3 Tips For Choosing a Facial Cleanser for Oily Skin

When it comes to caring for oily skin, cleansing is the most important step. While there are a number of facial cleansers that claim to have the ability to put oily skin under control, get rid of oily skin and many other ridiculous claims, studies show that oil production can only be triggered by hormones and therefore no product can get rid of oily skin unless it is addressing the hormonal issue. That said, it is important for people with oily skin to be aware of such fallacies when going out to shop for a cleanser that works. This article discusses three things you need to know before you buy a cleanser for your oily skin:

1. A good cleanser for oily skin should be water soluble. A water soluble cleanser can be washed off easily leaving the skin clean. It is therefore advisable to avoid using bar soap and thick liquid cleansers on your face as this causes clogged pores. Clogged pores are a major cause of pimples which is another issue that many people with oily skin deal with.


2. Avoid cleansers with irritants. Irritants include menthol,and some plant extracts like mint,citrus juices,cinnamon and lavender. While these extracts are added to cleansers to give that tingling feeling, they are not good for people with oily skin as they may trigger excess oil production and cause pimples.Before selecting a cleanser, scan through the ingredients used to produce that cleanser. Most people will only read the product description and buy a product based on the description, forgetting that the product description is only used for marketing purposes and that what is in the product is essentially what matters most. Avoid any cleanser with the above mentioned irritants as well as products with alcohol and sulfur which lead to excess oil production.


3. Be cautious when selecting a cleanser that has a facial scrub. Facial scrub is necessary for getting rid of dead skin and opening clogged pores due to the excess oil being produced by your glands. However, be very cautious when buying an all in one cleanser, because excessive scrubbing of your face is another form of skin irritation which as discussed above, may cause production of excess oil and pimples. Using a clean wash cloth with a gentle water soluble cleanser can accomplish the goal of cleansing your face thoroughly without causing irritation. Scrubbing should be done once or twice a week to avoid irritating your skin daily and disrupting the ability of your skin to heal.

Choosing the right facial cleanser for your oily skin should not be a hard task when you already know what to avoid. If you ensure that your facial cleanser is water soluble, does not contain irritants and does not disrupt the normal healing process of the skin on your face, you can easily eliminate half of the products on the cosmetic shelve and remain with a selection of few good facial cleansers that can be good for your skin. With the few cleansers left to choose from, it becomes a matter of preference, bearing in mind that expensive does not always mean good quality.By Priscilla A Okwaro

Oily Skin a Big Problem for Many Women

Oily skin is one of the biggest skincare problems that women mention. Practically all women have problems with excessive skin oiliness at some point in their lives. Here, you can learn about four causes and what you can do about it.

Cause #1: Hormonal Activity

As you may have read in one of my earlier articles, hormonal changes that occur during puberty stimulate the skin's glands causing them to produce more oil. As a woman, you will also have hormonal changes around your period, after childbirth and during menopause that can cause skin changes including excessive oiliness.

Cause #2: Diet

The skin's oil is called sebum. It is composed of fat. Eating a high fat diet increases your risk of oiliness, just as it increases your risk of heart disease.

Simple carbs such as white bread, potatoes and white rice can also play a role because they cause increased insulin production. Insulin can also stimulate the oil-producing glands.

Cause #3: Over-Cleansing

Excessive cleansing is one of the most common causes of oily skin. It may seem logical to wash your face three or four times a day using a strong cleanser. For a few minutes, your skin will feel less oily.

The problem is that excessive cleansing causes your glands to produce more oil. As the body becomes aware that the skin is dry, it wants to correct the problem. The oil serves a purpose. The goals should not be to get rid of the oil completely, but to balance the oil production.

Cause #4: Using the Wrong Skincare Products

This is the number one cause of oiliness. The ingredients commonly found in cosmetics and other skincare products can cause the skin to feel oily or greasy. Some of the ingredients to avoid include:

· Petrolatum-otherwise known as Vaseline-found in shampoos, body washes, facial cleansers, sunscreens and moisturizers

· Mineral oil-the liquefied version of petrolatum-found in makeup, foundation, moisturizer, body lotion, body wash, sunscreens and many other skincare products

· Cocoa butter-not compatible with the skin's own oils-found in moisturizers, sunscreens, tanning lotion, etc.

Those ingredients do not have the same effect as excessive cleansing. They don't cause your body to product more oil. They simply make your skin feel oily.

The Solutions

You can't stop hormonal activity from happening, but a healthy diet and good dietary supplements can help to balance your hormones. You can make healthy dietary changes, avoid over-cleansing and avoid bad skincare products. Those solutions take time. What you probably want right now is an immediate solution.

The immediate solution for oily skin is a deep cleansing mask containing kaolin, bentone gel and other natural ingredients that dry up excessive skin oils while gently pulling dirt and grime out of the pores. The mask will solve the problem temporarily.

By Margaret Bell

Oily Skin Care Tips - Get Rid Of Those Pimples And Greasy Spots On Your Face Forever

Oily skin is not a disease, its just a skin texture that makes you uncomfortable from which you want to get rid of. Due to lack of proper guidance and information on oily skin care available, it has turned into one of the major skin problems resulting into pimples, acne, blackheads and many more.

Several factors are said to be responsible for the aggravation of an oily skin:

CAUSES OF AN OILY SKIN

1. Heredity is quite responsible for an oily skin, but so do hormones. Pregnant women sometimes notice an increase in skin oil with the changes in hormonal activity. So do women going for birth control pills.

2. Stress can also lead in the overdrive of the oil glands.

3. The wrong cosmetics can easily aggravate an otherwise mild case of oily skin.

Some of these causes are within your ability to control, but others you will have to learn to live with.

In most of the cases, oily skin can be treated at home. But sometimes, the situation demands more than just a home remedy. You need to call for a doctor if you develop sever acne or notice notice any sudden change in your skin. Otherwise, go for these tips and try them at home:

TIPS ON OILY SKIN CARE

1. Keep your skin absolutely clean - You might be quite aware of the fact, that oilier the skin, the dirtier it looks and feels. And to get rid of this, keep your skin clean by washing it at least twice a day.

Generally, some doctors recommend you to use detergent-type soaps on your face. As a substitute to it, you can add 1-2 drops of dish washing detergent to your regular soap.

While some doctors condemn the use of detergent-type soaps as they are too harsh for your oily facial skin. Instead they recommend glycerin soaps to be used to clean your face twice a day.

If using a detergent soap irritates your facial skin then try the glycerin soap,easily available over the counter.

2. Give Aloe-Vera a Try - This wonder plant of the household is the best at absorbing skin oils. Slice open a leaf and smear the gel on your face 3 times a day. Let it dry. Or you can also keep a small amount of gel in the refrigerator during the summers for a refreshing face-lift.

3. Wipe with Astringents - Wipe the oily spots on your face by rubbing alcohol or a combination of alcohol and acetone that helps degrease your oily skin. Many drugstores even sell pre-moistened, individually wrapped alcohol wipes that are really portable, you can carry them in your purse for quick touch-ups all day long.

4. Carry Tissue papers with you - Paper facial tissues are the best substitute of astringents as they help soak up excess oils in a pinch. Get those special oil-absorbing tissues from a cosmetic counter that are very in removing excessive oils between cleansings.

5. Rinse your face with cold water - Simply splashing your face with cold water and blotting it dry a couple of times a day is equivalent to applying chemicals to your skin. These cold water rinses remove excessive oils from your face.

6. Say NO to moisturizers - Do not ever go after those tempting advertisements compelling you to buy facial moisturizers for oily skin. These are the fatal temptations taking you to disastrous skin. Instead apply a sunscreen on your face before facing the sun or going outdoors. And yes, do not forget to check the labels for products especially designed for oily skin.

7. Make your own scrub - Make a paste of a small amount of ground almonds with honey and apply as a facial scrub for removing oils and dead skin cells. Now gently massage this paste on your face with a hot washcloth. Finally, rinse with cold water.

Another scrub from oatmeal mixed with aloe vera can prove to be very beneficial for you. Rub gently on your skin and leave on for 15 minutes, Then rinse thoroughly. And if suffering from acne on your face, then you should probably skip the scrub, as it can aggravate your already-irritated skin.

8. Apply Masques on your oily face - Masques prove to be very beneficial in reducing the oiliness. Either Clay masques or you can mix Fuller's Earth (easily available) with a little water and make a paste. Apply this paste to the face and leave on for about 20 minutes and then rinse off.

9. Go for water-based cosmetics only - Try to make your skin breathe by living without make-up, especially foundation. Using make-up or foundation that are oil-based blocks the pores of your skin thereby resulting in blemishes. And if necessary, then use water-based make-up only, especially spot concealers rather than coating your entire face. In general, prefer stick with powder or gel blushers, and avoid cream foundations as much as possible.

10. Tie up your hair properly - Keep your hair away from your face as oily hair accompanies an oily skin.

11. Do not touch your facial skin - Avoid touching your face throughout the day as your hands deliver excessive oils and dirt.

12. Choose a powder for you - For that extra shine-free protection, use simple products for your oily face such as Johnsons Baby Powder. This makes a superb face powder when fluffed lightly over your makeup.

13. Splash on the hot suds - Hot water is a great solvent. So, warm water should be used to wash an oily face and that with plenty of soap. Hot water plus soap dissolves skin oil better than cold water and soap.

By Navneet Brar 

Ten Skin Problems of Pregnancy

Pregnancy brings with it many changes, emotionally, physically, and mentally. From a mental and emotional standpoint, you're preparing to adopt a new role of parent, with all its accompanying responsibilities. Physically, of course, you're dealing with changes in the shape, function, and movement of your body. While we have a society-wide belief that pregnant women are always glowing, that, unfortunately, is not always the case. No where is this more evident than in the skin problems of pregnancy.
You've probably heard the phrase, "the eyes are the window to the soul". If this is true, your skin is the window to your current state of health and the changes taking place on the inside. During pregnancy, aside from all the other issues, you may also have to deal with a variety of skin changes, including rashes, acne, stretch marks, breaking nails, hair growth or loss, and dark blotches on the skin.
Most of these changes are directly linked to the enormous amount of hormonal fluctuations women experience during pregnancy. During pregnancy, there are all kinds of changes which can have impact on your skin, leading to new skin problems or worsening of existing ones. In some cases, pregnancy may actually help improve existing skin conditions. Let's look at various skin conditions in more detail, defining the main ten skin problems of pregnancy.
1) Rashes. Rashes appear due to irritation of the skin. One common pregnancy rash is called pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy (PUPPP). This is the most frequently seen condition specific to pregnancy. Women with PUPPP demonstrate a rash which starts on the abdomen and can spread to the breasts, arms, thighs, and buttocks.
2) Acne. Acne is another skin condition that may get better or worse during pregnancy. Acne is, at least in part, driven by hormones, so the hormones of pregnancy can lead to more breakouts for some women, and clearer skin for others.
3) Oily skin. Oily skin is third skin condition which may arise during pregnancy. This is related to increased levels of androgen, the male sex hormone, which causes an increase in sebum production. The more sebum produced, the oilier the skin. Many women report that their skin and hair becomes oilier during pregnancy. Most of the time, these issues can be addressed with over the counter oil controlling cleansers and products.
4) Stretch marks. The fourth skin problem of pregnancy, stretch marks arise when the under layers of the skin is stretched, resulting in visible striations on the surface of the skin. Stretch marks can be treated after the fact, but the best treatment is always prevention. Keeping your skin well moisturized, especially on your tummy, breasts, thighs, can help reduce the appearance of stretch marks.
5) . These are another possible skin problem of pregnancy. Spider angiomas are groups of very tiny blood vessels which gather around a central point and radiate out like the legs of a spider. Pregnant women are likely to develop these on their chest, faces, arms, and sometimes on other places on the body. Most of these spider angiomas clear up after pregnancy.
6) Chloasma. Chloasma, also called melasma, or the "mask of pregnancy" is another skin condition which is diagnosed when certain areas of the skin turn darker because of excess pigmentation. Most often, this condition affects places of the skin which are most often exposed to sun, like the upper lip, forehead, cheeks. This condition is likely to clear up after pregnancy. Again, you can lessen your chances of chloasma by using a good (baby safe) doctor recommended sunscreen throughout the course of your pregnancy.
7) Too much hair. Changes in the hair are also common during pregnancy. Some women lose a lot of hair within a few months after delivery, while many are troubled with excess hair growth during pregnancy. Excess hair growth is most often seen on the lip and chin, and is triggered by an increase in androgen and other male hormones during pregnancy.
8) Brittle nails. Many women experience breaking, splitting, or brittleness to their nails during pregnancy. Physicians aren't quite sure why this occurs, but it may be managed with an over the counter nail hardening polish. Check with your doctor.
9) Skin tags. Skin tags are little pieces of skin which over-grow and hang from the neck. These can increase in number during pregnancy. If you have skin tags before pregnancy, it may be that pregnancy will cause these to increase.
10) Atopic dermatitis. Also known as eczema, this skin condition may appear or worsen during pregnancy. Marked by extreme skin itchiness, too much scratching can lead to the skin become red, swollen, or cracked.
If you are pregnant, be sure to watch for these ten skin problems of pregnancy. If you begin to develop any of these conditions, seek appropriate medical advice; you don't have to suffer through these conditions for the whole nine months. Chances are that your doctor will have recommendations which can address your skin problems so you can have healthy, beautiful skin, even while you're pregnant.

By Ally McNeal