OILS = DRY AND OILY SKIN?
Let's not be so closed-minded!
We are receiving more and more questions on our website and Instagram account about the use of oils, especially their application on oily skin. Sometimes you hesitate to try them because you fear a greasy film appearing on your face that could act as a light reflector during your next video conference!
ALL PROTECTED BY AN INVISIBLE BODYGUARD
The hydrolipidic film: a hero in the shadows!
Let me explain: our skin is protected on the surface by an invisible film called the hydrolipidic film. It protects us from external aggressions, prevents, for example, the water in our body from evaporating too quickly, and even helps make us waterproof(1)! Yes, without it, we would soak up water every time we take a bath!
You may have already guessed from its name: this film is partly made up of fatty acids, that is, lipids. These fatty acids come from sebum, a lipid mixture secreted by our sebaceous glands located at the level of our hair and body hair! There are between 100 and 1000 sebaceous glands per square centimeter (cm2) of skin(2)!
Sebum production varies depending on the person, their age, stress level, and especially hormonal changes(3). And as you can imagine, if sebum production is too high, many lipids end up on the skin surface, and this greasy film loses its invisible character and becomes visible to everyone!
Now that you know about this protective lipid film, we come to our question: why add oils to skin that already tends to be oily?
TREAT OILINESS WITH... OIL!
A fun slogan for an effective practice!
Imagine your skin is like a little plant that needs care: if the external conditions mean the plant is well hydrated and nourished, you won’t water it. However, if the external conditions are unfavorable, for example, very dry weather or strong wind, then you will water it.
The same applies to skin: if the lipid supply is optimal, signals are green, the skin is protected, it doesn’t feel attacked, and the sebaceous glands produce sebum normally. Conversely, if you wash your face too often or with harsh products, lipids are damaged and the hydrolipidic film is unbalanced.
Signals then turn red, and to compensate, sebaceous glands may produce much more sebum locally(4). This sebum then appears on the surface, and the dreaded greasy film you wanted to get rid of returns!
This surprising phenomenon has a name: reactive seborrhea(1). According to numerous publications studied by our scientific team, it is due to localized regulation by our sebaceous glands in a completely autonomous way. This has even earned them the nickname "the brain of the skin" according to some researchers(5). Skin cells never cease to amaze us!
DON'T GRAB THE FIRST OIL YOU FIND
Your skin deserves proper care.
Coconut oil, olive oil, flaxseed oil, jojoba oil, etc. All oils are different and not all are suitable for use on the face, especially if your skin tends to be oily in some areas. I will explain in a future article the parameters to consider, including omega content and extraction method.
However, if you are reading this article, you want practical advice, so know that our products from the Omégas range have been designed and formulated by our French laboratory to suit dry, combination, and even oily skin. You just need to adjust the frequency of use and application method:
1 to 2 drops of the Booster with 5 Omégas in the evening, or every other evening outside the T-zone, will help oily (non-acneic) skin regulate its lipid supply, especially if the skin is stressed (dry cold, pool, sea, use of harsh cleanser…). Dry skin can use it mixed with their moisturizer in the morning and alone in the evening as needed.
The 5 Omégas cleansing oil is an excellent cleanser to remove all types of makeup, including waterproof. On oily skin, use a wipe to remove excess and rinse with water if needed, and you’re done!
I hope this article has helped you understand that:
Your friend with dry skin no longer has any reason to forbid you access to her oils even if your skin tends to be oily!
Skin is made up of intelligent cells that react by producing more lipids if you damage those on the surface.
Once again, you can trust Novexpert and use, for example, the cleansing oil on dry, combination, and oily skin by removing excess as needed.
The essentials
✔ Vegetable oils are primarily intended to nourish dry skin, but that doesn’t mean combination or oily* skin should be excluded!
✔ The skin is protected by an invisible bodyguard, the hydrolipidic film, made up of lipids from sebum. If this lipid film is damaged, more sebum will be produced, resulting in a greasy film on the skin. This is reactive seborrhea. Good quality oils and fatty acids on oily skin help limit this phenomenon and contribute to skin balance.
✔ The 5 Omégas cleansing oil can be used on oily skin by adjusting usage and frequency. To discover it, click HERE.
* excluding acne-prone skin.
(1) Onyirimba, A. (2018). Hyperséborrhée: physiology, involved factors, mechanisms, and consequences.
(2) Adler, Y. (2017). Dans ma peau. Solar
(3) Zouboulis, C., Chen, W.-C., Thornton, M., & Rosenfield, R. (2007). Sexual Hormones in Human Skin. Metab. Res.(39), 85-95.
(4) Achibald A., S. S. (1973). A non-endocrine control of sebum secretion. Derm. Forsch.(246), 175-180.
(5) Zouboulis, C. (2014). The Brain of the skin: Sebaceous Gland. Lipids and Skin Health, 109-125.
