ASK YLB - Oily or no?

Q: "What is a good way to reduce oily skin?! Any products you’d recommend?   I use a Johnson’s cleanser in the morning and before I go to bed, and that’s on top of using makeup wipes and washing my face in the shower. Sometimes I can get oily skin still, but I’m not sure if that’s just down to the temperature… for example, when I’m sat in a really cold air conditioned office my skin never tends to get overly oily!"   Anon3

First up, you need to assess your skin type (normal, oily, combination, dry) and then its condition (dehydrated, sensitive for example) and then make sure the products you are using are correct else it can trigger other problems.  There is a difference in dry and dehydrated skin too: dry lacks oil, dehydrated lacks water and one can be oily but have sensitive skin.

The flush of hot weather we've been experiencing in the UK this summer is naturally going to increase oil production for some so this might be what you have been experiencing if you're not overly oily in an air conditioning environment**.

If you have a dry skin type and are not normally oily but you start using products for an oily skin (due to this hot weather?), this can lead to the harsher ingredients stripping away the natural protective barrier (the acid mantle which is secreted by the sebaceous - oil - glands).  The skin then thinks "eeeek - no protection!" and starts producing more oil to compensate this damage and you continue to use the harsher products and so the drier it will become and you end up in this vicious cycle.

If you have an oily skin type but feel that your skin is tight after cleansing, you have a dehydrated skin.  The tendency is to panic and think its dry and you start using products for a dry skin , full of rich emollients which can provide too much lubrication resulting in breakouts. 

**Air conditioning can dry and dehydrate the skin but use the right products for your skin type and condition and you should be peachy.  Seeing as you're not overly oily when you're sat in aircon (ie. the skin over producing because its drying out too much), then the skin is regulating itself nicely.

I have an oily skin type with a dehydrated condition (yup, too much vino) and I used to love facial gels.  I would jump in the shower and cleanse my face with a facial wash like nobody's business, twice a day.  As I've gotten older, I have noticed that my skin is responding to creams a bit better despite having oily cheeks (yup, still have HUGE pores).  To be honest, thinking about my skincare history, I wish I had chosen milks/creams to gels back in my mid-twenties!  Surprisingly (and I learnt this when I worked for Clarins back in the 90's), water can dry out the skin - again, removing some of the lipids that protect the skin.  Think when you are on holiday, you've gotten out of the pool or the sea and you don't dry yourself down.  What happens next is that the sun evaporates the water off the body as you dry, so quickly, you can end up burning.  That's why its important to dry yourself down and apply more SPF.  It's the same with skincare.  After you've toned the skin, its beneficial to blot the skin before applying a moisturiser else what is left of the toner plus lipids will evaporate and dry out the skin.  

Therefore, I would suggest trying a cream or balm cleanser rather than a facial wash in the shower in the morning.  Massage the skin with the cleanser before you get into the shower and then rinse off in the shower.  Once out, tone and moisturise.  At night, massage the cleanser again and then remove with either damp cotton wool or a damp facial mitt, followed by toner and moisturiser.  

Avoid standard facial wipes if you can as they are bad for the environment, bad for your skin and full of chemicals and plastic.  If you have to use wipes, then source biodegradable ones* as they are better for the planet.  Best moisturisers for all skin types contain hyaluronic acid which naturally occurs in the body and is a moisture magnet - perfect for all skin types and all conditions so do look out for those. 

Recommendations:-

*Yes To..." range (carrots, tomatoes, pomegranate, coconut, argan oil, cucumber - depending on your skin type) - Made with compostable, FSC certified fabrics - £2-5

Neal's Yard Soothing Starflower Cleanser - sensitive £17 (vegan)

Neal's Yard Calendula Cleanser - dry £17 (vegan)

Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter £10

Superdrug Calm Skin Soothing Facial Wash - £3 (vegan).  This is a thick gel so its very gentle and doesn't strip the skin; its lovely to use. 

All the above are cruelty-free certified.

ASK YLB - How Many?!!!

Q:  What are all the stages of a skin care regime and what do the products do?  There seems to be so many!  Anon2

A:  I grew up with the basic cleanse, tone and moisturise routine and it’s the most effective way to keep your skin healthy.  Three easy steps.  Simple.  However, what with skincare becoming so technologically and scientifically advanced, the market is inundated and it can get very confusing as what to buy.  This became evident when I was working for the Japanese skincare and beauty giant, Shiseido in 2015 as the regime became much more than that (and as they do like to layer, it can become costly too).  But reading through this post, you will see that some of the product names are called something else but they do the same thing.

For healthy skin, use the right products for your skin type and condition, keep it clean, use SPF, get a good sleep and keep it hydrated, whether you have good genes or not.  Also, lifestyle and budget come into it but there is a something out there for everyone.

My morning and night skincare regime consists of the following but if you find that this is too much then simply cleanse, tone and moisturise but bring it into the 21st Century and add an SPF into the mix:-

1. Eye make-up remover, 2. Cleanser, 3. Toner, 4. Serum, 5. Eye Cream, 6. Moisturiser

7. Sun Protection (which should include a decent 4-5 star rating and P++ rating).

My bathroom cabinet (products vegan and cruelty-free)

Cleansers (2) unclog pores, remove dirt, make-up, oil, sweat, dead skin cells and other types of pollutants that have accumulated on the skin, during the day and night so do this twice a day!  Cleansers come in the form of gels, oils, creams, lotions, milks, micellar waters, mitts and balms.  For cleansing your peepers (1), unless it categorically states that you can use a product on the eyes as well as the rest of the face, I would use a targeted remover for the eyes else it could result in infections and puffiness if the make-up isn’t properly removed.  Also, due to cosmetic formulations now being ‘long-lasting’, you do need to cleanse more effectively so double-cleanse if you have time.  Also beneficial at this stage, is to give your skin a good massage with the cleanser; it gets the blood flow going, stimulates muscles and lymphatic systems, eliminate toxins and promotes healthy cell renewal.

Toners (3) help rebalance the skin after cleansing, remove any remaining cleansing residue and prepare the skin for the next product.  You could instead use an essence or a softener, which are more concentrated and packed with more ingredients than toners in this step.  Personally, using a toner is my favourite part of the routine!

Serums (4) penetrate the skin much quicker than moisturisers due to their consistency and they contain concentrated active ingredients too so whatever your skincare concern (eg: hydrating, firming, pigmentation or acne), these little beauties will deliver and target it.  Ampoules do the same thing as serums but they are even more concentrated.  I use a firming serum during the day and at night, I apply one that contains glycolic acid (an AHA) so I don’t have to exfoliate my face with a scrub once a week.  If you use an AHA, make sure you use an SPF the following day, as the top layer of the skin has been gently dissolved allowing UVA and UVB to penetrate.

Eye products (5) can help to de-puff and/or reduce the signs of ageing.  I still firmly believe that these little beauties work even if beauty editors don’t.  If I don’t use one, then I notice a difference.  Tip – apply a size of half a grain of rice around the orbital bone and not directly under your eyes – the skin is absorbent and the product will get to where it needs to go at a rate of what it deems fit (too much product can weigh the thinner skin under the eyes down and result in dark circles). 

Moisturisers (6) basically prevent moisture loss and bring comfort to the skin.  These creams, lotions and gels do a lot more than that nowadays as they can firm, lift, exfoliate, plump and provide sun protection so its down to you what your needs are.  Remember, you can go for a basic, cheaper moisturiser and it will still hydrate and allow the skin to feel comfortable and then you can splurge a bit on a serum that will target specific concerns.  I am currently using a moisturiser that doesn’t contain SPF so I use this product day and night.  

SPF (7).  You can buy moisturisers containing a sun protection factor but if you are using one that doesn’t, then you can layer another product on top to make sure you are protected, like I do – they come in the form of lightweight lotions and these make good make-up primers too.  Or you can use a proper facial sun cream.  Thankfully, these products aren’t heavy textures like they once were and they are great under make-up. 

You will notice that I haven’t included exfoliators or masks for a weekly treat for the skin in this list.  Seeing as I use a glycolic as a daily exfoliator, I haven’t bought a scrub in a long time and as for using a mask, I have just been downright lazy in not using one!  But it’s good to slough off those dead skin cells with an exfoliator and then allow your skincare products to work more efficiently by using a mask.  Once you have exfoliated, treat the skin to a mask that is suitable for your skin type/condition, one that will leave the skin revitalised, clean and hydrated.  They come in the form of gels, creams, peels and sheet masks (ugh, which I don't like, they are too wet and claustrophobic!), to name but a few.

Hope this helps!

For more information on You Little Beauty, blogs and treatments, please visit the website www.youlittlebeauties.co.uk