Since I have combination skin (but mostly oily to be honest), I had to learn how to take care of my skin. Over the years, I tried all kinds of products as well as natural remedies and there are some ingredients that I use time and time again because I found that they really work.

Witch hazel

Witch hazel is a plant that is used in a lot of skin care products for oily and acne prone skin. This plant contains tannins (between 8% and 12%) that have an stringent effect, fight against bacteria and help with reducing redness, soothing irritations and eliminating blemishes. The most common type of products that contain witch hazel are face toners.

Lavender

Lavender is also a great skin care ingredient for oily skin, also often found in face toners. What I like to do is to alternate witch hazel water with lavender water. However, I do need to use certain lavender waters because I don’t like it when the smell is too strong. Also, lavender can be mixed with other plant waters such as neroli water and it also helps with the smell. It improves the skin’s moisture content, it tightens pores, helps with blemishes and controls excess sebum.

Clay

Clay face masks are some of my favorite! Regardless if it’s white clay, green clay, red clay or whatever, clay masks are great to clean all the impurities from the skin without making it feel to dry. I like to mix clay powders with different kinds of plant waters such as rose water, lavender water or even witch hazel water because I feel like it’s making the skin feel smoother. Different kinds of cosmetic clays have different effects on the skin depending in what minerals can be found in the composition. I don’t have a favorite, but I try to use clay masks constantly, regardless if it’s a ready-made clay mask from the tube or clay powder that I mix on my own.

Bonus tip:

Don’t forget to take your essential fatty acids from your diet (flax seeds, for example, are a great source) or from natural supplements. Essential fatty acids help the skin to heal itself from within, so if you have acne scars or blemishes, they can help your skin heal faster.

I hope these tips were helpful and I’m curious what you secret weapons are for oily skin care.