Oily face men often want to flush away as much grease and shine as possible. But not so fast: Contrary to what you might think, face oil is actually a good thing. We need that oil (AKA 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. So, you need to find a way to preserve the moisturizing benefits while also controlling excessive buildup. 

Here is an easy oily skin routine for men to help with that, as well as the best oily skin products.

Follow these three key steps to keep oily skin balanced and to prevent things like forehead shine, grime buildup, and acne breakouts.

The oily skin routine starts like any other skincare routine: with a cleanse. Washing your face of existing grime, skincare products, and oil buildup, it becomes easier to apply the following products in the skin care routine—and it makes those products more effective by allowing them to absorb into the pores and sebaceous glands, where oil production happens.

In order to flush away sebum from the skin’s surface and pores, the best cleanser for oily skin will work smarter—and not necessarily harder—than other options. That’s because something that dries out the skin will only encourage the pores to overproduce more oil, and will perpetuate the cycle. So find a face wash for oily skin that uses similar ingredients to a deep-cleansing face mask (like cleansing clay), since those masks’ job is to extract oil and impurities from pores while also promoting nourishment. Clay is the key ingredient in Cardon’s soothing skin cleanser, which is suitable for all skin types thanks to its gentle formula.

Next in the oily skincare regimen is a toner. When applied after a cleanser, toner balances the skin’s pH levels to calm skin. And more importantly for oily face men: Those toners with specific targeted ingredients will also prevent excess sebum production. Witch hazel is the best ingredient to look for.

Toners can exist as a liquid splash, applied to a cotton swab, or they can come as a wipe—which is the method we chose for Cardon’s exfoliating toning pads.

The last step in a men's oily skin care regimen is to moisturize. Men with oily skin often have a hard time with thick, heavy moisturizers since these products tend to block pores and lead to excessive sweating. So, stick with a lightweight option that promises breathability. Look for hydrators that are non-comedogenic, meaning they won’t clog pores and cause pimples. (The best ingredients to avoid here are coconut oil and cocoa butter.)

It’s a common myth that people with oily skin don’t need to moisturize. While naturally oily face men do tend to have well-hydrated skin, they differ from moisturizers in that moisturizers keep harmful toxins and pollutants from taking residence in the pores. The body intuitively responds to moisturizers by better regulating and lowering oil levels, so their presence actually corrects the problem while still preserving nourishment levels. Also, many daytime moisturizers also have SPF to prevent skin-aging and cancer-causing UV rays from damaging the skin.

So, choose a lightweight SPF-packed moisturizer for daytime, and a super hydrating moisturizer (non SPF)for bedtime. Cardon has one for each scenario.

Usually, oily skin is caused by genetics—and so is dry skin. Your sebaceous glands will function as your body tells them to. With that in mind, there are some things that can make skin more oily than usual, like using heavy skincare products that don’t allow the skin to breathe. (This will induce sweat, too.) Secondly, if you overwash and dry skin too much, this will tell the sebaceous glands/pores to produce even more oil. So, suddenly you are in a cycle of over drying the skin, then having it get too oily again, back and forth again and again.

Typically, men’s skin is more oily than women’s. It also tends to be thicker than women’s. This is not always the case with every man, however. Some men have naturally dry skin, and some women have naturally oilier skin. But in general terms, yes, there are more oily men than oily women.

To keep your oily face balanced, build a smart and simple oily skincare regimen for men: Start with a gentle, hydrating cleanser that removes excess oil, followed by a toner that balances oil production in the pores, and end with a lightweight moisturizer. All together, this should balance oil levels and prevent too much oil.