My whole life I never really knew what kind of skin I had. In high school, I had super congested pores on my forehead. Not true pimples that ever really came to a head, but lots of bumps and clogged pores. I had the occasional breakouts too. But no one ever really sat me down and said “you have oily skin!”.
Nothing in Seventeen magazine was helping me either. I used Proactiv for a few years in high school that kind of helped. But it wasn’t until my mid 20s that I finally saw an aesthetician and stopped listening to the dermatologist telling me to use Cetaphil. No hate to Cetaphil, but it’s not going to deal with this immense oil production in what I now call my bold T-zone.
Thanks to my aesthetician and finding great products for oily skin, I now have a morning and night time skin care routine for glowing skin. This routine could also work with combination skin. You may just want to add in a more hydrating moisturizer and back off of exfoliating as much as I do.
Either way, everyone, no matter their skin type, should have 8 types of products in their skincare routine. But depending on your type of skin, you may reach for different products and ingredients in those steps. As a super duper oily person, this is my skincare routine for oily skin.
Best Skincare Routine For Oily Skin
For oily skin, a daily morning routine and night time routine are key for dealing with excess oil, preventing breakouts, reducing fine lines and everything in-between. There’s also most definitely a bare minimum I sometimes do for both morning and night. And may I add, sometimes I totally skip one or the other, and maybe both. It happens.
No matter what, I always cleanse in the shower. And no matter what, I never go to bed with makeup on. But I don’t ALWAYS wear makeup, so you can see how that nighttime routine sometimes falls by the wayside.
This routine may also change a bit based on the weather. In the summer months, our oil production increases with the temperature causing more breakouts. My summer skincare routine for oily skin will usually include more exfoliating and masks. Whereas in the winter months, I do like to add in a nighttime moisturizer due to the super dry weather.
Here’s each of my routines, the products I use, and the steps and order I apply each product. Adjust each of these accordingly. Listen to your skin (something I did not know how to do until I got older). If you’re getting dry skin in some spots, back off on the chemical exfoliants. If you need to control oil or breakouts, maybe up the exfoliants and add a mask.
Quick Version: My Oily Skin Routine At A Glance
(Skip to the full breakdown below for the why behind each step)
Morning
- Cleans (2 minutes)
- Tone with an exfoliating toner
- Serume for whatever your skin’s asking for that day
- Moisturize with SPF, no exceptions
Night
- Double cleanse if you wore makeup
- Serum or retinol (not both)
- Eye cream
- Moisturizer or barrier cream, only if you need it
Best Products For Oily Skin
Daily Morning Skincare Routine
Cleanse & Tone Your Skin
Every skincare routine should begin with a good cleanse (two minutes if you can), followed by toning. Any aesthetician will also say you should be cleansing for two whole minutes.
The daily cleanser I use in the shower is usually my Cosmedix Purity Clean Exfoliating Cleanser. I love this one for the summertime especially when I’m more oily. It’s an exfoliating cleanser that’s gentle enough to use daily. Shop it here →
In the winter when my skin isn’t AS oily, I’ll also use the Cosmedix Benefit Clean Gentle Cleanser. Definitely find myself switching between these two, just depends on how my skin is feeling that day. Shop it here →
After a cleanse in the shower, I follow up with toning. I use the Cosmedix Exfoliating Prep Toner, Paula’s Choice toner or sometimes the Elemis exfoliating pads. This is definitely my holy grail product and helps to exfoliate and remove oil from my skin.
This product saved my face from maskne and also some dreaded chest acne after a very sweaty summer! An exfoliating toner for oily skin is ideal because it can help remove excess oil as well as dead skin cells and it preps the skin for all the serums you’ll be adding next. I use this almost daily in the summer months, but pull back during the winter months.
Target Skincare Concerns With Serums
Once your skin is nice and clean and prepped, you’re then ready for targeting skincare concerns. Now is the time for serums to target any issues you’re having. I have a BIG post on serums here depending on your skincare concern. This is definitely when I add things depending on what my skin is telling me. If I’m feeling a bit more dry (rare) I may add a hyaluronic acid that helps to hydrate.
I almost always am using a Vitamin C serum and have been loving this one. Universally, everyone can really use a vitamin C serum. And to target other concerns, I may sometimes use the Cosmedix Simply Brilliant serum too. You can also layer these and mix them. There’s usually no need to worry about mixing these active ingredients.
Hydrate & Protect
Now that you’ve cleansed and treated any of your skincare concerns, next up is protecting it. I am never NOT wearing SPF and the same goes for you too, I hope. Even if you’re spending the whole day inside. SPF is the #1 tool you have against aging and if you do EVERYTHING above this and don’t add SPF, just throw it all out. It’s a complete waste. Straight from my aesthetician’s mouth, swear. All of the above steps are active ingredients and are telling your skin cells to turn over faster and your skin requires a good barrier. SPF is key. You could be doing more damage to your anti-aging routine if you do all the things, but skip this step.
For my daily moisturizer, I often use the Cosmedix Peptide Rich Defense moisturizer with SPF 50. This is one of those, I can’t live without, products. Once I changed to this moisturizer (which was truly my first big step in investing in my skincare routine) I saw a true change in my skin. With SPF 50 I feel super protected against the sun and have already turned a few friends onto this particular product. This also an oil free moisturizer so it’s great for us oily folks!
For a drugstore option, I also use CeraVe ultra light moisturizer with spf 30. But lately, my holy grail has been this Ultra Violette one that’s a 3-in-1. It hydrates (but isn’t too oily), has SPF 50, and acts as a primer.
Prime For Makeup
While this isn’t really skincare, I think it’s an important step to any oily skin routine. If you’re getting ready to put makeup on, you will want to make sure you’re gluing it all down with a good primer. Because yes, as an oily person, you need primer and I find the Ultra Violette one does a pretty good job. Plus, it leaves your skin with a nice blurring glow to it. Here are some of my tried and true best primers for oily skin if you want to secure your makeup down.
Nighttime Skincare Routine For Oily Skin
I am guilty of not cleansing my face every night. But that is only when I don’t have makeup on and have had a bare face all day. It happens. But if I do have makeup on, you bet I’m doing the full routine!
Double Cleanse
Not only am I washing my face for two whole minutes at night, but I use TWO cleansers. These two cleansers help to tackle the day’s makeup, dirt and oil.
Cleanser 1
Cosmedix Purity Solution – When I first got this I was confused because it’s an oil. But my aesthetician told me, you can’t remove oil with water as they don’t mix, only oil with oil. My mind is blown. This goes on a dry face then I rub it in for about 30 seconds, then wet my hands and do another 30 seconds to create a bit of a lather.. Then I rinse. I remove this with a washcloth. A washcloth is your best friend when washing your face!
You can also use a cleansing balm like this one which helps to really melt away makeup. If I don’t have any makeup on, I will sometimes just stick to one cleanser.
Cleanser 2
Cosmedix Purity Detox Scrub – An incredible scrub with salicylic acid. I pour about a tablespoon of this loose formula into my hand and then do about 1 pump of the above Purity Solution and rub it all together to create a paste. This scrub has chunks of poppy and date seeds and has an awesome smell to it. I always feel insanely clean after I use this product. This step I will do a couple of times a week as it’s a bit more stripping and exfoliating. If I’m not using my scrub, I’ll use one of the cleansers from my morning routine as my second cleanser.
Target Skincare Concerns
Just like in my morning routine, I also treat and protect my skin at night. But the products differ. Nighttime is designed for those more active ingredients that shouldn’t be used in the sun. Think your powerhouse anti-aging products like Retinol. These are best for being used in the evening before bed.
Serums
If using a retinol, I might skip this step except for hyaluronic acid as this can help with hydration from the drying effects of vitamin A. If I do not use retinol, I’ll use a firming serum like this one from Follain that has Bakuchiol and Niacinamide, or a brightening serum before bed.
Even though I have oily skin, in the winter time I do like to add in a hyaluronic acid serum for moisture. Between the dryer weather, the heat, my skin does feel like it needs a little hydration.
Eye Cream
Applying an eye cream before bed is great to target any concerns like fine lines, puffiness or dryness. Keeping the under-eye hydrated is always key for anti-aging. I rotate through a few like this one from Follain of this retinol one for nighttime.
Retinol
For anti-aging, and also dealing with excess oil, breakouts from said oil, and reducing the look of pores, retinol is a must for the oily girls. I always use this at night, sparingly. Maybe 1-3 nights a week. You will need to work up to it. For most retinols, I do like to apply a barrier cream over top like a Cicalfate cream. This is an ultimate barrier cream and will help prevent serious dryness and sensitivity from retinol use.
Everyone should be using retinol by the way. It’s the answer to anti-aging and helps to encourage cell growth. You can learn more about retinol and even plant based versions of this antiaging powerhouse here.
One retinol product I love is Cosmedix Define. This product doesn’t require you to moisturize in addition which is great as the formula also hydrates your skin. It’s not straight retinol which tends to be super drying. I use it almost every night and have not experienced any redness. Test this out though as everyone reacts differently to retinol.
Other Anti-Aging Products
Depending on what my mood is, I may switch up my retinol and use something else. Rotating things out is a great way to give your skin a rest too as retinol can be a very harsh exfoliant.
Protect & Moisturize
This is actually a step I typically skip, thanks to being oily. If you’re oily and find yourself waking up still very oily, skip the moisturizer. Just because everyone else is using a nighttime cream doesn’t mean you do too.
I typically just do whatever anti-aging product I’m using and head to bed. Every so often, depending on how frequent my retinol use is, or how dry the weather might be, I will add in a moisturizer on top of everything. The best thing to add is a barrier cream, especially when using retinol.
Weekly Masks
The best way to up your skincare game is to add in a weekly mask. Masks can help seriously target your skincare concerns and make sure you’re seeing results. To get the most out of your mask, check out the best steps on how to do get a spa-like facial at home here. Because throwing a mask on to a dirty face is a big waste of money! With lots of oil production, you may want to do a mask twice a week instead of just once. Listen to your skin! More stripping masks will be harsh even on oily skin.
Exfoliating Weekly Mask
CosMedix Pure Enzymes – This cranberry mask helps to clean out pores and is a stimulating chemical exfoliation. As in, you’ll feel the burn! Your face will be red afterward but it makes you feel like it’s for sure working. I also really like this Osea Red Algae mask. It’s a clarifying mask that really draws out the dirt and oils from my pores which is essential for an oily skin skincare routine. I always see a noticeable difference in how clean my pores look afterwards.
Charcoal Weekly Mask
A charcoal mask is great to include in your oily skincare routine once a week. I love The Outset purifying clay mask and also the Detox Cosmedix mask. They help to pull out oil from your pores and make a world of difference.
There you have it, the best skin care routine for oily skin. These products, and this routine and schedule, helps to keep my oil at bay, pores nice and clear and skin looking its best.
One thing I will say: you’ll also want to listen to your skin. If you’ve been using too many actives, your skin can be dehydrated even if you’re oily. If this happens, you can simply add in a weekly hydrating mask, or layer a hydrating serum like hyaluronic acid serum before your acids. And if using retinol at night, sandwich it between a moisturizer to ensure you aren’t dehydrating your skin.
