As an adolescent I had lots of breakouts, blackheads and pimples and this continued well into my twenties. I had always had an interest in skincare and had been using some borrowed from my mother when I was about 12 years old such as face masks. I eventually started purchasing my own products.
Peel off masks were all the rage in the 90s and witch hazelContains a high concentration of tannins, witch hazel is also known for its ability to give the appearance of tightened pores. I... was the best toner that I could afford. I had myself a little skincare routine and enjoyed using it. However my skin did not improve and when I got into my mid twenties I was so frustrated with my skin – the oily t-zone, the breakouts and blackheads that I went to see a dermatologist.
Dermatologists and Oil Free Everything
I started having chemical peels which seemed to result in massive blind pimples that were painful. I was using skincare that was oil-free at the instruction of my dermatologist. Oil-free everything. Oil free foundation, moisturiser and cleanser. I used toners that were supposed to control oil and my skin responded by continuing to be oily and prone to break outs.
I did get some pleasing results from a monthly microdermabrasion. That resolved my breakouts. This was when I was starting to get into modelling so I was pleased that I no longer had pimples on my skin however my very oily nose and forehead was a constant issue for the make-up artists during my photoshoots.
In my mid thirties I had retired from modelling and I started working for one of Australia’s leading cosmetic and skincare retailers. The company had a brilliant education department and the training that I received was excellent. I started to do my own research, complete as much education training as was offered to me and experiment with the ideas that were being presented to me on my own skin.
Oil Cleansing
The biggest plunge for me was trying out an oil cleansing routine. The concept was simply terrifying to me, I had been told by more than one dermatologist not to use anything containing oil due to my skin type and my skin was in a reasonable state at this point, combination oily but I rarely got a breakout. I was not sure that I wanted to put this at risk.
What I was learning was that oil breaks down oil. So using oil as a cleanser would remove the oil build-up from the day and breakdown make-up containing oils. That made perfect sense intellectually. But I wasn’t sure if I were willing to part with a lifetime of what I thought that I knew about oiliness in skin. I was also learning that harsh, stripping cleansers designed for oiler skin could result in the skin thinking that it was dry and responding by producing more oil.
I gave it a chance. I took a sample pot of an oil based cleanser home and started using it. The first thing that I noticed was that it removed make-up better than any cleanser that I had ever used. It left a bit of an oily residue so I used a micellar water to remove the residue and then applied the rest of my usual skincare. I noticed no ill=effects as I continued to use the cleanser and enjoyed it especially its make-up removing capabilities.
Adding Facial Oils To My Skin Routine
Continuing with the theory that skin that has been stripped and dehydrated thinks that it is dry and because skin is only capable of producing oil to rectify this, not water, it would over-produce oil to compensate. The next step was to use a facial oil.
I tried Juno by Sunday Riley every night. My skin started to look and feel not only amazing but less oily. Due to these amazing results I cut out everything oil-free . I got rid of oil-free foundation and primers. I was now an oil devotee. My skin no longer believed that it was dry and it stopped over producing oil.
I have been dedicated to this routine ever since and my skin has never been so normal. I will always eventually end up with a shine on my t-zone after hours of wearing make-up. My skin type has not changed it is still combination/oily. Our skin type does not change. But I am working with my skin and giving it what it needs to perform it’s best. I used to apply make-up or have make-up artists applying make-up and my shiny t-zone was already breaking through during the make-up application. Now I can wear make-up for hours and I do eventually get some shine but it is not nearly as bad as it used to be. I have never been so happy with my skin.
