rinse well with lukewarm water.
- Use a pore cleansing astringent to close those pores for a little while. A good, gentle astringent will shrink your pores, giving your skin a smooth, clean look. Note: This will not block or clog your pores, as long as your thoroughly clean your face first.
- Try not to eat anything or drink anything sugary before pictures are taken. The body works FAST, and will push oil out toward your skin as soon as anything besides water hits your stomach. Trust me on this one. As described in many of my other posts on this site, oil production in the skin is directly related to your diet. It’s almost a direct connection.
- Carry a blotting cloth with you on picture day, just in case. If you perform the above steps immediately 2 or 3 hours before pictures, you may not even need a blotting cloth… but, it’s better to be safe than sorry. When using a blotting cloth, be sure you “blot”, by lightly pressing the cloth to your face. Never rub. Rubbing will make your face red and irritated. Trust me, a red and irritated face will not make for good photos.
Like I said before, this is a quick fix. It’s not a long-term solution. It works for a lot of people, but not for everyone. People with EXTREMELY oily skin problems will have a harder time with this method. Try it and see how it works for you.
Keep in mind that this 5-step method will only be treating the “symptoms” of an oily face, and not the root cause. You will have a much better experience if you combine this method with the methods laid out in the Oily Skin Remedy, also found on this site.
This is awesome. I had always heard that messing with your face too much made your skin more oily but I never understood that the oil was already in the oil glands and pressing on your face made them release that oil. I have also noticed a quick reaction in my skin when I eat or drink. Especially a coke or something. Can I use some other kind of soap instead of the green tea stuff?
Thanks for the comment, Tim. Not many people know that the oil is stored in the sebaceous glands until it’s ready to be released. That’s why it seems like the skin “produces” more oil when you touch it. It’s a common misconception.
I will be doing an educational post on why skin can get much oilier after drinking sugary soda or eating something sweet. I also found it strange that my skin would really get super greasy after drinking a soda, even though soda does not contain any fat or grease… only sugar. Strange stuff.
To answer your other question, I wouldn’t use just any type of soap for your face. Use either the tea tree oil face wash that I suggested in the post, or the “bar soap” that was talked about in the Perricone MD Cleansing Treatment Bar Review or in the post titled Best Face Wash For Oily Skin. I’ve added some links there for easy access.
Good luck.