Is Your Skin Both Dry AND Oily? The Problem is Your Products, Not Your Skin

I’m here to set the story straight—you can’t have both oily and dry skin. You can have oily and dehydrated skin, but not oily and dry skin.

What is dry skin? Skin that produces NO oil and causes the skin to be dry and flaky.

What is oily skin? Skin that produces oil, which causes the skin to be shiny.  Dry skin means NO oil is produced, therefore skin with a sheen cannot be dry.

What is dehydrated skin? Oily skin that is lacking water and feels tight. Having tight skin doesn’t necessarily mean it’s dry.

I generally hear from people with oily skin who are prone to clogged pores that their skin is feeling dry, but they still breakout and aren’t sure how to care for it. To remedy their skin, they might start using a dry skin moisturizer to provide relief but soon find that it’s not compatible with their clogged pores. Sometimes they think it’s because they don’t drink enough water, but drinking water does not hydrate the skin this way…

The truth is, if your skin is both oily and dry, something within your skin care routine is too strong for your skin making it feel dry.

Follow these tips to get your skin healthy and balanced:

Be Careful What You Wash With

Many foaming and gel cleansers made today are formulated with an ingredient called Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate or Ammonium Laureth Sulfate. This ingredient is a surfactant, a cleansing agent that cuts oil from the skin. These ingredients are simply too harsh and will strip the water out of the skin after every washing. And what you wash with is the MOST important part of your skin care routine. Why? Because if you wash with a foaming cleanser or soap that is too drying, it pulls all the water out of the skin and creates dead, dry skin cell buildup. Then you have to quickly run and put your moisturizer on to put back in what you just took out! It makes no sense! Choose either cleansing lotions or gel cleansers that avoid the harsh ingredient, Sodium or Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate. These are much better choices as they will effectively deep clean the pores but will not rob the skin of much needed water.

 Our AHA/BHA Cleansing Gel was chosen as the “Best Cleanser for Oily/Problem Skin” by Allure Magazine because of how effectively it manages clogged pores and acne, yet doesn’t leave the skin feeling tight and dry like many acne cleansers will do. All Renée Rouleau gel cleansers are sulfate-free.

P.S. Bar soaps are a no-no. Even if it claims to have moisturizer added, even if it’s some fancy kind that’s imported from France that French women use to care for their skin and even if it’s really expensive…they are still not every recommended for use on the face. Read here as to why you should never use bar soap.

Never, Ever Leave Your Skin Bare

After cleansing, you must IMMEDIATELY use an alcohol-free toner and moisturizer. If you leave your skin bare for more than 1 minute, it will start to dehydrate. Perform your skin care routine quickly, and be sure to always leave your toner damp on the skin. This will leave your skin protected and avoid the tight and dry feeling.

Never Skip Using Moisturizer at Night

Some people avoid using night creams to let their skin “breathe” but using moisturizer at night is very important.  First of all, a night cream is a moisturizer without a sunscreen. You don’t have to use something called a night cream (companies use this as a marketing term) – anything without a sunscreen will work well at night as long as it’s right for your skin type. Secondly, at night, when your skin is at rest, the skin’s permeability is at its highest therefore allowing the action ingredients of a moisturizer to absorb deeper within the skin.

Use A Humidifier During The Winter Months.

If the air is moist, then the moisture in your skin will likely stay put rather than evaporating into the dry winter air.

Get Renée Rouleau products for your skin by choosing your skin type.

Questions about your skin? Be sure to email us. We’re here to assist!

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Information courtesy of www.ReneeRouleau.com, a website with skin care tips, products based on nine skin types and advice from skin care expert and celebrity esthetician, Renée Rouleau.