A Derm-Approved Skin Care Routine For Oily Skin + Best Products

If you reach for oil blotting sheets or frequent powder touch-ups, you just might have oily skin. While mattifying makeup may help eliminate excess shine, there's actually a whole lot you can do with skin care alone to regulate your skin's oil production.

Skin care routines may have similar steps from person to person (you know the drill: wash, hydrate, SPF); however, the products used should be tailored to your skin type. To save you time, we've asked dermatologists for the best routine for oily skin.

To follow, an expert-approved, step-by-step routine for oily skin and a few winning products to get you started. Of course, every routine should be individualized to the person: So tweak the below as needed to suit your own needs. And for even more personalized care, we always recommend consulting with a skin care professional (dermatologist or aesthetician, for example).

As with any evening skin care routine, you must remove your makeup and SPF before going in for a deeper cleanse. "All skin types can benefit from oil cleansing, as oil cleansers work by gently lifting off dirt, debris, and makeup, without harming the skin," organic esthetician Katie Sobelman once told mbg.

If you have oily acne-prone skin, you'll want to opt for a noncomedogenic oil. A few grade-A options include jojoba oil, rosehip oil, hemp seed oil, evening primrose oil, sea buckthorn oil, tea tree oil, grapeseed oil, and tamanu oil.

Now you can move on to a deeper cleanse. Oily skin will benefit from an active cleanser, specifically, "if you have oily, acne-prone skin and you're dealing with breakouts and clogged pores," board-certified dermatologist Whitney Bowe, M.D., FAAD, tells mbg.

Let's be clear—toners aren't a necessity when it comes to basic skin care. That being said, if you want to add a toner as an extra step, then you'll have to decide between an astringent, an essence, and a classic toner.

Astringents like witch hazel will help to minimize excess oil. That being said, if you're using other oil-control products throughout the routine, you may opt for a hydrating toner or essence to restore moisture instead. Why? Oil control is all about balance, and if you strip your skin too much it may spur your skin into producing more sebum. Kind of the opposite effect of what we're trying to get here, no?

Serums are considered your treatment step–as they contain a more concentrated dose of ingredients that treat skin concerns. For those with oil-prone skin, reducing shine and balancing oil production tend to be the most pressing issues during the daytime. (More on how to treat the skin at night in a moment.) “Balancing,” “mattefying” and “oil-control” are all great buzz words to look for when shopping.

As for the formula, keep an eye out for soothing ingredients, such as green tea, niacinamide, and hyaluronic acid. "Niacinamide and green tea also have data with decreasing oil production," board certified dermatologist Kanchanapoomi Levin, M.D., told us about managing an oily t-zone. 

Here's where the magic happens. While you won't want to use retinol and exfoliants on the same evening, they will both come in handy for those with oily skin when used in a cyclical routine (yes, we're talking about skin cycling). 

On the evenings you choose to exfoliate, pick your acids wisely. "Glycolic and salicylic acid are great exfoliants for oily skin," Fenton explains. Salicylic acid in particular may be a better choice for those with oily and acne-prone skin. "This beta-hydroxy acid is oil-soluble, allowing it to penetrate deep into pores, unclogging them," board-certified dermatologist Ramya Garlapati, M.D., explains.

One perk of having oily skin is that you may tolerate retinol products better than those with dry skin. Not only will you reap the benefits of retinol for healthy skin aging, but you'll also get the added bonus of reducing excess oil production, Fenton says.

Even the oiliest of skin needs a moisturizer—don't believe the false narrative that your sebum will suffice as a hydrator. That being said, it's important to pick a moisturizer designed for your skin type to avoid pore-clogging or excess shine. The simple answer: Gel or gel creams over heavy-duty moisturizers.

"Gels or gel creams have a higher water content and are usually oil-free and are quickly absorbed into the skin," Garlapati says. On the flip side, creams are generally oil-based and will leave the skin feeling a bit greasy–which is why they're ideal for dry skin instead.

The quickest way to determine whether your skin is oily, dry, or somewhere in the middle is to wash your face and let it sit for about 30 minutes. If your skin feels oily to the touch, that's a surefire sign you have oily skin.

The above routine is a great foundation to build your own personalized routine upon; we’ve noted in the article which steps are better suited for evening versus morning application. Outside of those steps that need to be applied at certain times of the day, you really don’t need to change your morning and evening routine if you don’t want to. 

We really try not to genderize taking care of your skin health, as we all should prioritize caring for our complexions. So the above routine will work for folks of any gender—skin care is skin care! 

Skin changes with time and life cycles. This is due to hormones and shifts in the skin structure that happen naturally with time. So, typically, how you treat your skin as a teen will look different than how it might in later decades. 

Here’s the good news: Skin in your teens tends to be more resilient and deals with stronger products easier. So not only will the above skin care routine work for teens, teens will be able to tolerate treatment steps more regularly (i.e. retinol and salicylic acid).