Can You Ever Slug Oily Skin Without Breaking Out? Jordan Samuel Explains
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Jordan Samuel Pacitti is an aesthetician, skincare founder and regular Live That Glow columnist. He is a go-to source of beauty advice for skincare fans across the world. Here, he advises a reader on slugging for oily skin.
I have acne prone skin. What can I use to lock everything in at night that won’t clog pores? I feel like my skin gets dehydrated even though it’s oily and I’d also really like to get that glow that slugging gives people but without causing me to break out.
Jordan says:
While slugging, the act of applying an occlusive cream or ointment on your face to help reduce water loss, is great for some people, it is not universally beneficial for all skin types/conditions.
Those with breakout prone and/or oily skin should avoid jumping on the slugging trend, and instead, examine their current routine to look for alternative avenues to combat their dehydration concerns.
Here are three possible approaches to take for maintaining hydration levels for breakout prone skin, which can be used on their own or in tandem with one another:
1. Switch out your cleanser
Is your cleanser too drying for you? Many times, an oily skin condition gravitates towards highly foaming cleansers, which can leave the outer layer of skin dehydrated and create a counterintuitive and undesirable mixture of dehydration and oiliness. If this is the case, you could look for a non-foaming gel cleanser or a gentle cream cleanser.
2. Ease up on breakout treatment products
Though a necessary and effective component of many oily skin routines, treatment products for breakouts—usually those containing salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide—can also leave skin dehydrated.
To continue benefitting from these products while simultaneously avoiding their unwanted dehydrating effects, you could experiment with reducing their frequency (think every other day rather than daily), buffering the product (applying it over a hydrating serum or moisturiser) and/or enhancing the rest of your routine to find the balance you are looking for.
3. Live in layers
Lastly, layering will be your best friend, as it allows you to create customisable levels of nourishment and hydration based on your skin’s current needs. Look for a lightweight hydrating serum that you can use twice a day and start by applying a layer of the hydrating product before your moisturiser or SPF. See how your skin feels.
Then, if you feel like you need more, simply apply another layer. Keeping those juicy layers sandwiched between your treatment products and moisturiser can help minimise dehydration while keeping your oiliness at bay.
Addressing dehydration in breakout and oily-prone skins is a delicate balance that requires a more nuanced approach than simply slathering the skin with occlusives. So, instead of focusing on one singular thing to help dehydration in an oily and breakout prone skin, you will want to look at it more holistically.
In some cases, as in the first two solutions mentioned above, the key may lie as much in dialling aspects of your routine back as it does in incorporating additional steps.
Jordan Samuel Pacitti
Founder & CEO, Jordan Samuel Skin
Get Glowing!
