After 30 years of using various skin products prescribed by a dozen dermatologists, I no longer have a serious acne problem, but I do have dehydrated and oily skin. For the last 6 months or so, I've tried a mostly hands-off approach with my face, where I only wash at night with not-hot water and no soap, then moisturize with 5-6 drops of Jojoba afterward. However, most of the time my skin still feels dry/tight with oil sitting on top, and will get red/blotchy if too dry.
I've tried various moisturizers, Vaseline at night, switched to decaf coffee, increased water intake, flax seed supplements, etc. But I can't seem to get my skin back to "normal" and reduce the oil production.
Has anyone had success rehydrating their skin?
when your skin feels like desert and everything just sit on top - it's because it's so dehydrated it can't absorb thick things. They won't penetrate your skin.
You need to use more watery textures and use layers.
What you might want to do :
-massage your face with your favorite oil (or mix of oils) - then use water to remove gently (it's okay if there is some left)
-clean your face with a very gentle CREAM facial cleanser - rinse gently
-let your face a bit wet and put a layer of hydrating serum
-put a light weight hydrating cream
-put your moisturizer (add some drops of oil in it, it really helps)
-put a last layer of aquaphor (the oitment will likely "force" the underneath layers to penetrate into your skin.
You can also use a humidifier in your room at night.
HA, glycerin, ceramides are the key
I HIGLY recommend you to stop using jojoba oil and remplace it with others oils (jojoba can really dry out your skin if you have dehydrated skin.
drying out - harsh products or manners should be avoided at all cost because when the skin feels attacked, it produces more sebum.
you might want to try Vitamin D supplements - it does wonder to regulate the sebum production
And also borage oil supplements (really hydrate and smooth the skin from the inside when your skin doesn't want to absorb any kind of products you put on.
Cherry picking hixhikari's reply, I would agree about the importance of HA (hyaluronic acid). I've had tremendous success hydration wise making my own HA mix with water. The best moisturizer I've ever used by far.
Sadly there's simply no safe way to fix oily skin. Isotretinoin is the only treatment that works but it has nasty side effects (at least for me). It's a chemotherapy drug after all!
What I would recommend is you stop using warm water on your skin! You say you use not-hot water, which is good, but cold water made such a difference in my skin. Within a month it got rid of all my hyperpigmentation, fine lines, acne and oilyness. Now I use a combination of avocado oil (which is very good for dehydrated skin!) and my home-made cold cream to both cleanse and moisturize. When I cleanse, I massage the oil and cold cream in my skin, very thoroughly. After that, I soak my wash cloth in cold water and move it gently across my face to remove the product. The last step is to mosturize.
You could also try taking fish oil supplements, or even better: cod liver oil. It contanis vitamin A and D which are both essential for healthy skin.
I think you should trythe Ultrasonic Shovel product to remove excess oil from the pores of your skin. Actually, it is very good if you are facing dehydrated oily skin because this product helps to improve the metabolism of the cell and increases the regenerationrate of the tissue too. On the other hand, you should start drinking more water.