Oily skin can seem almost impossible to battle. All those blotting papers, mattifying powders, primers, clay masks, oil-free moisturizers, none of them actually reduces the oiliness of your skin.

They can just make it look temporarily less oily (and instead oilier in the long run). Trust me, I know.

For over a decade, I used to wipe off the oil from my skin literally every 10 minutes! I dreaded even looking at myself in the mirror! I wanted a dewy looking skin, not a greasy look I couldn't control.

The before picture below doesn't do it justice really (it was taken when I nearly cleared up my acne), but that's all I could find.

Me before & after acne & oily skin

It took me a long time to really figure out how to manage my oily skin. In fact, my skin is actually normal now (oh, the endless joy!).

The secret is to combine multiple scientifically-proven strategies and treatments AT ONCE, all of which I am about to share with you in this post.

Specifically, we will cover:

  • Which hormone causes oily skin, and how to regulate it
  • Which dietary rules you must follow to reduce the oiliness from the inside
  • Which skincare to use to reduce the oiliness & mistakes to avoid
  • Scientifically proven natural supplements that help to reduce the hormone responsible for oily skin

5 ACTION STEPS FOR GETTING RID OF OILY SKIN NATURALLY

Oily skin is caused by hormones and genetics. Yup, some of us are more prone to it than others! Androgen hormones, which are also found in women, are the main reason for oily skin.

When testosterone from the blood comes over to the skin, it gets converted to a much more potent form, called dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT is the hormone that forces the sebum-producing glands in your skin to make more sebum.

More DHT -> More sebum production -> oily skin!

To reduce oily skin, we have to try to reduce the amount of DHT, which is exactly what the next sections will show you how to do.

1. LIMIT PROCESSED SUGAR

The most important thing to remember diet wise is to keep your blood sugar (and hence insulin) levels stable.

When the blood sugar goes up (as after eating sugar), the pancreas pumps insulin into the blood, which signals to the cells to take up that sugar and store it. This increase in insulin causes insulin growth factor-1 (IGF-1) to increase as well.

Both hormones raise testosterone, which then converts to DHT in your skin, making it oily.

High insulin -> high IGF-1 -> high testosterone -> high DHT -> oily skin.

In addition, they make your skin more sensitive to that testosterone.

Loading up on healthy fats and high-quality protein (and pairing your carbs with your protein and fat) at each meal will help you keep stable insulin levels as they slow the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream.

MANAGE INSULIN RESISTANCE TO REDUCE THE OILINESS FROM THE INSIDE

When your blood is flooded with a lot of sugar for prolonged periods of time, the cells are not sensitive to the incoming insulin anymore, simply because there is so much of it present all the time. This is called insulin resistance.

If your cells are not sensitive to insulin, more and more insulin gets pumped into the blood to make these cells take up glucose (blood sugar). Remember, insulin spikes cause spikes in testosterone and DHT, too.

2. AVOID VEGETABLE OILS AND TRANS FATS

This is INSANELY important, even more so than reducing processed sugars!

Vegetable oils, especially those widely used for cooking, like sunflower or canola oil, increase the inflammatory response and oxidative stress in the body.

Insulin is highly prone to oxidation, and when it oxidizes, it becomes useless at stimulating insulin receptors on the cells. If a large proportion of your insulin is oxidized, your pancreas will pump out more insulin to compensate, causing insulin resistance and making your skin oilier as a result!

To counter this, you must absolutely avoid vegetable cooking oils and trans fats (like margarine), and cook your food only with coconut oil or grass-fed ghee.

They are both stable natural fats, won't don’t oxidize under heat and don’t cause inflammation in the body (not to mention their many other health benefits!).

3. USE GENTLE SKINCARE THAT REDUCES THE OILINESS

The biggest mistake I was doing when I was trying to control my oily skin was to use too many harsh, over drying products. Now I see how they only made my skin worse. It may be difficult for you to believe this at first because many such products are labeled to be for oily acne-prone skin.

When a product leaves your skin tight and dry, it has stripped the skin of its protective oils. These natural oils slow down the evaporation of water from your skin (called Trans Epidermal Water Loss (TEWL), ensuring your skin doesn't get dehydrated.

Drying out your skin with harsh products will make it produce even more oil to compensate for the damaged skin barrier. Your skin needs a protective layer of protection between itself and the environment, and when the skin barrier is quite damaged, increasing sebum production will be the next line of defense.

Dehydrated skin can be (and often is!) oily because the skin is trying to keep the little moisture it has with excess oil.

In conclusion, you want just the right amount of oil to manage the oily skin for good and have beautiful, dewy skin instead!

HOW TO FIX YOUR SKINCARE ROUTINE AND MANAGE OILY SKIN
  • Avoid harsh cleansers, especially those that contain Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) or Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES), because they are very drying for the skin. If your skin feels squeaky clean, irritated, dry, tight, or red after cleansing or exfoliating, avoid that product! Your skin should feel soft and supple after cleansing, and you shouldn't feel a desperate need to use a moisturizer.
  • Avoid layering multiple products that contain exfoliating ingredients like glycolic acid, salicylic acid, and other AHAs, because this will most likely lead to skin irritation and even more oil production. Salicylic acid can be very helpful in reducing excess oiliness, but you don't want to overdo it!
  • Wash your skin no more than 2x per day, preferably only 1x per day (in the evening). In the morning, just splash some water on your face, or use either manuka honey or a gentle toner (like DIY green tea toner) on a cotton pad to wipe off the extra oil. Really, you will be amazed at how well this works!
  • Avoid products that contain drying alcohols, labeled as Alcohol, Alcohol Denat., Benzyl Alcohol and others, because they dry out the skin. Note that the moisturizing alcohols such as Cetyl or Cetearyl Alcohol are ok to use.

Related: The Truth About What Cleansers Do To Your Skin

In the next section, I will offer you some natural alternatives to the usual medicated products for oily acne-prone skin, plus why and how they work to reduce the oiliness for good.

NON-COMEDOGENIC OILS HIGH IN LINOLEIC ACID NATURALLY REDUCE SEBUM PRODUCTION

Some of best natural, scientifically proven remedies that can help you manage oily skin are 5-alpha reductase inhibitors (DHT blockers). These substances inhibit the enzyme 5-alpha reductase that converts testosterone to DHT in the skin.

DHT signals to your sebaceous glands to produce more sebum, so producing less DHT will lead to the less oily skin.

Linoleic acid is one those DHT blockers, and is found in abundance in certain plant-based oils such as hemp seed oil or grapeseed oil.

hemp oil nutiva

Also, when you start using oils high in linoleic acid, they will not only suppress the sebum production, but you will also naturally cut down on harsh skincare that only makes oily skin worse!

My choice:

Nutiva Hemp Seed Oil – Organic & Cold-Pressed

How to use it: Use your chosen oil instead of your moisturizer. Start in the evenings only, applying on a small area of your face (as a patch test). If your skin reacts well, you can start applying it on the entire face. However, if your skin doesn't agree well with oils, this is not for you! Should you notice more congestion or acne in the following weeks, you need to stop the oil.

USE A SKINCARE PRODUCT CONTAINING NIACINAMIDE AND/OR GREEN TEA EXTRACT

Green tea extract contains a substance called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which is a DHT blocker and a powerful antioxidant.

Studies have shown that green tea extract, when applied topically, can reduce oily skin and acne by over 50%!

In addition, it also reduces the skin’s genetic sensitivity to androgen hormones and offers photoprotection, mitigating some of the aging (and acne-inducing) effects of the sun exposure.

In my FREE online course, you can learn how to make a super easy, 2-ingredient skincare product that contains heaps of green tea extract to help you reduce oil skin naturally!

Niacinamide has also shown promising results in reducing oily skin. Depending on your current skincare routine, you can incorporate a product that contains some niacinamide and/or green tea extract, or use niacinamide (vitamin B3) serum, which is likely to be more powerful.

4. TAKE A DHT BLOCKER

MEDICAL DISCLAIMER: Please note that I am not a doctor or qualified health care professional. The following information is only for educational purposes, and should not be taken as medical advice. Always check with your doctor before starting any supplements.

The following supplements are rich in substances that inhibit the 5-alpha reductase, the enzyme that converts testosterone to DHT. Again, reducing the amount of DHT will reduce the oiliness of your skin.

SAW PALMETTO

Saw palmetto supplement is the extract of the fruit from the Serenoa repens plant. Being rich in beta-sitosterol and stigmasterol, it is perhaps the most potent DHT blocker out there. I use it personally to help balance my oily T-zone and prevent some hormonal breakouts on my chin.

Saw palmetto is widely used by doctors as a treatment for an enlarged prostate, which is believed to be due to too much DHT. However, it is not reserved just for men, and it can be great for women, too!

Here are some studies confirming the DHT blocking effect of saw palmetto:

This study found that saw palmetto (Serenoa repens extract) caused a statistically significant drop in DHT after three months in volunteers.

This study found that saw palmetto inhibits the 5-alpha reductase enzyme, which is responsible for the creation of DHT. The scientists said that there was a significant “therapeutic advantage of Serenoa repens (saw palmetto) over other 5-reductase inhibitors”.

How to use it: It's a safe natural supplement, but it can cause some side effects like dizziness, especially when you first start taking it, so take it with meals.

My choice:

If you are a male considering saw palmetto for oily skin, be careful because DHT is very important for your overall health. Always check with your doctor.

ZINC

Many acne sufferers are deficient in zinc, and it might help oily skin too, as it is a relatively weak DHT blocker.

My choice (natural source of zinc):

Smidge Oyster Zinc

Crown Prince Oysters

BERBERINE

Berberine is not really a herb, but an alkaloid derived from plants in the Berberis family. It is also not a DHT blocker, but because it helps with the insulin sensitivity, hence lowering the androgens that make your skin oily, it is definitely worth mentioning.

Especially if you suspect the sweet tooth might be behind your oily skin!

Berberine acts as a natural antibiotic, which is perhaps why it can be so helpful with acne, too. Since it's very strong, don’t take it for more than 3 months in a row, and only 6 days per week.

Furthermore, berberine is known to slow down the digestion of carbohydrates in the gut, thus reducing the insulin spikes.

How to use it: A typical dose is 500-1000mg daily. Take as directed.

5. GET ENOUGH SUNLIGHT DAILY

If you are not feeling overwhelmed by now, I have a final bonus for you!

Vitamin D helps oily skin by reducing the insulin levels and by improving your insulin sensitivity.

Improved insulin sensitivity = less oily skin. Insulin resistance = very oily skin.

Your body makes all the Vitamin D it needs for a few days in just 10-15 minutes of full-body sun exposure, depending on your latitude and skin pigmentation.

The darker your skin, and further away from the equator you live, the longer you’ll need to stay in the sun.

FINAL WORD

When trying to get rid of oily skin, there is no doubt that the diet has to be in place first. Only then you can fix the poor genetics by the right supplements that slow down the conversion to DHT and make your skin less oily.

If you just take supplements, without working on your diet, you might not notice much difference.

However, I must admit that even if you do virtually everything right diet-wise, your androgen receptors in the skin might still react to any DHT it comes over to the sebocytes (sebum producing glands in your skin), resulting in oily skin.

This is why a good natural supplement and suitable topical treatment, in combination with the right diet, can really result in a much less oily skin over time.

In radiant skin health,

Sara

Time for questions! How are you battling your oily skin? Let me know in the comments!

*Some of the above links are affiliate links. Thank you for your support!


Are you in your 20s or 30s, and tired of still struggling with acne and breakouts? There is so much misinformation about the right skincare for getting clear skin, and caring for sensitive acne-prone skin. This is why I made a FREE online course where you will find little-known skin healing secrets you won't usually hear from the skincare industry or dermatologists. And yet, they WORK.

Sign up (and get instant access!) here: