Don’t you just hate it how one part of your face is oily and shiny, while another is dry and flakey? It seems almost impossible to be able to clean both zones equally. Soap just makes the dry areas drier and lotions make the oily areas even greasier. So what’s a woman to do?

The problem may lie in the facial cleansing products that you are using. While they may work well for your T-zone, the chemicals in the product may actually be removing too much of the natural oils from the rest of your face. That’s the evil of manufactured skin care products. Anyway you look at it, it’s practically impossible to buy a completely natural skin care product made from pure organic ingredients. They have to add some chemicals in order to stabilize and preserve the product for a certain shelf life.

The good news is… the solution to your problem may lie right in your own kitchen cabinets.

Homemade natural skin care products don’t contain any additional chemical ingredients that could potentially irritate or harm your skin. The only prospective problem may lie in people who are allergic to certain food ingredients. This is easily overcome by substituting the offending food or ingredient with another similar ingredient. For example, if you are allergic to strawberries you could substitute a cucumber instead.

Not only do homemade skin care products cost a lot less to make, you can easily experiment with what works best for you without breaking the bank. Let’s face it, some of the products on the market cost a small fortune! I know it frustrates me to buy a product for $20 and find out it either doesn’t work or I can’t use it because it makes me break out. It’s much easier to head off to the kitchen, mix up a small sample batch of something and give it a try.

You will find that some recipes have to be mix up just prior to use as they don’t store well, but the majority of recipes can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week allowing you to mix up a small batch to save yourself some time. The following recipes are great for people with combination/oily skin that tend to break out with acne and blackheads. Why not give these a try and see how they work for you?

Facial Cleanser For Normal to Oily Skin

2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp glycerin
1/2 cup distilled water

Mix the ingredients together until smooth. Pour into a jar and place the jar inside a double-boiler pot (do not use direct heat on the jar). Bring the water in the outer pot to a boil and heat the mixture until it is clear and has thickened. (If it thickens too much, add a bit more water). Remove from heat and let cool. This is a good all-over facial cleanser and should keep for 7 to 10 days.

Green Tea Skin Toner

1 teabag of green tea
1/2 cup boiling water

Let the tea bag steep for 2 to 3 minutes in the hot water. Remove the tea bag and let the water cool. Pour into an empty toner bottle or something similar with a small opening. Use with cotton pads like you would regular toner. If you wish to, you could also add a 3 or 4 drops of tea tree essential oil. Tea tree oil is a great antiseptic for pimples, while the oil helps to moisturize the skin.

Facial Scrub (Good for blackheads)

1 part baking soda
1 part water

Mix together into a paste. Gently scrub blackheads for 2 to 3 minutes. Rinse off. Use once or twice a week.

Natural Scrub For Oily Skin

1 part sea salt
1 part lemon juice

Mix into a paste and gently scrub face for 1 to 2 minutes. Rinse off. Interestingly, you would think this would be very drying to your skin, but I’ve found it actually leaves your skin feeling clean, refreshed, and soft. Use once a week to remove dead skin cells.

Deep Cleansing Mask

1/2 of a peeled, pureed cucumber
1 tbsp plain, natural yogurt

Mix ingredients together and apply to the face (avoid eye area). Let dry for 20 minutes. Rinse off with warm water. Use once or twice a week to remove dead skin cells and refresh your skin.

As you can see, making up your own natural homemade skin care recipes can be quite simple and convenient with the right ingredients in the house. After all, if you have to run out to buy some cleanser, toner, moisturizer, etc., why not just stock up on what you need to make your own facial skin care products instead? At least you’ll know exactly what’s contained in each product. Just remember to throw away the old stuff after 7 days and make a fresh batch for the following week. Your skin will thank you for it.

Rose Smith owns Total Beauty Tips, where you can learn to rejuvenate and revitalize your skin with body skin care tips and solutions. We feature advice, products and information that will help make your total body feel smooth, soft and fabulous. Visit http://www.totalbeautytips.com.

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To start the discussion on oily skin care, it’s imperative to first understand the cause behind oily skin. Put simply, oily skin is a result of excessive production of sebum (an oily substance that is naturally produced by skin). As is known to everyone, excess of everything is bad; so excessive sebum is bad too. It leads to clogging of skin pores, resulting in accumulation of dead cells and hence formation of pimples/acne. Moreover, oily skin spoils your looks too. So, ‘oily skin care’ is as important as the ‘skin care’ for other types of skin.

The basic aim of ‘oily skin care’ is the removal of excessive sebum or oil from the skin. However, oily skin care procedures should not lead to complete removal of oil. ‘Oily skin care’ starts with the use of a cleanser. However, not all cleansers will work. You need a cleanser which contains salicylic acid i.e. a beta-hydroxy acid that retards the rate of sebum production. Cleansing should be done twice a day (and even more in hot and humid conditions).

Most of the oily skin care products are oil-free; however, it is always good to check the ingredients of the product, before you actually buy it. This is especially important if a product is marked as ‘suitable for all skin types’, instead of ‘oily skin care product’. ‘Oily skin care’ is also dependent on the degree of oiliness, if you aren’t too oily, so some of these ‘suitable for all’- type of products might be work for you too. For extremely oily skin, only oily skin care products are suitable. Your oily skin care routine can include an alcohol based toner (for an extremely oily skin). This can be the second step in your oily skin care routine i.e. just after cleansing. However, excessive toning can harm your skin.

The next step in your oily skin care routine can be a mild moisturiser. Again, the degree of oiliness of your skin will determine whether you need to include this in your oily skin care routine. If you do decide to include a moisturiser, be sure to use one that is oil-free, wax-free and lipid-free.
You could also use a clay mask (say once a week) as an oily skin care measure.

As far as the oily skin care products go, you might need to try out a few before you arrive at the one that is really suitable for your skin.

In case these measures don’t give you the desired result, consult a good dermatologist for advice. He could prescribe stronger oily skin care products like vitamin A creams, retinoids, sulphur creams etc , which can help counter the problems of oily skin.

Skin care tips and tricks.

Tania for Ultimate Cosmetics. Also learn how to get rid of dark circles under eyes. Don’t forget to join our beauty forums.

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Chronically oily skin has a lot of attached problems, such as pimples and blemishes, as well as a sensation of discomfort. The oil producing sebaceous glands are overactive and produce more oil than the facial skin tissue needs. The skin receives a greasy shine while pores are enlarged. There are several causes for oily skin: Heredity, Diet, Hormone levels, Pregnancy, Birth control pills, Cosmetics, Humidity and hot weather. Teenagers are often the ones to exhibit the more severe oily skin problems, as the hormonal shifts trigger excessive oil secretions, however some people will have oily skin throughout there adult life. The flow of sebum or oil increases during adolescence but is gradually diminished with age. Hormonal imbalances can also upset the oil balance during pregnancy and menopause when the sebaceous glands are prone to increase their oil production.

How to take care of oily skin

Preventing the pores from getting clogged is essential for those that have an oily skin type. Although this type of skin has some negative effects, like the ones mentioned above, it also helps the skin stay younger and wrinkle free for a longer period of time. While taking care of your facial skin, try to avoid products that create a flaky looking skin or those that are too abrasive in nature. Such products might have the reverse result you are looking for and they can cause a reaction known as reactive seborrhea - oil glands work overtime to compensate for the loss of natural oils. Products that dehydrate your skin are also not recommended as they shrink the facial skin and increase chances of pore clogging. Using oil-free moisturizers will maintain a healthier skin while allowing the pores to breathe properly. Cleaning your face is important, but do not go overboard - washing your face two or three times each day is sufficient.

Adapt your diet to your skin type

Here are a few food items that you should avoid: sugar, chocolate, and junk food, cooking oils and soft drinks. Here are a few natural ingredients that are indicated for oily skin types: Bergamot, Cypress, Frankincense, Geranium, Juniper, Lavender, Lemon, Sage, Cedar wood. Aloe vera gel is also a good topical cosmetic treatment while Burdock root, chamomile, horsetail, oat straw, and thyme nourish the skin. Other herbal treatments and food supplements will also help reduce the excessive oil production and will help you maintain a clear and healthy facial skin.

Cachebeauty is a very well known beauty supply dealer, doing over 2 million in sales each year. To get more information on beauty and beauty supplies please visit http://www.cachebeauty.com

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