Spa Secrets: Caring for Oily Skin

BY BRIANA RICHARDSON, CIVANA LEAD ESTHETICHIAN

Chances are, you may have a complaint about your skin. One of the most common questions that my clients share is how to treat and care for oily skin. Here are a few recommendations that I share as well as products I incorporate into CIVANA’s customizable Signature Spa Facial.

What ingredients are most important to look for in a facial mask?

One of the best ingredients to look for in a mask when trying to combat oily skin is clay. Clay can help to draw impurities from the skin, tone and tighten while also softening and refining the texture and are rich in minerals and trace elements. For optimum benefits, allow the clay to fully dry approximately 10-20 minutes, then dampen clay by massaging water into skin and remove with warm washcloth.

A few of my favorite products include:
Spa Technologies Sea Clay Mask
Kypris Deep Forest Clay Mask

What ingredients should one avoid?

Many people suffer from excessive oiliness due to over stripping their skin. The most important thing before choosing a product to minimize oiliness is to determine the cause. Much of my clientele will cleanse with soap based lathering cleansers regardless of their skin type. This leaves many individuals believing they have oily skin, when really their skin is dehydrated and desperately trying to replace the oil it has naturally. Our sebaceous glands will overproduce oil when stripped and this creates a vicious cycle.

A great way to balance oil production is to provide that oil. Oil and oil attract to each other and are great for degreasing the skin. The sebum our skin produces consists mainly of fat, as well as excreted waste and debris collected throughout the day. We want to soften these fats, break them down and then address. Start by physically removing the excess oil from the skin, with a washcloth, or the like. Whether you use an oil cleanser, milk cleanser, balm or the like this will be a great choice as a first cleanse (and possibly main cleanser). While oil and oil bind, they don’t rinse. After massaging the cleanser into dry skin with dry hands, spend more time in areas with more congestion and build up.

A great combination to help balance is to start with the Naturopathica Manuka Honey Cleansing Balm, then follow with the Naturopathica Colloidal Silver & Salicylic Acid Acne Clearing Cleanser.

How often should one use facial masks?

Masking can be done a couple times a week. You just might want to change up the type of mask you’re doing and pay attention to how your skin responds. If you’re noticing dry patches and flakiness, then use a mask less often. You can also add a pump of milky cleanser to a clay mask to minimize the drying/drawing capabilities. This is also great for sensitive skin types.

What products do you recommend?

Naturopathica Aha Purifying Night Serum– is a blend of alpha and beta hydroxy acids to help slough off dead skin, minimize pore congestion and stimulate cellular renewal.

Astaxanthin Calming Gel with 02 by Spa Technologies is an amazing product for people with oily skin. It provides all the anti-aging and anti-inflammatory ingredients however it doesn’t leave any heavy or oily feeling on the skin. It provides an instant oxygen boost for the skin, while the astaxanthin provides an amazing antioxidant repair and protection. This can be used alone or layered with other products.

How often should I get a facial?

Getting a professional facial every 4 weeks can help improve the overall complexion of the skin in addition to thorough extractions. This is the amount of time that it takes for your skin to move through the full life cycle of cell growth and turnover and a facial helps this process.