Acne.org Products
I based it on the fact that it's what I've been taught at college by four seperate Beauty Therapy and Anatomy & Physiology tutors.
Find some other "tutors", because the ones you have now are incompetent, at least in this specific area! 
Here, maybe you'll find the following material from a medical journal article interesting and informative:
Journal of Investigative Dermatology. 1987 Mar;88(3 Suppl):2s-6s.
"Skin lipids: an update"
Downing DT, Stewart ME, Wertz PW, Colton SW, Abraham W, Strauss JS.
(excerpt from this study follows below, including the references...)
Sebum and Dry Skin "...skin can be healthy and have charming cosmetic properties in the virtual absence of sebum."(14)
Kligman drew attention to prepubertal children, who produce almost no sebum, to support his thesis that skin does not depend upon sebum for maintaining its barrier to water loss: "...there can be no doubt of the insignificance of sebum as a waterproofing material."(14) Our recent studies at the other end of the human age spectrum have supported this conviction. In a survey of sebum secretion rates and the incidence of dry skin among subjects aged 65 to 97, no correlation was found between sebaceous gland activity and the presence or severity of dry skin(34). Kligman recognized that sebum could mask the scaliness of dry skin without producing any actual change in the condition: "Sebum, like any oil, has some emollient or smoothing effect when a sufficient quantity is rubbed into dry, scaling skin."(14) In spite of the clear inference to be drawn from the cutaneous characteristics of children and the experimental data obtained from the elderly, it remains difficult to dispel the myth that low sebum secretion rates cause dry skin. It is a rare individual who realizes that "dry" is not the obverse of "oily".
(14) Kligman AM: The uses of sebum. Br J Dermatol 75: 307-319, 1963
(34) Frantz RA, Kinney CK, Downing DT: A study of skin dryness in the elderly. Nursing Res 35: 98-100, 1986.
Hey bryan, I went to the website for that very same journal, and used the search term "acne sebum" and came back with multiple results-- and while I'll admit to not having done a thorough reading of all of these papers, if their summaries state that acne is directly influenced by the sebaceous glands, how is that less accurate than your study from that journal?
Also, the study you're quoting here is 22 years old. The abstract I read was 2 years old.
Food for thought, is all.
to be honest it does make sense. If you use products that are suppose to attack shine and oil it makes my skin more greasy. I use a basic cetaphil cleaser and purpose moisturiser when I wash and i never exfoliate or anything. This keeps my skin normal not dry and tight and not oily.
YAY
or you could turn your finger to all the foods you eat instead of reading this huge lecture on what expensive products you can buy
I tried the holistic method and ate all greens, fruits and chicken... etc. after a few months of that it really did nothing for my oily skin. So chalk that up as another acne myth.
Hey bryan, I went to the website for that very same journal, and used the search term "acne sebum" and came back with multiple results-- and while I'll admit to not having done a thorough reading of all of these papers, if their summaries state that acne is directly influenced by the sebaceous glands, how is that less accurate than your study from that journal?
It ISN'T less accurate. I generally agree with those summaries. So what exactly is your point?
or you could turn your finger to all the foods you eat instead of reading this huge lecture on what expensive products you can buy
I tried the holistic method and ate all greens, fruits and chicken... etc. after a few months of that it really did nothing for my oily skin. So chalk that up as another acne myth.
You keep preaching everything that worked for YOU as gospel truth. Just because something did or did not work for YOU, doesn't make it a cure-all or a myth. Stop making all of these ridiculous assumptions based on your own personal experience.
Several key elements wrong with your recommendations:
1. Hydrating, cold cream, lotion/oil based cleansers do not work for everyone, and you certainly should not recommend these cleansers as *the* remedy for oily/acne prone skin; it is true that these cleansers contain no harsh surfactants and detergent-type ingredients, and they do contain many emolients and are therefore considered to be the gentlest facial cleansers. However, using a facial cleanser that is *too* emolient will certainly cause problems for those with easily clogged pores, excess sebum production (*true* oily skin) and those who are blackhead-prone. Many of these hydrating/lotion based cleansers leave a greasy film on the surface of your skin, which again.. is a problem for many people. For those of us with oily yet flaky skin, these cream cleansers are not effective at all: they simply *stick* the dead skin flakes on your face, as opposed to cleansing them. Speaking from personal experience, my face had became flakier, drier (from all the dead skincells pilled up on my face) and more irritated than ever while using these lotion based cleansers.
2. CeRave Moisturizing Lotion contains many heavy emolients (namely, cholesterol as you mentioned) that resemble the sebum your skin naturally produces, and should not be recommended for those with acne/blackhead prone skin. Think of it as literally stuffing more crap into your already overcrowded pores. Cholesterol, while an excellent moisturizing and skin identical agent, causes many problems for those who are acne prone (though not everyone, but it should still be approached with caution). Theoretically, if you're acne-prone, it is best to avoid sebum-like and overly emolient ingredients such as cholesterol. BTW, Cerave Lotion broke me out badly after only a couple of days of using.
As well, Osmotics Tricream contains lanolin, an extremely heavy, wax-like emolient, and can also be a skin sensitizer for some. I'd steer clear of this one just in case.
3. Exfoliating your skin (no matter how frequent) has nothing to do with how the skin cells under the surface layer are produced, therefore they cannot be damaged by "over exfoliation". Exfoliation only affects what happens on the surface of your skin. Personal experience again. my skin is extremely dry and flaky in some areas, and I can only remedy this by using a chemical exfoliant daily such as AHA or Urea, which will do wonders when compared with simply moisturizing my skin. Yes, a sensitized skin surface that's stripped of its natural barrier is prone to inflammation and thus acne, but then again, not exfoliating frequently when you have oily skin causes the dead skin cells and sebum to pile up on your face, clog your pores .. another major cause for acne. Personally, I benefit so much more from daily exfoliation than simply once a week or less.
4. The AHA washes that you mentioned do nothing in terms of skin exfoliation due to its brief contact with the skin. It's better to use a leave-on type of product like an AHA lotion, gel or liquid (and only with the correct Ph range).
I think it's great that you were able to remedy your oily situation by lathering on heavy emolients and cleansing your skin less, but it really just means that you don't have oily skin to begin with, and you've only made it oily by stripping it of its natural barrier with excessively drying acne medications and etc. Really though... this isn't the case for everyone. I've had oily skin ever since I can remember, before I ever had a pimple on my face. The key for me to keep my oils under control is a gentle gel-based cleanser, daily exfoliation with a gentle, non abrasive exfoliant, and a light moisturizer (for flaky areas only), mixed in with a good, non-irritating clay mask twice a week or so, and a oil-suppressing product during the day.
..but it really just means that you don't have oily skin to begin with, and you've only made it oily by stripping it of its natural barrier with excessively drying acne medications and etc.
Oh dear...not again!
I have been trying to spread the word that oil production is not affected by cleansing or moisturizing your face. 
..but it really just means that you don't have oily skin to begin with, and you've only made it oily by stripping it of its natural barrier with excessively drying acne medications and etc.
Oh dear...not again!
cool.. interesting info. though it certainly did seem that my skin's oilyness was pretty dependent on how I cleanse/moisturize it, but I've read your posts and the information did seem very convincing. well I guess there's nothing wrong with learning something new.
Could've done without the "oh dear, not again" though.
Could've done without the "oh dear, not again" though.
Believe me, it could have been a LOT worse than that! It's been an uphill battle here for years to get people used to the shocking idea (SHOCKING, I say) that the sebaceous glands don't just modify their sebum output at the drop of a hat, like when you wash your face, or your skin gets a little dry, etc.
To the OP: thanks for sharing your story! I don't know why everyone is jumping on you, but I notice people are more likely to believe a "gentle foaming cleanser" and "oil free moisture" are the key to skin care. Meanwhile you must be doing a colon cleanse and eating only lettuce to see any real results. I believe that's BS! What you're saying is making a lot of sense, especially since I've been considering Cerave for awhile now. I believe my skin is heavily damaged as I have been using harsh acne washes, astringents, etc since I was 11 years old. I had no idea what I was doing to my skin in the long run. Now my skin looks dull and is a constant oil slick yet somehow manages to be dry under all that grease. And let me say: if anyone has to wonder what their skin type is you DO.NOT. have excessively oily skin. This is a skin type that does not leave you guessing. I will definitely give these products a go!
Adam,
Your post is truly inspiring because I suffer from the exact same symptoms as you once had.
Honest to god, I'm praying and hoping that this will help my skin.
My only worry is I tried the CeraVe moisturizer in the past and remember it making my skin red (possible allergic reaction) so I hope that same ingredient isn't also in their cleanser.
Do you perhaps have any before/after pictures of your skin? Or perhaps could you describe what your skin felt like/ looked like before and after in detail. Did you have clogged pores on your nose/ did they go away?
If this works for me man.. I swear to you, I'll be forever thankful. I'm actually getting a bit choked up thinking about it working.
Well, wish me luck, I'm buying the cleanser tomorrow and will order a moisturizer online as well (I want to get the one you recommend, but I'm afraid it might contain the same ingredient as the CeraVe one which caused my allergic reaction)
If I have anymore questions could you possibly personal message me your AIM screen name or something.
Thanks dude.
-Casey
just to update people on this old thread, im still suffering from oily skin.. cerave is a really good product and all but im still really really oily when i wake up in the morning. There is a cure out there guys, moisturizer is still important tho.. i noticed i have zero acne on around my lips and chin after proper moisturization. but yeah, im looking for different ideas on how to officially solve oilyness, so ill let you know how that turns out.
ok something I have to say about aha/bha products.. I am a huge fan of aha products, I use 12% glycolic acid(aha) every night on my t zone and affected areas(scars). My toner has 5% glycolic acid and 2% salicylic acid. The toner alone has really helped my skin in making it look clearer and prevented 80% of my bumps from popping out regularly. Although my skin still looks dirty because it's really oily so that means lots of blackheads, plus with old scars, these aha products are really helping to lighten those scars and improve the clarity of my skin. So I think aha may work for some people. Perhaps my skin is not that thick or sensitive so it worked well for me.
adam,
your oily because your sebaceous glands are more sensitive to androgen stimulation than ppl with normal skin.
No cleanser or moisturizer(unless they contain anti androgens) are going to help your oily skin.
I have been reading about boswellian extract and will give that a try. Maybe you should research that too.
Apparently Zinc Picolinate and Vit D3 help reduce oil too
This is probably unrelated to most people in this topic but hopefully this will help someone who is in my situation.
For 24 years of my life, I had normal/dry skin. I never had to wash my face at night. Within the past few months, I had been dripping oil. Basically Differin caused me to have incredibly oily skin. Over the years the differin has dried me out. A few months ago, I had started breaking out because of stress, and the fact that I had an extra tube of differin lying around made me decide to use a lot more on my face. Similar to how Dan puts a lot of BP on his face. During the previous month, I was using Dan's BP in the morning and Differin at night.Well in the past week, I have switched to using Dan's BP twice a day and no differin at night. I was able to go the whole work day without using an oil blotting sheet and I can tell I don't have that heavy, greasy feeling all over my skin. My chin also started getting really dry and I haven't been dry in many months. My nose is still a little oily but hopefully soon I will be back to where I don't even have to wash my face at night.
My guess is that since Differin clears pores and sheds skin, the oil was not being absorbed as much or possibly my skin was aggravated by that much differin. I was literally a step away from getting differin .3%, and then accutane once that did not work. Having said all of this, I would still highly recommend Differin. It is THE thing that made a difference in my acne. Just use a very small amount. Not gobs of it like I did. This might have been dumb, but no one ever told me it could cause this. My derm said nothing about it after seeing him twice for oily skin. I will post back if it turns out this was not it. But the fact that the oil has stopped in a week and the only thing that has changed has been differin seems more than a coincidence.