Say Goodbye to Shine with These Must-Have Products for Oily Skin

If your face starts to get shiny even before you break for lunch and you’ve got zits that just won’t quit, then it might be time to shake up your skincare routine. Oily-skinned girls don’t have to live with an ever-present sheen—with a grease-fighting plan and the right products for oily skin, you’ll no longer have to make blotting paper your best friend!

Oil (a.k.a. sebum) helps keep skin healthy, locking in moisture while keeping out bad stuff like bacteria. But your skin’s natural oil production can go awry due to genetics, hormones, or stress. One or a combination of these factors can signal your glands to make more of the slick stuff, resulting in—you guessed it—oily skin.

The good news is, you can get oil under control with a skin-saving arsenal. Below, we’ve got some shine-zapping products and a few helpful tips to take your skin from greasy to glowing.

If your skin works overtime to produce oil, you might be tempted to wash your face several times a day, but just remember: There can be too much of a good thing. OD-ing on the washing can be counterproductive, stripping your skin of the oil it needs and tricking your glands into producing even more grease to make up for it.

Instead, wash your face only twice a day using a cleanser formulated for oily skin. Experts recommend ingredients like salicylic acid, glycolic acid, benzoyl peroxide, and niacinamide to get rid of excess oil and keep acne under control. A cleanser to try: POND'S Bright Ultimate Acne Control Facial Wash, which contains Thymo-BHA that removes acne-causing bacteria and breakouts in as early as three days.

Aside from getting rid of excess oil, toners work hard to remove irritants like dead skin cells and dirt, which can otherwise mix with sebum and lead to acne and other blemishes. For oily skin, go for toners with exfoliating and pore-cleansing ingredients like salicylic, glycolic, and lactic acids. Also keep an eye out for tea tree oil, a natural antiseptic and anti-inflammatory ingredient that fights pimple-causing bacteria.

One of the biggest skin misconceptions is that oily-skinned girls don’t need moisturizer. But oil and hydration are two different things – while you want to get rid of the grease, you definitely need to retain the moisture. The key is to use a lightweight moisturizer that isn’t oil-based like POND'S Bright Miracle Serum Burst Cream to leave skin feeling soft and supple, not slick.

If you don’t need much coverage, skip pore-clogging foundation and pat on some powder instead. Look for something that offers a matte finish without looking cakey, like an oil-blotting powder.

End the day with super clean skin to keep acne and other skin issues at bay. Do a deep cleanse with micellar water, which gently but effectively removes makeup and other skin stressors.

Excited to do an overhaul of your beauty routine? Experts recommend introducing new products slowly, about one new item every one to two weeks. This way, you can easily tell if your skin has an adverse reaction to a specific product. Patience, after all, is a key ingredient in getting the skin of your dreams. With the right mix of products for oily skin and a consistent skincare regimen, you’ll eventually get that coveted radiance—without the unwanted shine.