How To Deal With Oily Dehydrated Skin (Full Skincare Routine)

In this post, we will talk about the do’s and don’ts for oily dehydrated skin. If you have an oily dehydrated skin type, read on.

Let’s start by understanding what oily dehydrated skin actually looks like.

Can You Have Oily Dehydrated Skin?

The answer is yes! Oily dehydrated skin is actually a common skin type. If you have oily dehydrated skin, you will have an oily T-zone and your cheeks will be dry. You might also experience tightness and flakiness on your skin.

What Is Oily Dehydrated Skin?

Oily dehydrated skin is a skin type that contains too much oil and not enough water. The skin may feel tight, look flaky, and be prone to breakouts.

The main cause of oily dehydrated skin is a lack of hydration. When the skin is not properly hydrated, it produces more oil to compensate. This can lead to clogged pores and breakouts.

Dehydration can also be caused by using products that strip the natural oils from the skin or by not drinking enough water.

How To Tell If You Have Oily Dehydrated Skin?

You might be oily on the surface of your skin, however, that inner layer of your skin is actually quite dry. In short, you’re oily on the outside and dry on the inside.

Okay. Now let’s check if you actually have oily dehydrated skin. I’m going to give you a checklist to check if you have symptoms. If you checked at least six, you actually have oily dehydrated skin.

symptoms of oily dehydrated skin

Why Is My Skin Dehydrated But Oily?

Oily dehydrated skin is a result of interruption of water-oil balance. Actually, this makes your inner skin really dry, so your skin tries to overcompensate and secretes more oil but, as I said, your inner layer is really dry. So, you’re going to feel that tightness but you are greasy on the outside.

And because of your sebum, your outer layer is actually thicker. So, you tend to build up more dead skin cells and you may feel that stickiness and greasy mess. So it’s hard to manage it.

And if you apply a thick moisturizer, you’ll notice. It won’t really absorb within your skin.

So in this case it’s really important to manage your sebum balance and moisturize your skin properly. A good way is to use lighter products and layer them. This will actually hydrate your skin more.

Now, let’s see how to deal with oily dehydrated skin.

How Do You Treat Oily Dehydrated Skin?

The main focus for treating oily dehydrated skin is to rehydrate the skin and restore the water-oil balance. This can be done by:

Using a hydrating cleanser: Choose a hydrating cleanser that will not strip the natural oils from your skin. A good rule of thumb is to avoid cleansers with sulfates as they can be quite harsh on the skin.

Exfoliating regularly: Exfoliation will help to remove the buildup of dead skin cells on the surface of the skin. This will allow your other skincare products to work more effectively.

Using a hyaluronic acid serum: Hyaluronic acid is a powerful humectant that helps the skin to retain moisture. Apply a serum containing hyaluronic acid twice a day to help rehydrate the skin.

Using lightweight moisturizers: Choose a lightweight moisturizer that will not feel heavy or greasy on the skin. A gel-based moisturizer is a good option for oily dehydrated skin.

Drinking plenty of water: Drinking plenty of water is essential for maintaining healthy skin. Drink at least eight glasses of water per day to help rehydrate the skin from the inside out.

So, these are some tips on how to deal with oily dehydrated skin. Follow these tips and you should start to see an improvement in your skin condition.

What Should You Eat To Solve Oily, Dehydrated Skin Issues

You are what you eat! So, if your skin is oily and dehydrated, it’s important to make sure that you are drinking enough water and eating a balanced diet. Some foods that can help to improve the condition of oily, dehydrated skin include:

Water: Drink plenty of water each day to help hydrate the skin from the inside out.

Salmon: Salmon is high in omega-3 fatty acids which can help to reduce inflammation and improve the health of the skin.

Blueberries: Blueberries are rich in antioxidants which can help to protect the skin from damage caused by free radicals.

Green tea: Green tea is high in antioxidants which can help to protect the skin from damage caused by free radicals.

So, these are some of the best foods to eat if you have oily, dehydrated skin. Make sure to include plenty of these foods in your diet each day to help improve the condition of your skin.

What Skincare Ingredients Are Best?

If you are looking for skincare ingredients that are best for oily, dehydrated skin, look for products that contain:

Hyaluronic acid: Hyaluronic acid is a powerful humectant that helps the skin to retain moisture.

Vitamin C: Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that can help to protect the skin from damage caused by free radicals.

Tea tree oil: Tea tree oil is a natural antibacterial agent that can help to reduce inflammation and clear up acne-causing bacteria.

So, these are some of the best skincare ingredients to look for if you have oily, dehydrated skin. Make sure to include products containing these ingredients in your skincare routine.

Oily Dehydrated Skin Regimen – Do’s And Don’ts

oily skin and dry skin illustration

1. Exfoliation

You shouldn’t use harsh products, because that will actually damage your outer layer of skin. Try to find a product that has an AHA-BHA ingredient as it helps with getting rid of the dead skin cells of the stratum corneum without irritation.

If you use it with the help of a compressed cotton pad, you can gently and effectively get rid of dead skin cells, as well as excess waste.

Don’t exfoliate every day as that can make your inner skin really dry. Exfoliating too frequently or every day removes even the dead skin cells that shouldn’t be removed and these dead skin cells actually maintain your water and oil balance.

Therefore, instead of exfoliating every day, do it about 1 or 2 times as recommended.

2. Cleansing

As mentioned before, your water and oil balance is imbalanced in oily dehydrated skin.

The Ph level of healthy skin is 5 to 7, which is weakly acidic, so we still have to maintain a slightly acidic condition for healthy skin. A weak, acidic cleanser will protect the inner skin from losing moisture and keep your skin moisturized.

A gentle foam cleanser will help get rid of the unnecessary waste of your skin. Use a cleanser that makes your skin feel moisturized. Don’t use a cleanser that strips away moisture.

Don’t use comedogenic cleansers for your skin as they will block your pores.

3. Toning

Use a hydrating toner. A hydrating toner will allow your outer skin and also your inner skin to be deeply hydrated.

Use a toner at least twice during the day to properly hydrate the inner and outer layers of your skin. Especially on the days when you are feeling extra dry, just apply a large amount on a cotton pad, and use it as a face mask.

Don’t use products that contain alcohol. Alcohol is easily evaporated and tends to make the skin itch and dry easily, especially when used frequently. It produces active oxygen and can weaken the skin’s barrier.

Even for me, every time I use an alcohol product, I feel like it really stings my skin.

PIXI Retinol Tonic and Alpha-H Liquid Gold are two great choices here.

4. Serums

One of the main reasons you have oily dehydrated skin it’s because of the heat of your face.

Did you know that every one degree that the temperature is raised, the amount of sebum level around your face increases by ten percent? Ten percent? Now that’s, a lot of sebum for just a one-degree temperature?

Therefore, the hotter your face, your face is going to feel more greasy.

Therefore, it’s really important to lower your skin temperature. Use a serum that has a cooling effect and actually doesn’t grease up your skin and gets absorbed deep into the skin to maintain the oil and water ratio.

Don’t combine serums together. There are ingredients you should avoid using together, especially if you have two products that have a wrinkle care function and a pore management care function. Don’t combine them. That is the worst pore care.

Pore care products have little amounts of oil in them because the purpose is to tighten the pores but wrinkle care products actually contain mostly oil, so think about it.

The Inkey List Hyaluronic Acid Serum is an affordable option that you can try. Another favorite is L’Oreal Paris Hyaluronic Acid Face Serum.

4. Creams

Use an oil-free gel-type cream. Oil-free products will give that cooling effect on your skin as well as control your greasiness. They also get well absorbed into your skin.

Again, I know that I said this – probably a million trillion infinity times, but it’s really important to control your water and oil balance, because this controls your excess sebum and, at the same time, gives moisture deep within your skin.

Texture creams will give a fresh finish to the outer layer of the skin, but at the same time, hydrate your inner skin.

Don’t use products with oil. Just because your skin is feeling tight, avoid using products that have too much oil in them.

Oil may temporarily help the dryness of your skin, but in the long run, it might actually worsen your oily dehydrated skin.

Now here are some ingredients that contain a lot of oil – triglycerides sodium palmate, stearate, and stearic acid, and if you have excess sebum, they really cause your pores to block.

Remember not to use too much of these oil-based ingredients.

I love the Clinique Moisture Surge.

How Do I Know If My Skin Needs Hydration Vs Moisture?

The skin on your face is the thinnest and it requires a different type of care than the skin on other parts of your body.

When we’re talking about moisturizing or hydrating the skin, especially when it comes to the face, it’s really important to target both needs: moisture and hydration.

Dehydrated skin means that you don’t have enough water in your skin, while dry skin means you don’t have enough oil in your skin.

One of the best ways to determine if you need more hydration or more moisture is by checking the elasticity of your skin.

To do this, pinch the back of your hand with your thumb and forefinger and hold for about five seconds.

If your skin bounces back immediately, you need more hydration in your skincare routine. If it takes a few seconds for your skin to return to its normal state, you need more moisture.

If you have oily dehydrated skin, that means that you have too much sebum and not enough water in your skin. This can be caused by a variety of factors such as the environment, sun exposure, smoking, and even stress.

Oily dehydrated skin is usually accompanied by blackheads, large pores, and an oily T-zone.

Since this type of skin is lacking water, using hydrating ingredients and moisturizers is essential. Look for products that contain sodium hyaluronate or glycerin, which are great ingredients for attracting and retaining water in the skin.

Other ingredients to look for include aloe vera, chamomile, and green tea, which all have calming and soothing properties.

Creams are generally the best type of moisturizer for oily dehydrated skin, as they help to hydrate and nourish the skin without clogging pores.

Does Oily Dehydrated Skin Cause Acne?

Treating oily dehydrated skin is one way to help keep acne at bay. Dehydrated skin can lead to an overproduction of sebum, which in turn can clog pores and contribute to the development of acne lesions.

Acne is not caused by a lack of oil but rather by the accumulation of sebum and dead skin cells in the pores. Treatment for oily dehydrated skin should therefore include a gentle cleanser that will remove excess sebum without stripping away moisture, as well as a hydrating toner and serum.

A gel-based cream or an oil-free moisturizer may also be helpful in controlling shine and greasiness. Finally, avoid using products that contain high levels of oil or ingredients that are known to cause blocked pores.

Is Oily Dehydrated Skin Permanent?

Dehydrated skin is typically a short-term problem that’s generally caused by using the incorrect skin care products. Changing to the appropriate products frequently cures or at least minimizes the severity of the problem and eliminates a dehydrated, flaky surface.

Acne and oily skin, on the other hand, often endure due to their hereditary nature. This can be exacerbated by using the incorrect skincare products.

Thank you so much for reading. These were some good tips if you were wondering how to deal with oily dehydrated skin. I hope some of the information I gave you kind of helped you out. If you have any questions, don’t forget to leave a comment below.

You might be interested in checking out this post on how to know if your skin is oily or dry.

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