How to Control Oily Skin in Indian Summers

Excessive oiliness on the skin during the summer season in India is a very common challenge that leads to many skin problems. With the ever-rising temperature, the sweat, oil production and congested pores increase as well with an unpleasant greasy feel of the skin. Additional moist air, pollution, dust and longer hours of outdoor environment makes healthy and fresh looking skin a daily challenge that is very difficult to manage.

The Indian summer may feel even more frustrating if you have oily skin that is prone to acne too. Your face may look shinier with midday oiliness even after cleansing while the excess oil & sweat end up promoting the comedones and active pimples on the skin. What you may basically require to control the oily skin is something very simple - a consistent skincare routine. Significant difference can be made with changes in the habits involving:

• Cleansing
• Hydration
• Sun protection
• Lifestyle modifications
• Skincare products

This blog covers the Top Ten Tips To effectively control the oily skin to feel fresh, clean & healthy all day long throughout the Indian summer.

Why Skin Barrier Becomes More Oily in Indian Summers

The pilosebaceous units in the skin naturally produce an oily substance “sebum.” This sebum helps to maintain the natural moisture barrier intact and protect the skin from excessive dryness and irritation. The secretion of the thick sebum during the summer season can be promoted with the heightened heat and humidity that adds to the oiliness on the skin with excess sweat release too. The excess sebum mixed with the debris of dead skin cells, sweat, dirt and bacteria leads to the triggering of the inflammatory mediators that subsequently leads to the irritation of the skin barrier disrupting the skin microbiome with proliferation of acne microbes. These acne microbes result in the infection of the skin with added redness, painful and swollen pimples on the skin. So many factors can contribute to the hyperactivity of the sebaceous glands. Some of them are:

• Elevated temperature--In order to balance and regulate the body temperature in extreme summer days, the body tends to sweat more with added greasiness from oils. This makes the skin feel oilier.
• Moist air--Moistness and high relative humidity can make the skin feel greasier and tacky with more sebum production.
• Pollution & dust--nvironmental impurities may get entrapped on the surface of the skin contributing to the clogging of the pores by combining with the dead skin cells and sebum. This literally makes you feel as if you have dull & oily skin.
• Heavy skincare products--Highly occluding skincare may make your skin feel uncomfortable and irritated with high comedogenic profile in the hot & humid weather making the skin feel highly oiled.
• Improper cleaning--Not removing the trapped dirt, oil, sweat and bacteria may leave the clogged pores behind, adding to the worsening of the inflammation and active acne on the skin.

The Importance of Cleansing

Cleansing plays a vital role in maintaining our skin health on a daily basis. Your face generally tends to entrap the sweat, excess sebum, dirt, sunscreen residue as well as environmental pollutants. A face wash designed for oily skin that is dedicated for acne-prone skin can help remove the buildup of impurities as well as leaving your skin free of dull, greasy and tired feeling post-use with additionally fighting the acne microbes. 

You need to ensure that you do not over-cleanse your skin by

• Using heavy foaming Cleansers
• Harsh chemical surfactants
• Washing more than twice a day
• Vigorous rubbing of skin
• Aggressive scrubbing motion while cleansing

You need to plan a consistent routine with a cleanser formulated as per your skin requirements.

10 Summer Oily Skin Tips

TIP 1 

Try Out The All New Anti-Acne Cleanser Range By Alite Skincare For Oily Skin

This range includes gentle cleansing wash meant to tackle the acne with additional barrier-supporting ingredients. You can select any of the following:

1.Alite Oil Control Face Wash

This face wash provides the goodness of glutathione complex with salicylic acid to gently clear away the trapped debris of dirt, oil and sweat to achieve clear and radiant skin with active oil control action. 

2.Alite Anti-Acne Face Wash

The encapsulated activated charcoal based deep cleansing face wash helps to lift away the impurities from the skin with the barrier-repair support of ceramides. It additionally controls the activity of sebaceous glands with its Sebum Control Enzyme to improve the healthy skin microbiome. 

3.Alite Neem Face Wash

This face wash presents the herbal active ingredients such as aloe vera and neem that provide anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant as well as oil-controlling action in a blend with niacinamide that supports the faster recovery of the damaged skin barrier.

4.Alite Foaming Face Wash

This face wash contains powerful yet mild exfoliating acids such as AHA and BHA to effectively clear out the dead skin cells, helping to decongest the pores and improving the oil-regulation on the skin barrier with utmost comfort and ease in a pleasant foamy formula.

TIP 2 

Moisturizer Is Non-Negotiable

One of the most common mistakes made by Indians with oily skin type is that they tend to avoid the application of moisturizers. Your skin can be oily but may still be dehydrated with rapid TEWL (Transepidermal water loss) from the skin. A comfortable, non-greasy but hydrating moisturizer helps restore the natural moisture barrier of the skin with additional protection from the environmental irritants. 

TIP 3

Skipping Sunscreen Is An Offense

Indian summers often involve intense sun exposure during your daily activities such as: 

• Commuting to work
• Attending college
• Running errands
• Traveling
• Playing outdoor sports

Sunscreen is an essential step of your daytime routine that should not be skipped at any cost as it helps to protect the skin from the oxidative distress due to prolonged exposure to UV rays from the sunlight and prevents the darkening of post-acne marks on the skin. You can choose a sunscreen as per your convenience. They are available in various formulations such as creams, gels, sticks, roll-ons, sprays, lotions, etc.  You need to look for the one that:

• Leaves no white residue
• Doesn’t clog the pores
• Light in weight
• Non-greasy
• Easy to blend and then reapply

TIP 4

Try Not To Over-Cleanse The Skin

You may feel very tempted to clean your face repetitively using a cleanser when the skin feels greasy in the middle of a hot afternoon. A very important fact is that more frequent cleansing doesn’t equals to a better skin feel. Instead, you may feel tight, dry or irritated skin due to compromised skin barrier with stripping away the essential lipids from the surface of the skin. That may also promote compensatory oil production leading to more oiliness as well. You need to focus on a consistent “twice a day” format for using a face cleanser on a daily basis. If you need to freshen up your skin, you can apply a cooling facial mist after gentle washing with water. 

TIP 5 

Avoid The Chaos Linked With Aggressive Exfoliation

Exfoliation basically helps improve the removal of trapped debris from the skin of impurities such as: 

• Excess oil
• Dead skin
• Dirt
• Makeup residue
• Sweat

You need to ensure that you do not use harsh or jaggy exfoliating agents that may cause microtears on the skin further aggravating the pimples and rendering skin prone to more breakouts with increased rebound oiliness. This may also increase the risk of irritation on the skin.

You may choose an exfoliant that suits acne-prone skin such as Alite Neem Face Scrub designed with green PE beads consisting of stearic acid and Aloe vera extracts. 

TIP 6

Avoid Touching Of Face With Dirty Hands

Your hands usually tend to be in contact with so many different things such as:

• Phones
• Desk
• Door
• Food
• Keyboard, etc.

These items may have buildup of bacteria that may make the skin more vulnerable to infection with transfer of microbes when touched with the same dirty hands repetitively. You need to resist the urge of squeezing, picking or popping the pimples on acne-prone skin as it may aggravate the inflammation by worsening the infection. Also, it increases the risk of post-acne marks.

TIP 7 

Keep Personal Items Neat & Clean

Personal use items such as:

• Pillowcases
• Towels
• Gym wear
• Undergarments
• Equipments
• Helmet, etc.

These generally come in direct contact with the skin and therefore they need to be regularly changed, washed and cleaned so as to ensure complete overall hygiene around you minimizing the risk of acne and infections.

TIP 8

Choose The Makeup Carefully

Oily skin in summers makes it more challenging to wear make-up the entire day. The layering of cosmetic products on acne-prone skin can add to the congestion of the pores with heavy/greasy skin making it uncomfortable too.

You need to use products that are highly non-comedogenic, light-in-weight and try to avoid unnecessarily layering multiple cosmetics. Follow a simple regimen for targeted acne care for oily skin on a daily basis. You need to focus on the cosmetics that are designed to suit the skin of people with oily type and stay on for longer without smudging or clumping around the facial lines in summer. 

TIP 9 

Stay Hydrated Throughout The Day

Staying adequately hydrated is very important to complement a holistic skincare routine in summers. Include water-rich fruits as well as vegetables to your diet to improve the hydration levels of the body. Drink plenty of water throughout the day and ensure the skin barrier is kept totally hydrated with application of a light-weight as well as a nourishing moisturizer. 

TIP 10

Pay Attention to Your Diet and Lifestyle

You need to observe which lifestyle habits as well as regular dietary patterns worsen your acne-prone skin barrier on a daily basis. Check whether certain foods seem to coincide with breakouts for you personally. This will help you to improve and manage your routine in a very natural manner. Maintaining a consistent sleep schedule as well as managing stress can support your overall well-being. This can basically be important to maintain a good overall skin health and prevent acne as well. You can add the following items to your diet:

• Fresh fruits & veggies
• Protein-rich meals
• Whole grains
• Fatty foods

Summer Routine You Can Follow to Control Oily Skin India Summer

Summary

The Indian summer may feel very frustrating if you have oily skin that is prone to acne. This situation is literally worsened with elevated temperatures, moist air, pollution, dust, heavy skincare and improper cleansing. A consistent skincare routine is of utmost importance to manage the overall skin health.The ten tips which are discussed above include:

1. Ensure gentle cleansing with Alite Face Wash
2. Use moisturizer on a regular basis
3. Avoid skipping sunscreen
4. Do not over-cleanse the skin
5. Avoid aggressive exfoliation
6. You should not touch your face with dirty hands
7. Keep personal items neat & clean
8. Choose the makeup for oily & acne-prone skin carefully
9. Stay hydrated throughout the day
10. Pay attention to your diet and lifestyle