This is the conversation I have in my studio more than almost any other.
A client comes in with visibly oily skin, enlarged pores, and midday shine that starts before lunch. They've been using mattifying products, stripping cleansers, and oil-free everything for years. Their skin is still oily. Sometimes it's gotten worse.
Here's what's almost always happening: their skin is oily AND dehydrated at the same time.
These are not the same thing
Oily skin means your sebaceous glands are producing excess sebum — oil. Dehydrated skin means your skin lacks water. Your skin can absolutely be both at once. In fact, the two often cause each other.
When skin is dehydrated — lacking water — it sends a signal to the sebaceous glands to produce more oil to compensate. The skin is trying to protect itself from further water loss by covering the surface with sebum. The more you strip the skin with harsh cleansers and over-exfoliation, the more dehydrated it becomes, and the more oil it produces in response.
The clients I see who have the most stubborn oiliness are almost always the ones who have been most aggressive about trying to control it. The harsh cleansers, the alcohol toners, the clay masks every other day — all of it is telling the skin to produce more oil, not less.
How to tell if your oily skin is also dehydrated
Look for these signs alongside the oiliness:
Tight or uncomfortable feeling after cleansing. Fine surface texture that looks almost crinkled when you look closely in good light. Skin that feels oily on the surface but somehow still looks dull rather than plump. Makeup that sits in fine lines or dry patches despite oily skin.
If any of those sound familiar, you're dehydrated.
What to do about it
Switch to a gentle cleanser. Not a stripping one. The goal is removing dirt and excess oil without triggering the compensatory oil production. The Face Reality Barrier Balance Creamy Cleanser is one of my favorites for exactly this — it cleanses thoroughly without stripping the skin's natural moisture.
Add a water-based hydrating serum. Not an oil. A lightweight hyaluronic acid serum or something like the Face Reality Hydrabalance provides water-based hydration that tells the skin it doesn't need to produce more oil. Most clients with oily skin resist this step because they think hydration means more oil. It means the opposite.
Be patient. It takes 4-6 weeks of consistent gentle hydration to see the skin stop overproducing oil. During that time it may seem like nothing is changing. Keep going.
The skin I see transform most dramatically in my studio is almost always oily, dehydrated skin that finally gets what it actually needs. The oiliness decreases. The texture improves. The clients can't believe how much was caused by trying too hard to fix it.
If you want help figuring out what your skin actually needs, text me at (818) 669-0333. It's usually a simpler fix than people expect.
Jasmine Brinton
Esthetician | Skin Care Expert | Author & Researcher
Jasmine Skin Care + Lash Studio | Valley Village, CA
jazskin.com | (818) 669-0333
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