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It started in about 2012. Yes, that was when i became obsessed with having flawless skin. I was in highschool, before that I was completely happy to be in my own skin but something triggered. I guess I looked at somebody and noticed how flawless their skin was as compared to mine which was kind of uneven toned, my face was tanned(darkened) in a way that my face looks a different color to my body. I was an athlete in school and spent hours under sunlight which brought this condition upon me but until that point in 2012 I didnt care about it as i loved myself and was confident in who I was. I started to do research about lightening my face to match the skin tone with the rest of my body. I looked up some natural remedies and tried them. like rubbing a lemon on my face. What I didnt realize was that I am doing some serious damage to my skin as I was not using SPF. It went on and off and my skin looked more or less the same complexion(maybe darker). I did not have acne up until this point and I was actually proud of the fact that I was acne free despite having sun darkened and sun damaged facial skin.
Around 2014 I researched about how exfoliation and sun protection plays a key role in lightening the skin back to it's original tone. At the same time I kept dabbling in natural remedies which could help me exfoliate. I started using sun protection, scrubbed my face once every other day. I used an AHA facewash(low concentration) around that time and immediately started peeling. My skin became drier and the skin color was actually darkening as opposed to lightening. I was like, CRAP! and discontinued the usage of AHA. I started going to the gym and thats when my skin started erupting with pimples here and there, nothing severe.
It was somewhere in 2015 that I made possibly the worst mistake ever. I made some kind of scrub adding baking soda and salt or sugar started scrubbing my face. After the scrub I would apply a face mask made up of rice powder and milk in the hope that it will lighten all the sun darkening discoloration whatsoever and I'll achieve even toned skin. MAJOR SCREWUP !!!! My face reacted so badly that it is since that time I started suffering from extremely oily skin and acne all over my face. The acne itself is not severe but the oily skin condition is hell serious. Within 15-20 minutes of cleansing my skin starts to get super greasy and is covered with minute zits and 3-4 active pimples at any given time. My face is a disaster. I feel the acne is the direct consequence of my extremely oily skin.
I cleanse and wear SPF everyday but still get greasy skin by the end of the day. I play soccer everyday in the evening and sweat a lot. I cleanse immediately after my athletic activity so that sweat and oil don't take things to the next level. I started hating myself and the way I Look. The rest of my body has clear skin but my face is an oil slick with bad skin texture and sun darkening along with the acne. I wanna stop this oily mess on my face and would like to have a bright complexion like my peers.
I guess I have destroyed my facial skin's acid mantle or something which led me to have extremely oily and acne prone skin.
PLEASE HELP ME AND ENLIGHTEN ME ON HOW TO CURE OILY SKIN. Thanks for taking the time to read.
Wow, what a journey. To be honest I don't know of anyone with a similar experience and I'm no expert, but do you think you made your skin so dry that it reacted by creating more sebum itself, hence making your skin oily? Even if you get pimples and oil, would you say your skin is dry?
Hey thanks for the reply. I don't know if my skin is oily yet dry. Like the texture of my facial skin is kind of like that of a dry skinned individual, yet I produce a lot of oil on my face. around the nose, on my cheeks. You maybe right. I also feel that I made my skin so dry that my skin created by creating more sebum itself. I just want some advice to restore my skin. Personally, I feel if I manage to control the production on my face, the problem of acne will take care of itself. How do I stop my face from producing so much oil is my major concern.
I would appreciate any advice because I am feeling low and helpless about this.
Hi XGoviX, after years of not posting anything on this site... I just figured something out and I think you should do what I have recently discovered...
Read my post:
In summary... humans have lived for millennia without harsh chemicals and detergents to clean themselves. Marketing men and women have convinced us that we need their products to remain clean. Since the dawn of time we have had water and natural products only.
Using harsh detergents and peels irritates your skin. This tricks it in to thinking its under attack and so it produces sebum. Sebum is not bad like you are told to think - it protects your skin and is its best defence.
I guarantee that after a week or two of only using water and a wash cloth with no other products, your face with its physiology evolved over millions of years, will balance itself out.
Having read the last part of your post - you already know the answer... You probably don't use as many chemicals on the rest of your body and it does just fine. As I said, trust in the restorative powers of your own body and see what happens.
Hi again!
I think it's a good idea to stay away from harsh chemicals, although I've never tried the "only water" approach. If you are gonna use anything on your skin, I wouldn't use products designed for oily skin, I would use products for sensitive skin. If I were you I would use rosehip oil (Pai's rosehip bioregenerate oil is really good) as it balances the skin. You can put it on a few nights a week. I swear it won't make your skin oily and won't make you break out, give it a go. It balances the skin, so gets rid of the oil but at the same time it moisturises. Hope your skin recovers soon!
You sound like you have the exact same problem as me. 
My hormonal acne became 1000x worse after using tons of terrible products. Going on the bad product binge really ruined my skin texture/quality and made it way dehydrated and now oilier than ever as a result. Not visibly, like I look greasy, but oily in a weird way where I feel it when I touch my fingertips to my skin. It also flakes, which is a sign that the oil is from dehydration, not my hormones.
Can you see a derm? Also, it seems like a good moisturizer could help. But try to find one without fatty alcohols. I was thinking of trying this one: http://www.dermstore.com/product_PM+Therapy+Facial+Moisturizer+_32761.htm
Day 4 update !
Here's what I do - I put a glass of drinking water and microwave for about 30-40 seconds. Then I add some more water to it so that it's not too hot(just about lukewarm). I go to the washroom and dab a soft and clean towel(washcloth) into the lukewarm water and gently rub over my face in circular motion. After I am done with this I'll just splash my face with cold water once or twice max off the sink. I pat my face dry and then without waiting for my face to overdry, I apply a thin coat of Aloe Vera Gel on my face and I am done for the day. It gets absorbed pretty quickly and after sometime I can even put some sunblock on.
I repeat the same routine at night before I go to bed. So far I am satisfied with the progress. I won't go over the top with excitement as it is just the 4th day, but I can say that I sense my skin calmer now than before, oil production has reduced slightly but not significantly. NO MAJOR BREAKOUTS ! Minute little pimples r there but no major breakout since I started this routine. I'll update after a few days again fingers crossed guys 
So I started the water and washcloth challenge on 11 December. Until two days ago, my life seemed perfect but then I caught a cold, runny nose of 24th December and on Christmas Day I got a Lovely present in the form of a massive pimple on my right cheek ! I cannot figure out what I did wrong! Did something come in my food?? I don't know but there's this huge inflamed red bump on my right cheek which hurts a lot(srs) and both the cheeks r itchy. Oh my god I had finally thought I broke myself free from the shackles of this messed up skin care industry. Oiliness had reduced considerably and confidence was shooting up ! There was no inflammation on my face only scars and marks which will fade overtime I am sure. Inflamed pimples were the last thing I ever want on my face. I am clueless now again. Water and washcloth was a perfect thing for me I wasn't dependent on any product for confidence or something. My skin looked better in the mirror and now I'm struggling with totally inflamed right cheek with a massive painful bump. Crap Help Please ! Should I continue with this or give up and start using my cleanser?????? It's 4:57 AM I couldn't fall asleep for the whole night I can't believe this is affecting me so much :'(
We all get that odd huge spot from time to time... I would leave it alone and let it do its thing. Keep going with the water and cloth because as you have seen it works!
When you shave, do you use soap/cream/foam? Most of these are just soap and detergents that have the same effect as cleansers. I started using a few drops of shaving oil instead - I get close, smooth shaves; and my skin seems to like it.
I know it can be embarrassing but it will all get better.
Happy 2017
Hey thanks! Actually since I started this, I am making sure that detergents don't touch my face at all. So I just use a trimmer and trim my facial hair and not letting shaving cream and razor get in contact with the face. I can now confirm that there are 2-3 really painfully inflamed pimples on my right cheek. Ouch accidentally touched a pen there it was paining like hell I wanted to shout and run around the house lol. There's small non inflamed bumps all over my face but the inflamed ones are those of which I'm most worried about. I ate something which triggered that inflamed acne. There's clogged pores all over my face Ithink which get inflamed And Form pimples when I do something inflammatory. I am fed up now but I will keep doing the water and washcloth thing whilst finding a way to get rid of clogged pores to avoid future inflammations.
Hey, I don't know what your status is now but I will try another suggestion lol. Aloe and SPF are great..but only for a little while. Aloe is tricky because while it is good for your skin, I find it sinks in but then I get dry again and when you get dry your skin tries to produce double the oil to make up for the ones lost. SPF can also cause acne and be a little too thick and oily. I have oily skin as well and I used to never want to look at oils or moisturizers because I thought I would be a greasy mess. Then I realised I NEED the moisture because my skin was constantly trying to compensate. These tips may not give you 'flawless' skin but they will help a lot. You may think I'm crazy and I thought I was crazy too but its the best thing I've ever done for my oil problems.
Do some research on non-comedogenic oils. Some good ones are Hazelnut oil, Sweet Almond oil and Grape Seed oil. Play around with methods until you find one that works for your skin. Try soaking your face with oil for about 20 minutes then slowly patting it into the skin with your hands until completely absorbed and if its too much, pat the remainder off with a paper towel. Do it at night, in the morning, whenever you feel like it. If you do it at night then by the morning you will not have oil on your face, there will be no need for blotting. If you do it during the day you may need to blot once or twice within 20 minutes after its absorbed but that's normal.
OR use the oil with a DROP of SPF as a daily moisturiser. I use the hazelnut oil the most. It doesn't leave my skin looking greasy at all!
Rosewater is also great. Soak a paper towel with it and dab it on your face until its absorbed or spray it on your face.
So many people have oily skin and sometimes there's nothing we can do but blot it throughout the day. If I'm out I'll even just find a washroom, grab a square of toilet paper and dab it on my major areas.
Whatever you do, STAY HYDRATED AND ALWAYS MOISTURISE! Otherwise your skin will produce excess oil. Your skin might be extremely oily in the beginning but stick to it until it realises its being provided with oil instead of having to produce more. AND USE A CLEANSER! Try the Vichy Normaderm line!!! Good luck!
Well I've effectively stoped using harsh cleansers and other chemicals and my face is much better in every way. Much less oily, very few breakouts and amazing texture.
I do use 100% unrefined shea butter as an all over moisturiser when I can be bothered/have the time.
Ultimately, like drug companies, the cosmetic industry doesn't want to make you better. They want you to keep buying their products and most of us do. Well not me.
Happy new year guys !! So yeah this has been a road of trial, error and discovery. I still don't use the cleanser on my face but I don't use hot water either. My aim this year is to finally achieve clear skin and get my self esteem back. I have a million problems in my life and acne seems to be overshadowing all of them.
I just splash some cold water on my face from the basin in the morning. If I am going out I gently slap some SPF 50 on my face. I hate it becoz it's greasy but I apply it anyway becoz I am suffering from sun darkening issues too.
I can proudly say the oil production on my face is coming under control. Slowly but surely. Its not fixed though. I have a ton of clogged pores on my face and they r all gonna get inflamed at some point. Clogged pores in itself are acne which has been a major personal discovery for me. I control inflammation in my body by doing certain things like drinking enough water, having my dinner early etc.
Giving up cleanser was like the best decision I made up until now (thanks brokensoul!). But there's still bacteria on my face and there's still clogged pores. I found a cleanser which is extremely gentle on the skin and is pH balanced particularly for facial skin and it is hydrating as well. I am tempted to give it a try. I can confirm that I do everything within my power to reduce inflammation in my body (cut sweets, dairy, drinking water, good eating habits, getting enough sleep, exercise, playing soccer)
I would classify my acne as mild now, 2-3 inflamed bumps and lots of dark spots. Its definitely better than before. I am thinking about giving benzoyl peroxide(2.5%) a go just to get rid of the bacterial infection and unclogging my pores. I am near to winning this battle now. Final few hurdles until I am clear.
After that I might do a separate post on how acne affected me. Until then fingers crossed ! Thanks again for helping out guys, waiting eagerly for responses and suggestions etc
Hey, Thank you so much. I don't know what to say really, I am at a loss for words. I would love to know you personally you have been of such great help ! I quit cleanser on 11th December. Its the 21st of January (almost 22nd). In this month and a half journey I suffered from a massive breakout in the first 2 weeks. I even contemplated using B.P on my face but not anymore. The results have been astounding. The oiliness of my face reduced a lot ! All i do is splash water on my face 2-3 times everyday and after sweating in sports. There has been minimal inflammation on my face since the third week onwards. Then i suffered from cough and throat infection and doc wrote me antobiotic or something I guess. Sensiclav 625 is the name of the tab. Flora bc is another. All of a sudden in 2 days my skin went from less oily with few acne to no acne. What success ! Quitting cleanser has been the best decision of my life my self esteem is being restored.
Fingers crossed. Im posting a pic where my face looks much better than it did at the start of December. Thanks again!
