Medically reviewed by Dr. Riaz Ali Shah.
Summer may be the most liked season for the rest of the world because of the sunny, breezy days, beaches and vacations. But for us Pakistanis, it’s mostly the opposite. The sun is always splitting stones in most of our cities and the cities that have high humidity add a plus point to making the season even worse, especially for those with oily skin.
While it’s completely normal for your skin to produce more oil during summers, it’s always a good idea to take some measures in preventing your skin from breaking out during the scorching weather. Therefore, please follow suit with this article if you want to do some shine control!
· Cleanse It Right
While the increased oil on your skin will tempt you into washing your face every few hours, it’s important that you don’t do it more than thrice a day. Even if your skin isn’t acne prone, during summers, wash your face with a salicylic acid base cleanser to keep both the oil and the acne at bay.
· Tone It Well
Toners are extremely essential in order to remove the extra oils, clogged deeply inside the pores of your skin. Moreover, it’s essential to tone your skin to get rid of the stubborn makeup and dirt that won’t go away even after washing your face. But, when your summer oily skin is in the picture, it’s important that you choose a toner containing ingredients with slightly astringent and antibacterial properties such as Aloe Vera, Tea Tree, Witch Hazel and Salicylic Acid.
· Use a Water Based Moisturizer
Even though using a moisturizer on oily skin sounds counter-intuitive, it is actually very beneficial in keeping your skin from producing excess oil. When you leave your skin dry, the sebaceous glands are forced to produce oil in order to compensate for the lack of moisture. Therefore, a water based/oil free moisturizer should do the trick and keep your skin soft, supple and oil free all at the same time!
· Don’t Scrimp On Sunblock
The trick to keeping your skin healthy during the scorching summers is to invest in a good sunblock. So, get your hands on a mattifying sunscreen with at least an SPF of 45 and lather it on your face at least 10 minutes before going out in the sun. Believe it or not, it’s going to help you a great deal in keeping the oil and the shine away!
· Make Honey your Nighttime Honey
Honey, with its anti-bacterial and anti-septic properties is a great natural ingredient to combat oily and acne prone skin. So, incorporate natural honey based masks in your nighttime skin care every alternate day and wake up to a glowing, supple and oil-free face.
· Drink Like a Fish
Staying hydrated during the summers is not something very hard to do considering your body is screaming for water after all the constant sweating. Yet, some of us still forget to drink enough water which directly contributes to more sebum production. Therefore, make sure that you are drinking at least 60-80 ounces of water every day, in order to moisten and hydrate the body inside and out. Once your body has all the water that it needs, your brain will stop sending signals to the oil glands to produce excess oils. While oily skin becomes extremely problematic in summers, it’s surely a blessing in the long run. During the aging process, when all the other skin types will show the aging signs earlier, oily skin type would still be soft and smooth. So, don’t lose your cool because of the heat and remember that if you take care of your skin by following the tips above, it will not only help you in looking on-point during summers, but throughout the year!
Guest Post Credits: Dr. Maleeha Syed
