You also want to make sure that you use a moisturizer for the same reason. You need to restore a balance and, in a way, train your skin. By using a moisturizer after washing your skin, you are removing excess oil, cleansing, and moisturizing it, which will balance out your skin. It may take a few weeks before you see results, but you will.
People with oily skin have a tendency to “overdo it” with products. They use harsh soaps, oil-controlling serums, or overdo washing their faces. This strips the skin of necessary oils and can damage it (and cause your skin to start producing even more oil). The excess oil your skin produces, and the potential damage you might be causing, is the reason why people like you with oily skin tend to breakout. Once your skin returns to a balanced state, that should stop.
So here is what I recommend you try:
- Find a natural, oil-based soap that won’t clog pores. It can be a mild anti-acne soap, exfoliating soap or scrub, or a clay based soap. Stay away from anything that is too harsh, though.
- Find a very light moisturizer that absorbs quickly into the skin.
- Carry around lotion-free tissues. You can use these during the day to pat your skin and remove excess oil without having to wash your face and strip it off too much oil.
- When you wash your face, you should really massage the soap into your skin (for at least one minute), and then rinse off with a lot of warm/hot water. Splash your face ten to twenty times with the water to make sure that you really removed all of the soap.
- Wash your face only twice a day for two to four weeks. You can increase it after four weeks to three times a week, if really necessary.
- Use a clay-based mask once a week if you have acne breakouts. Then reduce this to once every other week once your notice fewer breakouts. This will help remove impurities and excess oil.