If you need a deposit of hydration and moisturisation into your skin look no further than hyaluronic acid.
Hyaluronic acid is great for oily skin because it deeply hydrates. One part hyaluronic acid can hold up to 6 parts water giving you superior hydration. This acid keeps your skin from drying out. If your oily skin dries out it becomes triggered to produce more sebum and can produce sebum in excess.
Keeping a good skin routine is imperative to having beautiful, healthy and hydrated skin. In order for you to have good skin, you need to use a variety of products. I’m sure you’re familiar with the staples, those being moisturisers, cleansers, masks and exfoliators. But do you know the benefits of using hyaluronic acid on your oily skin?
Oily skin can be one of the most complicated types to take care of. It gets shiny easily, is prone to breakouts and can feel greasy if left unmanaged for long periods of time. There are many disadvantages of having oily skin. An upside is that people with oily skin will only get wrinkles later on in life. This is because of all the hydration that the skin provides by the oil.
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What does hyaluronic acid do to your face?
Hyaluronic acid is one of the natural substances produced by our skin. Just like collagen, our skin produces less and less of it as we age. As the production of hyaluronic acid decrease in the skin the skin becomes drier, less plump and looks dull.
This ingredient, which is replicated in a lab, is able to add moisture to your skin without making your face look or feel oily or greasy. You might be attempting to avoid moisturization on your skin in an effort to combat shine but this is not the right way to tackle the situation.
Oily skin needs a moisturiser that is formulated with oily skin in mind. One that can improve the look and feel of oily skin, hyaluronic acid can do this. Another great thing about hyaluronic acid is that because this acid is naturally found in the body it has shown no proven side effects when used topically. The word “acid” should not put you off this great product.
Benefits of hyaluronic acid for oily skin?
The best thing that hyaluronic acid can do for oily skin is to provide hydration. When oily skin is dehydrated and dry the skin produces sebum (oil) in an effort to hydrate and moisturize itself. Unfortunately, the skin does this in excess and produces too much oil giving you the greasy look.
Hyaluronic acid is a humectant. This means it can attract water molecules to it and bring this water into your skin. The actual hyaluronic acid molecule does not hydrate, it just works as a middleman transporting water. In this way, the acid is a great hydrator and does its job very effectively, it can hold up to 1000 times its water weight.
When water is brought into your skin the skin does not become triggered to produce oil. Result: your naturally oily skin will stay hydrated, moisturised and non-greasy.
This ingredient can be used in moisturisers to ensure that water penetrates the skin effectively. It is also used in serums (serums offer a more potent supply of beneficial ingredients to the skin). When used in your daily and or nightly skincare routine, you are better able to maintain your natural moisture levels preventing the overproduction of oil.
This ingredient is not only useful for oily skin types. It can be used effectively on dry, normal and combination skin types. It is seen as sort of a superpower for hydrating the skin.
Using hyaluronic acid on your skin:
This is a product that can be used daily or nightly. It won’t make your skin sensitive from the sun as other products can. When trying this product for the first time you should apply it in small quantities to see how it works on your skin. If you feel that you need more acid per application then do so. If you choose you can use it once in the morning and once when you do your nighttime skincare routine.
The order that you should apply your face products is generally from thinnest to the thickest. This allows the thinner products (which are usually treatments) to penetrate deep into the skin and the thicker products to seal everything in preventing evaporation.
Hyaluronic acid is usually quite thin and should be applied before the moisturiser. You should start seeing the results of using this product after 2-8 weeks of continuous use.
Tip: Using a humidifier will keep the air in your home moisturised, it prevents drying of the skin. This article goes over the best humidifier for dry skin.
Other benefits of hyaluronic acid on the skin:
Anti-ageing: The acid helps by diminishing any wrinkles you have on your skin. It does this by plumping the skin and smoothing out the fine lines on your face
Firms the skin: Firm skin comes down to having hydrated skin. When your skin is hydrated it becomes more tight and plump.
Works with the moisture barrier: If the moisture barrier of the skin dries out then your face can be a target for environmental impurities to attack which can have some seriously negative results. Hyaluronic aid maintains the skins moisture barrier perving this from happening.
Can hyaluronic acid cause pimples?
No hyaluronic acid does not cause pimples. There are three sizes of hyaluronic acid on the market. Hyaluronic acid has either a light, medium or low weight, none of these can cause pimples.
The hyaluronic acid which has a high molecular weight is a good option to use if you want to fill in wrinkles, it makes your skin look less aged.
There are also low and medium-sized hyaluronic acids, these acids are made using newer technology. These low and medium molecules can be absorbed deep into the skin to deliver the hydration that your skin needs.
The high weight hyaluronic acid isn’t able to penetrate into the skin as deeply, it remains closer to the skin surface. The smaller hyaluronic acid molecules are stored in the connective tissue of the skin, this allows it to hydrate the skin in the deeper levels
Should I exfoliate oily skin?
Yes, you should definitely exfoliate your oily skin. Because you have oily skin exfoliating and exfoliating often will help your skin look and feel better. Exfoliation makes sure your skin remains fresh and clean. The process also makes sure you don’t develop pimples and other skin blemishes.
Our skin naturally produces an oil called sebum. This sebum is the skins natural way of moisturising its self when it becomes dry. You have oily skin because the skin produces excess sebum. The skin also replaces old dead skin cells with new fresh skin cells.
Oily skin has a harder time shedding dead skin cells in a natural way. When the excess sebum and your dead skin cells mix they enter the pore and clog it. Washing our face will help cut through the excess sebum and exfoliating will help remove the dead skin cells from your face.
What food causes oily skin?
If your oily skin isn’t the result of genetics or the weather then you’ll develop oily skin a result of the foods you eat, these include:
Dairy: Dairy is a food that keeps our bodies healthy but it can wreak havoc on many peoples skin. Dairy products can, and usually do, contain high levels of hormones. When you consume dairy products these hormones get into your body and affect your hormones. This, in turn, gives you oiler skin
Fried foods: Some people have the luxury of eating whatever they want and are still blessed with perfect skin. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case for everyone. If you eat foods fried in oils high in omega 6 fatty acids then it can show up on your skin. These foods include chips, doughnuts, and french fries to name a few
Salty foods: Salt may add great flavour to food but this item isn’t all that good for your body or skin. Not only does salt cause bloating in the body but it also results in dehydration of the skin. When the skin is dehydrated it tries to rectify this by producing sebum on the skin in an effort to moisturise itself. The skin can produce too much sebum and your skin will become oily and greasy.
Alcohol: We may partake in alcoholic beverages a couple of times a month or even daily, this isn’t a good idea. Not only is alcohol bad for your liver, but the skin won’t react well to it either. Alcohol dries out the skin, and dry skin overproduces oil in an effort to moisturise itself
Which sunscreen is best for oily skin?
Sunscreen is known to make your face oily and greasy. If you already have oily skin adding a product that contains oil is the last thing you want to do to your face.
You need to find an oil-free screen that will protect your skin but won’t make your oily skin look even oiler. You also need to use a sunscreen that does not contain any comedogenic ingredients. Products that contain comedogenic ingredients will clog up your oily skin. The best sunscreen for you will be the La Roche-Posay Anthelios Clear Skin Dry Touch Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 60
This is a sunscreen that has an SPF of 60. The minimum sun protection factor (SPF) that our skin needs is SPF 30. You can rest assured that this will protect you adequately. It’s a broad-spectrum sunscreen meaning it will protect your skin against both the UVA and the UVB rays of the sun thus protecting against ageing and burning of the skin.
There is no oxybenzone in this formula. Oxybenzone had always been a widely used ingredient in sunscreens but as of late it’s being used less and less because it’s a hormone disruptor. This sunscreen is also oil-free and non-greasy, perfect for oily skin.
Can I use retinol and hyaluronic acid together?
Yes, you can use retinol and hyaluronic acid together. If you’ve ever used retinol or you’ve heard about the side effects of retinol then you’ll know that this product can be quite drying on the skin. This is especially true if you’ve never used the product before and your skin is just getting used to it.
When on the retinol treatment you need to combat this dryness issue. To do this you need to make sure you’re hydrating and moisturising the skin well. Using hyaluronic acid is a great way to hydrate the skin. The hyaluronic acid will help to bring water into your dry skin as well as plump up your skin. This is a favourite hyaluronic acid
Can I use Vitamin C and hyaluronic acid together?
Yes, hyaluronic acid and vitamin C can be used together. You may have noticed that many serums contain both hyaluronic acid and vitamin C in the formulas. If you use these two ingredients together you get the hydrating benefits of hyaluronic acid and the rejuvenating effects of the vitamin C.
That being said, these two products are better utilised when used separately. This allows the concentred ingredients to treat the skin more efficiently. When using these two as separate products make sure to use the thinnest first, that will usually be the vitamin C.
Can you mix hyaluronic acid with oil?
You cannot mix hyaluronic acid with oil. To get the best out of each product you should not be doing this. Hyaluronic acid is a very lightweight ingredient used to add hydration into the skin. Oil is a very heavy ingredient used to seal hydration and moisture into the skin
If you mix hyaluronic acid with oil in your skincare routine the oil will simply create a barrier over your skin and the hyaluronic acid won’t be able to penetrate the skin to moisturise it.
You need to always follow the rule that your skincare products get applied from thinnest to thickest. This allows the thin products to penetrate the skin and sink into the deeper layers and treat the skin. Using heavier products towards the end enables them to seal all the moisture in, they prevent the lighter ingredients from evaporating from the skin.
What is the most effective hyaluronic acid serum?
The most effective and the most well-loved hyaluronic acid serum is the Cosmedica Hyaluronic Acid Serum for Skin. This is an organic hyaluronic acid serum that targets dry skin and makes your skin plump and supple.
The serum is paraben-free, cruelty-free, vegan and hypoallergenic so it can be used on all skin types even sensitive skin. If you have fine lines and wrinkles this serum will also help to minimize the appearance of your fine lines and wrinkles.
Can I use hyaluronic acid as a moisturizer?
You cannot use hyaluronic acid as a moisturiser. Hyaluronic acid is a humectant, it brings water into your skin, it helps to hydrate the skin but not moisturise it.
Hydration is when water enters the cells of your skin and fills them, this plumps up the skin cells. Moisturisation is when another product is added onto the skin to soften the skin and seal in all the hydration. You’ll need to use a good thick moisturiser after the hyaluronic acid to make sure the hyaluronic acid and water does not evaporate from your skin. This is a well-loved moisturiser for oily skin
I hope you enjoyed this article looking at the benefits of hyaluronic acid on oily skin. If you enjoyed it please share.
