When you have oily skin, common sense will nudge you to find out what causes it. Here are some facts about oily skin.

Excessive production by the skin of an oily substance called sebum causes oily skin. Too much oil makes your skin susceptible to complications which can be bad. In the same way, too little oil makes your skin dry, which is also bad. Excessive oil clogs the skin pores. It leads to build up of dead cells that risk bacterial infection and give rise to pimples or acne.

Care for oily skin basically aims to check the excess of sebum or oil from the skin. Skin care products for oily skin are therefore effective if they succeed in getting rid of the excess oil only, and not all of the oil in your skin.

Oily skin care starts with cleansing. For best results, cleansers must contain beta-hydroxy acid or salicylic acid to slow down the pace of sebum turn-out. You need to do cleansing once or twice daily. You need more cleansing under hot and humid weather because sebum secretion increases under those conditions.

Be fully aware of what the labels say in your oily skin care products. The perfect product for you would depend on how oily your skin is. If your skin is not too oily, facial skin care products marked as "suitable for all skin type" are likely to work well for you. If your skin is excessively oily, you need to limit your choices of products to those with specific labels like "for oily skin".

In addition to cleansing, you will also need toning with alcohol-based toner. This aims to completely remove the oil and dirt from you skin. But be careful to used the right amount of toner. Excessive toning can damage you skin.

Again depending on how oily your skin is, you may include a mild moisturizer in your oily skin care program. If you decide to use a moisturizer, look for something that is lipid-free, wax-free, and oil free. You can also use a clay wash once or twice a week as an additional oily skin care procedure.

Like any other facial skin care product for other skin types, you will probably need to try several specific brand or formulation before you can finally settle for the one that brings out the best results for you. The last recourse, of course, if over-the-counter products leave you less than satisfied, is to see your dermatologist. Proven to be effective at checking oily skin problems are sulphur creams, retinoids, Vitamin A creams, and the like. But these substances are best applied with professional advice.