Help with greasy skin :(

[marty_h]

Hi People,

My first post here, what a great resource!


Ok, down to business.. I've always had fairly greasy skin, as a result of this I have always used an electric shaver the night before. By doing this I found that my morning shower would clear up my face and wash away any excess oil that was the result of aftershave balms.

I have now splashed out on a nice DE shaving setup and am therefore shaving in the morning after my shower. However I’m finding that my face is unacceptably greasy. I have been using some gentlemen’s refinery pre shave oil, which I’m going to try leaving out as this cant be helping. I’m currently using art of shaving unscented aftershave gel.

Is there anything I can do to improve this because if not im gonna have to switch back to an electric shave which will be a shame. Is there anything I can change in my routine or any other products that would help.

Any advice appreciated.
Thanks.

[texasPI]

Hi Marty, welcome. Why don't you describe your preshave ritual for us. Like what you are using to wash your face before you shave? I'd skip the preshave oil. I too tend toward oily skin but I found that the face wash I was using was too harsh and was stripping my face of too much of it's natural oils. I've siwtched to Cetaphil face wash and have found it to work well. I shower then shave, then splash some witch hazel all over my face. I follow that with some Cetaphil daily facial moisturizer and then sometimes an alcohol aftershave splash depending on my mood. On other days I'll use a balm on the shaven areas and the facial moisturizer on the rest of my face. I used to use products that were for oily skin but found that they just made the problem worse by overdrying the skin.

[notthesharpest]

1. Don't use anything harsh. If you do, your face will fight back and become even more oily.

2. Use as few products as possible. Only use something if you tried without and it was just no good. (example: no balm unless your skin is bad without it.)

[JackieMartling]

I think you're probably smart to leave out the pre-shave oil. AOS gel is not a bad choice, but perhaps it's still too much for you. I don't normally recommend using nothing after a shave, but I've seen it recommended here several times, and in your case, it might be the ticket. Or, you could try an even lighter aftershave. AOS gel can still be a bit heavy and tacky, even though it doesn't have the potential greasiness of the balm. Lucky Tiger Aftershave and Face Tonic, which should be available at a Nordstrom near you, is about as light an aftershave product I can think of, while still doing the work you want an aftershave to do. Actually, that's not entirely true. Another, even lighter option is a simple hydrosol. Since you like AOS and apparently aren't averse to paying their prices, you might consider their rosewater hydrosol. It is very pure - just distilled rosewater from fresh (not dried) rose petals - with a rich, pure and natural rose scent. I've never considered it as an aftershave treatment, as I usually need something a bit more moisturizing than that, but in your case, it could be what you're looking for, providing a bit of toning and soothing with no gunk to weigh down your face. Hope this helps. Good luck, and keep us posted.


~ Nathan

[Cavman]

I know very little behind what works, however I have oily skin too. My skin has never been this good. What I use & the products I like the best are two different things. I get great shaves with Williams soap & find my skin likes it best. I have to be very fussy about getting all residue off. But I think what made the most difference is aftershave. I always thought aftershave was bad perfume. The first aftershave I tried was K-Marts generic Brisk, started clearing my skin fast. It is anti-oil & stings a little, I think alchol is the key here. Old Spice, Clubmans, Bay Rum & the oil starts coming back. None of them sting like the generic either. YMMV but it works for me. By the way, I have a real bottle of Skin Bracer now & can't tell the difference.

[marty_h]

Thanks for the quick replies people.

Ok well pre shave I use a face wash in the shower, its by simple for men, not sure if you have this brand in the US? Anyway, its a daily face wash designed for men and it says it help shaving by softening the beard (not sure how much of this is truth and how much is marketing) I dont think its that harsh at all because it has no added scents or colourings so seems like it should be fairly gentle on the skin.

Im wondering.. As im new to wet shaving (only 3 shaves so far) and because im experiencing qute a bit of irritation at the moment its just my skin adjusting and protecting itself. Maybe with time this could settle down?

In the past i've found L'oreal pure & matte anti regreasing moisturizer to be quite good as it dries to leave a fine powder residue on the skin. But this isn't really designed for post shave and it does sting like hell.

What are peoples thoughts on shaving the night before? If I was to wash with hot water and maybe apply conditioner pre shave would I notice much more discomfort compared with shaving in the morning after my shower?

[notthesharpest]

Simple for men - Try one day without it, just lightly wash your face in the shower with soap instead. Rinse quickly after washing.

Your skin will not adjust much to shaving, but your hand will. As you get better at shaving, your irritation should hopefully decrease.

Shaving the night before - why not try it? If it helps you, good.

[JackieMartling]

I have not tried Simple for men, so I can't really comment on it. Generally speaking, though, the absence of colorants and scents in a cleanser has no bearing on its strength; battery acid could have no added colors or scents, either, but that doesn't mean it's good for your skin. Obviously, I'm being exaggerative here, but hopefully you get my point. As for its claims of softening the beard, cleansers themselves do not do this; water does this. Cleansers can help by removing oils that prevent water from penetrating the hair shafts to soften it. Morever, all cleansers help in this regard; there's nothing unique about Simple. The best cleanser, ultimately, is one that works for you. I'm partial to those that clean effectively yet gently, without excessively stripping the face. My two favorites are Nancy Boy cleanser (of no use to you, unfortunately, since they do not ship internationally) and Art of Shaving cleanser. Really, though, there are plenty of good cleansers available, and Simple might be one, for that matter. I'm just giving you some things to think about.

Shaving the night before is an option. Some people here do that as a matter of routine. I personally don't, because my beard is fairly heavy, and I want that fresh-shaven look at the start of the day. I also just feel better starting out my day with my shaving routine. But that's just me. Since you've been shaving at night already, there's no reason you couldn't continue to do it with a blade instead of an electric. You could also shave in the morning prior to showering, and use the shower to help rinse the residue from your face more thoroughly. You might even experiment with washing your face in the shower with a gentle cleanser
after you shave. That's actually how my dad taught me to shave, and he did it his whole life. I stopped doing that years ago, and generally do not recommend it, but you are in a position of having to experiment to see what works for you, so why not try it?


~ Nathan

[Sam]

Here is a thought or two I have about oily skin. Some people are prone to produce more oil than others, just stands to reason. Using products that dry the face may cause the oil glands to secret more, kinda like sending a signal that they need to work harder. That is why I cut out the cleansers like Baxters and went with regular good old-fashioned bar soap. I like using soaps with sodium tallow (rendered beef fat) that probably were being made when our parents and grandparents were using bar soap. My skin is neither more oily nor more dry then ever has been, but I can not say the same about cleaners I used. Instead of a toner (with alcohol), I use Thayers Witch Hazel with Aloe, or Rose, or Lavendar, which are alcohol-free and have the antiseptic properties of witch hazel. I can't say that any nick has healed slower because I use witch hazel over an alcohol-product.

Now moisturizers and such are trickier. I use regular aloe vera gel both to calm any shave burn, to moisturize the face and to help heal any nick. Ill use it an night if my face is dry. I use coral skin food by Trumpers now to help seal in the aloe, but only because I have both products. I dont know that I would need or suffer any detriment if I finished up the skin food and did not use it anymore

SaM

[JackieMartling]

Here is a thought or two I have about oily skin. Some people are prone to produce more oil than others, just stands to reason. Using products that dry the face may cause the oil glands to secret more, kinda like sending a signal that they need to work harder. That is why I cut out the cleansers like Baxters and went with regular good old-fashioned bar soap.

Sam, the first part of your theory is generally correct; overstripping your skin of its natural oils will generally cause it to produce more oil. However, bar soap doesn't really help in this regard. If anything, most soaps (even tallow-based ones) will strip one's face more than a gentle detergent cleanser will - or even better, a soap-free, detergent-free cleanser. They are also alkaline in nature, which works against the skin's normal acidity - another reason they can be irritating and stripping. They also tend not to rinse as cleanly, leaving behind a residue, especially in hard water. Of course, ultimately, this is a YMMV thing. As we know, Gordon swears by washing his face with tallow soap, and if it works for you, then it isn't wrong. I'm going by generalities, here. Marty is just going to have to experiment to see what works for him. Who knows - maybe soap will be a good thing for him. I just don't recommend it, personally.


~ Nathan

[marty_h]

Yeah thanks for you input Sam but I used to wash my face with soap and since switching to detergent based clensers I've found my skin to be much clearer.

Im gonna stick at this for a few more weeks and see if there is any natrual
improvment.

Whats peoples view on the skin food?? Im told that this isn't so much a moisturizer so I guess will contain less oil? Is it worth a try or am I heading down the wrong path?

These products are so damn expensive, wish I could just get small sampler packs to see which is best.

[notthesharpest]

Im gonna stick at this for a few more weeks and see if there is any natrual improvment.

These products are so damn expensive, wish I could just get small sampler packs to see which is best.

When you buy a well-known popular product and don't like it, you can sell it here and not lose all that much money. Still, youre right: it is a waste to buy a big expensive bottle of something and find out you don't like it.

[JackieMartling]

The Trumper Skin Foods have no oil in them. They achieve their moisturizing capacities - such as they are - through a combination of glycerin and various gums. They tend to dry pretty smoothly, and are nowhere near as heavy as lotion-type balms. The tradeoff is that they don't moisturize as much as balms, and can be a little tacky until they dry. The Skin Foods are less prone to tackiness, though, than say AOS gel, or something similar. If you're into old school aftershaves that are still skin friendly, you might also consider Harris Pink Aftershave. It's lighter than the Skin Foods, and a little more "refreshing" going on, but is very gentle and non-drying.


~ Nathan