Oily skin/hair + complexion issues - advice?

[Anonymous]

Starting growing my hair out, and now my complexion is awful. Oily skin, blackheads everywhere. It doesn't even seem like its my scalp, its like my face is actually secreting the oil on its own.

Any advice? I've been trying different shampoo/conditioner/moisturizer/cleansers but it doesn't seem to be working well enough. Acne and complexion is just getting worse.

[Kiwedin]

I had this exact problem. I used to wash my hair once or twice a day, and my face would be oily after an hour of washing it. I've tried product after product until I decided to just never use soap on my hair and face. My reasoning behind this was that the body was meant to balance itself out on its own, and by putting chemicals on our scalps and faces, we disrupt this cycle and can actually cause our beauty issues. Shampoo and facial cleansers completely dry out the skin and strip it of its natural oil, so to counteract this, you're body overproduces oil to make up for what its lost, making us more greasy.
On my hair, I use Shampoo Bars made with absolutely no chemicals, just herbs and natural oils and I'll sometimes use a vinegar rinse. Look up shampoo bars and the "no poo method" and you'll learn a lot more about it. I can go up to three days without my hair getting greasy, my hair is healthier and it grows so much faster than it used to. My fave website is Chagrin Valley, but sometimes shipping and handling is too expensive, so I'll go on Etsy, where there are a lot of organic, vegan, homemade shampoo bars.
On my face, I do nothing except rinse with water. When I need to, I will exfoliate with either a little sponge or a homemade scrub (sugar and honey, should come out like a paste). I'm not usually dry, but when it happens, I'll put a tiny amount of coconut oil on my face overnight and it's all good. My face is much less greasy and I have much less breakouts now. A natural soap that is really good for not only your face, but your whole body is African black soap (go on Etsy for that too), I don't use it often, but it does wonders. I also found my skin improved even more after I went vegan and eliminated refined, processed foods from my diet. So diet plays a huge role in healthy skin as well.
Good Luck!

[Asker]

Alright I'm gonna start researching this. Thank you very much.

[Asker]

Chagrin Valley, all the way. Trying that route. Will see what improves, thank you so much.

[Kiwedin]

Chagrin Valley is great, I bought the coconut milk bar, the cafe moreno, and lavender spice. Coconut was my favourite. Cafe moreno smells bad, I had to stop using it lol Lavender spice smelled a little weird at first, but it started to grow on me. I like it now and it works well. Smells like a field of lavender.

[Kiwedin]

Just be aware that your hair will go through a transition period. Regular shampoo strips your hair, so your body produces even more oil to counteract this. When you switch to the shampoo bar, your hair won't be used to not having the oil stripped, so it'll keep producing a lot of oil. Your hair might feel gross and greasy for a while, but eventually it adjusts. The transition is different for everyone. Some people don't notice it, and for those who do, it can last a 5 days to even 3 weeks. For me, it took two weeks. I found keeping my hair in a braid made it look better lol but don't worry this goes away, and the longer you use the bars, the longer it'll take for your hair to get greasy :).

[Asker]

Thanks for the heads up. My complexion hasn't been this bad since I was a teenager, totally sucks. I'll just have to stick it out and get through the transition over the winter break, I suppose. Thank you for your guidance.

[Kiwedin]

I did my transition over winter break as well lol Netflix got me through it :P

[SillySilberman]

Try purchasing a facial cleanser with Benzoyl Peroxide. Start out with a small percentage, and then gradually increase the percentage if you must. I say start out with 2% if you have very mild acne. If you have a ton of acne (I mean 10-20 pimples), I then suggest that you start out with 5%-10% Benzoyl Peroxide.

As for moisturizer, make sure you moisturize after you wash your face with an oil free, fragrance free moisturizer. The Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion is highly recommended for those battling acne. It's for all skin types, oil free, and fragrance free.

With the oily hair, stop washing it everyday. It's actually bad for you hair to wash it everyday. It strips the natural oils thus making it more prone to producing greater amounts of oil. Wash your hair every other day, and double shampoo. Follow up with an oil free conditioner if you are into conditioning your hair.

Stop touching your face too. It increases chances of acne and oil distribution. Also, you need to use an acne fighting face wash with benzoyl peroxide for at least (at minimum) two weeks to see a dramatic difference. Everyone's skin is different, so adjust your skincare needs as needed.

[Asker]

Thank you for your advice I will look into this as well.

[GreatestGatsby]

Go to a dermatologist. It may get expensive but it's worth it. I take Doxycycline, I also use Purpose cleanser (you can get it at Walmart). And I know it sounds strange but lemon/lime on problem spots at night will bring the swelling down. Just don't go outside with it on your face.