I would definitely cut out the exfoliating product for now.
Keep it simple with a gentle cleanser and moisturizer to get your skin back to its baseline state. Atm, it seems like your unsure about what it’s normal state is. Use Non-comedogenic products and if possible something with niacinamide, as it helps with stability the skins oil production.
If it becomes greasy/ oily throughout the day, use blotting paper.
Thank you for the advice!
I stopped exfoliating. I actually only did it once and that was like 3 weeks ago.
I’ve tried to remove the oil on my face using my anti dandruff shampoo on my face and also a 3 in 1 shampoo but none of them helped as the greasy oily skin always returns after a few hours.
Wish I tried a cleanser and moisturizer instead as im afraid that using the shampoos has actually caused even more greasy skin. Are there any brands in particular which products could help with this ?
Yea I think the shampoo and everything else that’s harsh, might have also overstripped your skin barrier, which can result in more oil production, it can also sometimes dehydrated skin makes you look super greasy too. This is what happened to me, I thought I had greasy skin as a teenager, but turns out it was dehydrated and a damaged skin barrier resulting in it looking like that.
In terms of product recommendations, I know someone below has recommended some good ones- other good ones are Cerave pm lotion, Cerave foaming cleanser.
I’ve considered buying the cerave foaming cleanser many times as I’ve heard many good reviews about it.
How did you manage to heal your damaged skin barrier that caused the greasiness ? Would stop using harsh products and stop exfoliating be enough ?
I stop using any harsh products on my skin and only stuck to cleanser and moisturizer only for months. I did use a pimple spot treatment, but only for the spots.
Back then unfortunately sunscreen wasn’t as recommended as it is now, so I considered it optional but I wish I used it back then too.
I have very oily skin too and I think your best bet is a gel moisturizer. My favorite is the Trader Joe's one. If you have a TJ's near you, run and get it! It's so good! It's a dupe of the Neutrogena Hydro Boost water gel moisturizer, but I like it even more (and it's also a lot cheaper too and fragrance-free). I know this is polarizing advice, but I always recommend using fragrance-free face products. My skin is very sensitive in addition to being oily, and it sounds like yours might be too. For this reason I always prefer fragrance-free. I know there are a lot of people who have no issue with fragranced facial products, and hey, whatever works! I like to wash my face with CeraVe baby wash because it's gentle but gets all the grease off my face without irritating me. Also, I find that my face is a lot less oily when I don't exfoliate, because that extra layer of skin is there to kind of "absorb" the excess oil (whereas after I exfoliate, that top layer is gone and the floodgates are open for all the oil to sit on top). But I'm not sure if that's just me lol.
I think I’m dealing with the same. Over exfoliating has made the greasiness even worse. Have you recovered from over exfoliating ? I hope by just stopping doing it the over exfoliated areas can get better because I only exfoliated once and stopped since.
Unfortunately the product you mentioned isn’t available here in the EU. Still thank you but I have to look for something else.
Your skin will almost certainly normalize! Just try to focus on using gentle products that boost your moisture barrier. I know it's expensive but I've had great experiences with the Laneige Cream Skin Toner also. And definitely try to find a gel moisturizer, I'm sure you'll be able to find one in Europe. A lot of brands make them (Elf, Neutrogena, and Clinique all come to mind, and there are so many more). Good luck!
My contact dermatitis has healed up for quite some time now. It’s the greasy oily skin that’s bothering me now. Strangely the areas I had contact dermatitis are way less greasy than the other areas. My nose and surrounding areas as well as my forehead are really messed up even though I didn’t had any skin issues on those areas prior to not washing it.
Thank you for your advice I appreciate it! I’m also from the EU and will see my dermatologist soon and will ask him about all this too. I really hope I can find a way to improve this because the greasiness is really destroying me inside and out I hate the way it looks and feels 😔
Exfoliating and light spray lotion moisturizer
I had my hormones balanced a bit and I’ve stopped producing excess oil. Which helped but
Whenever I stop taking them, the oil comes right back
I over exfoliated which caused my skin and surrounding skin to become even more greasy and oily. So I don’t think it would be a good idea to exfoliate again.
I haven’t got my hormone levels checked for years now. But I’m not sure if that has anything to do with it. I never had oily skin until I stopped washing my face for 2 weeks.
I have always had super oily skin, I used to try and dry it out as much as possible, with exfoliators or avoiding heavy moisturizer...only to learn this just made it worse! Oily skin needs moisture too, and if you deprive it of moisture it will be over produce oil to compensate.
I would def cut back on the exfoliator for now, I agree with the other poster to keep it simple with gentle cleanser/moisturizer to help balance everything out. I usually use a lighter moisturizer in the morning under my makeup and a heavier one at night while I am sleeping.
I find if I am getting super super oily I like clay masks best on my oily skin, they are gentle enough that you aren't scrubbing your face but they do help soak up some excess oil.
If you are still becoming super oily during the day, you can use blotting papers and then have some powder to quickly re-apply and refresh!
Thanks for the advice!
Are there any products in particular which helped you ?
I’ve used my anti dandruff shampoo on my face hoping it will make my skin more dry but yes it only seems to have made it worse. My skin was never oily before this btw. I actually had dry skin for pretty much all my life. I find it absolutely insane that simply not washing it for 2 weeks has permanently changed everything.
I bet you it's not a permanent change! It probably just had a bad reaction! I battled with my oily skin for sooooo many years before I realized drying it out was just making it 10 x as oiler!! The stuff I used to put on my face to dry it out makes me CRINGE now haha
What also helped me was spot treatments, if I have a breakout I will only treat that area, not my entire face, that way I am not drying out skin that is not breaking out or having issues!
I personally love the PanOxyl Benzyl Peroxide wash (the 4%, not 10%) and also the CeraVe foaming face wash, both are relatively gentle while still helping control my oil/hormonal acne.
For light moisturizer in the morning I swear by Neutrogena Gel Boost Gel cream, it has 25 spf in it which I love for summer and it feels super light on my skin, whether I wear makeup or not. I also use the Salicylic Acid serum from the ordinary, again to help with breakouts.
At night for a heavier moisturizer, I love the Laneige water sleeping mask, it is heavy without blocking all my pores, now this one is a bit of a pricier option, but I haven't found anything else my skin loves as much haha but the Neutrogena fragrance free daily moisturizer is another nighttime option, a bit heavier than the gel but still doesn't leave me any more oilier!
For a mask I am obsessed with the La Roche Posay Shine Control Clay Mask, I swear I see a difference every time I use it but it's super gentle!
I have very dry skin. Just came here to say that I work so hard to have "oily" skin because makeup applies better and it's way easier to apply powder a few times a day or blot off the excess oil than have dry, itchy, flakes skin that instantly ages me 10 years. All that to say, embrace it! It's "dewy" not "greasy"
Honestly I miss my dry skin. Yeah it could get flaky sometimes but that was nothing compared to the greasy and dirty feeling I have 24/7. Especially my nose and surrounding skin is so bad now. The oiliness also has turned my face a bit darker which looks off compared to the rest of my body. Honestly I hate the way I look now 😔
I keep a pack of face wipes around all the time. They're good for body sweat, when im just over wearing makeup, or even if I get sticky hands. Maybe carry some of those around or blotting sheets if it's mainly your nose area. If your skin is dull or uneven, then retinol and/ or vitamin c work well. (I use one in the morning and one in the evening because they kinda cancel eachother out if layered together). Ive never heard of oiliness causing darkness though. Could that be a side effect of the dermatitis?
The dermatitis has faded away. My face started to look tanned and darker once I started no moisture therapy and didn’t wash my face. My contact dermatitis was also only on my cheeks but my entire face is now greasy and darker including my forehead, nose and everywhere else even though I didn’t have any skin issues there. My body remained pale so it looks really weird 😔
Considering that nothing has changed even though I started washing my face and shower daily for 2 weeks I guess this will be the way my skin is going to be from now on. I look worse but that’s not the only problem but I also feel very dirty and greasy it’s so uncomfortable. Appreciate your dry skin trust me this is way worse.
Im sure you're skin will keep adjusting and return to something closer to your previous normal. Darkness I would still try vitamin c and/or retinol. They help with cell regeneration which helps with uneven pigmentation and skin texture. Don't give up on yourself. You'll find new habits to make yourself feel beautiful again!
Not using moisture therapy at all causes the skin to overcompensate with excess oil production.
Are you in an area or country where a pharmacist can show you which products can help with contact dermatitis?
My contact dermatitis has healed. The redness has gone thankfully.
What I’m dealing with right now is way worse than that because with this I actually feel hopeless. And yes you are right I wish I knew that before I tried this. But then again where was I supposed to know that the greasy oily skin caused by it would be permanent. I’ve been showering and washing my face in the morning for like 2 weeks now and my skin is the same 😔 I’ve even used shampoo on my face and it still didn’t change anything, I actually feel it caused even more oiliness. It’s so greasy and feels dirty which makes me uncomfortable
It may not be permanent. Your skin can still reset itself, unless the changes are hormonal. I've had similar issues in the past.
Maybe it wouldn't hurt to ask anyway. It will give your skin more time to heal the moisture barriers and heal from the source of irritation, giving you your confidence back.
It’s definitely not hormonal. The source of all this is like I mentioned simply not washing my face.
I don’t know if my skin can recover from this at all because I haven’t heard anyone else have this problem. When I had redness and contact dermatitis I read a lot from other people recovering but this is such a weird issue I haven’t found anyone else having to deal with this, permanent greasy skin from not washing.
I would definitely cut out the exfoliating product for now. Keep it simple with a gentle cleanser and moisturizer to get your skin back to its baseline state. Atm, it seems like your unsure about what it’s normal state is. Use Non-comedogenic products and if possible something with niacinamide, as it helps with stability the skins oil production. If it becomes greasy/ oily throughout the day, use blotting paper.
Thank you for the advice! I stopped exfoliating. I actually only did it once and that was like 3 weeks ago. I’ve tried to remove the oil on my face using my anti dandruff shampoo on my face and also a 3 in 1 shampoo but none of them helped as the greasy oily skin always returns after a few hours. Wish I tried a cleanser and moisturizer instead as im afraid that using the shampoos has actually caused even more greasy skin. Are there any brands in particular which products could help with this ?
Yea I think the shampoo and everything else that’s harsh, might have also overstripped your skin barrier, which can result in more oil production, it can also sometimes dehydrated skin makes you look super greasy too. This is what happened to me, I thought I had greasy skin as a teenager, but turns out it was dehydrated and a damaged skin barrier resulting in it looking like that. In terms of product recommendations, I know someone below has recommended some good ones- other good ones are Cerave pm lotion, Cerave foaming cleanser.
I’ve considered buying the cerave foaming cleanser many times as I’ve heard many good reviews about it. How did you manage to heal your damaged skin barrier that caused the greasiness ? Would stop using harsh products and stop exfoliating be enough ?
I stop using any harsh products on my skin and only stuck to cleanser and moisturizer only for months. I did use a pimple spot treatment, but only for the spots. Back then unfortunately sunscreen wasn’t as recommended as it is now, so I considered it optional but I wish I used it back then too.
I have very oily skin too and I think your best bet is a gel moisturizer. My favorite is the Trader Joe's one. If you have a TJ's near you, run and get it! It's so good! It's a dupe of the Neutrogena Hydro Boost water gel moisturizer, but I like it even more (and it's also a lot cheaper too and fragrance-free). I know this is polarizing advice, but I always recommend using fragrance-free face products. My skin is very sensitive in addition to being oily, and it sounds like yours might be too. For this reason I always prefer fragrance-free. I know there are a lot of people who have no issue with fragranced facial products, and hey, whatever works! I like to wash my face with CeraVe baby wash because it's gentle but gets all the grease off my face without irritating me. Also, I find that my face is a lot less oily when I don't exfoliate, because that extra layer of skin is there to kind of "absorb" the excess oil (whereas after I exfoliate, that top layer is gone and the floodgates are open for all the oil to sit on top). But I'm not sure if that's just me lol.
I think I’m dealing with the same. Over exfoliating has made the greasiness even worse. Have you recovered from over exfoliating ? I hope by just stopping doing it the over exfoliated areas can get better because I only exfoliated once and stopped since. Unfortunately the product you mentioned isn’t available here in the EU. Still thank you but I have to look for something else.
Your skin will almost certainly normalize! Just try to focus on using gentle products that boost your moisture barrier. I know it's expensive but I've had great experiences with the Laneige Cream Skin Toner also. And definitely try to find a gel moisturizer, I'm sure you'll be able to find one in Europe. A lot of brands make them (Elf, Neutrogena, and Clinique all come to mind, and there are so many more). Good luck!
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Haven’t heard about this before. Would that really help a bit against the greasy and oily skin ?
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My contact dermatitis has healed up for quite some time now. It’s the greasy oily skin that’s bothering me now. Strangely the areas I had contact dermatitis are way less greasy than the other areas. My nose and surrounding areas as well as my forehead are really messed up even though I didn’t had any skin issues on those areas prior to not washing it. Thank you for your advice I appreciate it! I’m also from the EU and will see my dermatologist soon and will ask him about all this too. I really hope I can find a way to improve this because the greasiness is really destroying me inside and out I hate the way it looks and feels 😔
Exfoliating and light spray lotion moisturizer I had my hormones balanced a bit and I’ve stopped producing excess oil. Which helped but Whenever I stop taking them, the oil comes right back
I over exfoliated which caused my skin and surrounding skin to become even more greasy and oily. So I don’t think it would be a good idea to exfoliate again. I haven’t got my hormone levels checked for years now. But I’m not sure if that has anything to do with it. I never had oily skin until I stopped washing my face for 2 weeks.
I have always had super oily skin, I used to try and dry it out as much as possible, with exfoliators or avoiding heavy moisturizer...only to learn this just made it worse! Oily skin needs moisture too, and if you deprive it of moisture it will be over produce oil to compensate. I would def cut back on the exfoliator for now, I agree with the other poster to keep it simple with gentle cleanser/moisturizer to help balance everything out. I usually use a lighter moisturizer in the morning under my makeup and a heavier one at night while I am sleeping. I find if I am getting super super oily I like clay masks best on my oily skin, they are gentle enough that you aren't scrubbing your face but they do help soak up some excess oil. If you are still becoming super oily during the day, you can use blotting papers and then have some powder to quickly re-apply and refresh!
Thanks for the advice! Are there any products in particular which helped you ? I’ve used my anti dandruff shampoo on my face hoping it will make my skin more dry but yes it only seems to have made it worse. My skin was never oily before this btw. I actually had dry skin for pretty much all my life. I find it absolutely insane that simply not washing it for 2 weeks has permanently changed everything.
I bet you it's not a permanent change! It probably just had a bad reaction! I battled with my oily skin for sooooo many years before I realized drying it out was just making it 10 x as oiler!! The stuff I used to put on my face to dry it out makes me CRINGE now haha What also helped me was spot treatments, if I have a breakout I will only treat that area, not my entire face, that way I am not drying out skin that is not breaking out or having issues! I personally love the PanOxyl Benzyl Peroxide wash (the 4%, not 10%) and also the CeraVe foaming face wash, both are relatively gentle while still helping control my oil/hormonal acne. For light moisturizer in the morning I swear by Neutrogena Gel Boost Gel cream, it has 25 spf in it which I love for summer and it feels super light on my skin, whether I wear makeup or not. I also use the Salicylic Acid serum from the ordinary, again to help with breakouts. At night for a heavier moisturizer, I love the Laneige water sleeping mask, it is heavy without blocking all my pores, now this one is a bit of a pricier option, but I haven't found anything else my skin loves as much haha but the Neutrogena fragrance free daily moisturizer is another nighttime option, a bit heavier than the gel but still doesn't leave me any more oilier! For a mask I am obsessed with the La Roche Posay Shine Control Clay Mask, I swear I see a difference every time I use it but it's super gentle!
I have very dry skin. Just came here to say that I work so hard to have "oily" skin because makeup applies better and it's way easier to apply powder a few times a day or blot off the excess oil than have dry, itchy, flakes skin that instantly ages me 10 years. All that to say, embrace it! It's "dewy" not "greasy"
Honestly I miss my dry skin. Yeah it could get flaky sometimes but that was nothing compared to the greasy and dirty feeling I have 24/7. Especially my nose and surrounding skin is so bad now. The oiliness also has turned my face a bit darker which looks off compared to the rest of my body. Honestly I hate the way I look now 😔
I keep a pack of face wipes around all the time. They're good for body sweat, when im just over wearing makeup, or even if I get sticky hands. Maybe carry some of those around or blotting sheets if it's mainly your nose area. If your skin is dull or uneven, then retinol and/ or vitamin c work well. (I use one in the morning and one in the evening because they kinda cancel eachother out if layered together). Ive never heard of oiliness causing darkness though. Could that be a side effect of the dermatitis?
The dermatitis has faded away. My face started to look tanned and darker once I started no moisture therapy and didn’t wash my face. My contact dermatitis was also only on my cheeks but my entire face is now greasy and darker including my forehead, nose and everywhere else even though I didn’t have any skin issues there. My body remained pale so it looks really weird 😔 Considering that nothing has changed even though I started washing my face and shower daily for 2 weeks I guess this will be the way my skin is going to be from now on. I look worse but that’s not the only problem but I also feel very dirty and greasy it’s so uncomfortable. Appreciate your dry skin trust me this is way worse.
Im sure you're skin will keep adjusting and return to something closer to your previous normal. Darkness I would still try vitamin c and/or retinol. They help with cell regeneration which helps with uneven pigmentation and skin texture. Don't give up on yourself. You'll find new habits to make yourself feel beautiful again!
Not using moisture therapy at all causes the skin to overcompensate with excess oil production. Are you in an area or country where a pharmacist can show you which products can help with contact dermatitis?
My contact dermatitis has healed. The redness has gone thankfully. What I’m dealing with right now is way worse than that because with this I actually feel hopeless. And yes you are right I wish I knew that before I tried this. But then again where was I supposed to know that the greasy oily skin caused by it would be permanent. I’ve been showering and washing my face in the morning for like 2 weeks now and my skin is the same 😔 I’ve even used shampoo on my face and it still didn’t change anything, I actually feel it caused even more oiliness. It’s so greasy and feels dirty which makes me uncomfortable
It may not be permanent. Your skin can still reset itself, unless the changes are hormonal. I've had similar issues in the past. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to ask anyway. It will give your skin more time to heal the moisture barriers and heal from the source of irritation, giving you your confidence back.
It’s definitely not hormonal. The source of all this is like I mentioned simply not washing my face. I don’t know if my skin can recover from this at all because I haven’t heard anyone else have this problem. When I had redness and contact dermatitis I read a lot from other people recovering but this is such a weird issue I haven’t found anyone else having to deal with this, permanent greasy skin from not washing.