Face feeling greasy? Here are 3 steps for a simple routine for oily skin.

Most men have oily skin type, so you’re not alone. Contrary to what you might think, face oil is actually a good thing. We need that oil, or sebum, to help nourish and moisturize both skin and hair. However, having too much of it can lead to clogged pores, pesky breakouts, or feeling like you have a greasy film over your face.

This inconvenience is aggravated by using the wrong skincare products or using the right products wrongly. (No, a bar of soap doesn’t cut it). Regardless of why your skin gets excessively oily, we’re here to help you take matters in your own hands. 

Here‘s an easy oily skin routine for men to prevent excessive oil production and the best products to transform your forehead shine to a natural, healthy glow. 

The oily skin routine starts like any other skin routine: with a cleanse. Washing your face of existing grime and oil buildup, it becomes easier to apply the rest of the products in the routine, and makes those products more effective.

The best cleanser for oily skin will work harder than other options to flush away the oil from the surface of the skin, and to pull oil from the pores. For this, find a cleanser that uses similar ingredients to a deep-cleansing face mask, since those masks’ job is to extract oil and impurities from pores. Look for ingredients like activated charcoal or, better yet, cleansing clay, which has up to four times the amount of oil-extracting powers as the runner-up charcoal. This is why clay is the key ingredient in Cardon’s soothing skin cleanser, which is suitable for all skin types thanks to its gentle formula.

When to use: Wash the skin first thing in the morning, last thing before bed, and any time as needed during the day—like if it’s excessively hot out, or after the gym. Splash lukewarm water on the face (with clean hands) and then put a dime-sized amount of cleanser in one palm. Rub the palms together to build a lather, and then apply it to the face, starting at the center with both hands.  Moving the hands upward and outward across the forehead and over the eyes, then repeat from the nose, down under the eyes and across the cheeks, then once more from the chin outward to the jaw.

What to watch out for: Many think the best oily skin routine for men is to simply wash the face over and over, whenever the oil builds up. This could mean you’re over-cleansing your face, which in turn dries out skin. That dryness triggers the skin to produce even more oil, which gives you a bigger problem than you the one with which you began. 

A toner is a product that, when applied after a cleanser, balances the skin’s pH levels and thus prevents excess sebum production. It also ensures that the skin doesn’t get too dry–in the event that the person has over-cleansed their face. 

Cheat sheet on pH levels: Recall that scale of 1-14 that we learned in high school chemistry, wherein 1 is “extremely acidic” and 14 is “extremely alkaline, or basic”. Most people’s skin is slightly acidic, around 5.5. Excessive oil production can make your skin's pH level more basic, and when skin isn’t balanced, it becomes irritated, dry, or inflamed. 

The last main step in an oily skin regimen is to moisturize. People with oily skin often have a hard time with thick, heavy moisturizers since they tend to block pores and lead to excessive sweating and oil production. So, stick with a lightweight option that promises breathability. Look for hydrators that are water-based and non-comedogenic.

It’s a common myth that people with oily skin don’t need to moisturize. Moisturizers sit on top of the skin like a shield, and they keep harmful toxins and pollutants from taking residence in the pores. Many of them also have SPF to prevent skin-aging and cancer-causing UV rays from damaging the skin. The body intuitively responds to moisturizers by better regulating and lowering oil levels; so it’s quite the opposite verdict for people with oily skin.

Cardon has two options for water-based moisturizers. The lightweight SPF 30 moisturizer shields skin from the sun’s harmful UV rays without clogging the pores. The gel moisturizer should be worn overnight to rejuvenate skin without suffocating it. The gel moisturizer can also double up as a great daytime moisturizer for oily skin since it wears invisibly. If you're looking for an extra hydration boost or facing a dry winter day, layer the two moisturizers together during the daytime, gel first, SPF second.