What to use for oily spotty skin

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Somebody please help me

Oily spotty skin. I look knackered because I am.

Currently have no skincare routine (apart from removing make up with micellar water and a baby wipe...)

Dry skin around my eyes etc

28 and work FT, have a 20 month old DD. So I am very knackered.

Has anyone got any advise to help me look any less zombie-like? I'm getting comments from colleagues stating how exhausted I look! Not a good look

I think you should start by changing your cleansing regime, it sounds quite clogging at the moment and probably isn’t cleansing your skin thoroughly. I use La Roche Posay products (from Boots, not overly pricey) there is one called Effaclar which is for oily sensitive skin. I’d also recommend exfoliating twice a week.

Thank you!

How do I exfoliate? Where do I begin?

The easiest is probably to get an exfoliating scrub from the same range. You probably don’t want anything too abrasive but enough to slough off the dead skin. I like Lush’s Angels on Bare Faces, you just wet your face and massage it in, then rinse.

A decent oil free moisturiser too. Simple would be a good place to start and inexpensive!

Bravura is the brand I now use. I had the exact same as you.

Tried many brands and routines.

The oil cleanser followed by azulene moisturiser once a day worked wonders. Still does. Lasts ages too.

Simple was awful for my oily skin....

I wouldn’t use a granular scrub as too harsh on skin, an acid exfoliant will remove dead skin and one with salicylic acid (BHA) gets down into the pores.
I have oily skin spot prone skin that has cleared up massively by using salicylic acid. I’ve experimented with various types and honestly clearasil pads are great. I couldn’t find them recently to replace so bought nip and fab ones instead.

This is my routine (works for me after a LOT of trial and error)

Morning - splash face with water, clearasil pad, then spf and make-up if going out

Evening - remove make-up with a mild cleanser like la Roche posay. Wash with inkey list salicylic acid face wash.
Then beauty pie Retinol and Vit C night cream (low retinol dose my skin loves it)

My skin has settled down hugely, I get fewer spots and the oiliness has reduced. I don’t use a moisturiser as no need to now.

Good luck!

The best thing I did for my oily skin was using oil, oil and more oil on it.

I spent years using cleansers, scrubs, exfoliators, retinol, acids - from £££ to the cheapest stuff out there. I've learned I was stripping my skin, forcing it to produce even more oils

Now I just use sweet almond oil to double cleanse.

And an oil + moisturiser after cleansing. At the moment I'm using Pixi Rose Oil plus a Nivea face moisturiser.

My skin is currently the best it's ever looked. And mora importantly it feels comfortable.

Micellar water is fine but you need to start double cleansing - so micellar water + a gentle cleanser ( I love cerave - cheap and effective)

Ditch the wipes!!!

What kind of spots do you have? Pustules? Blackheads? Whiteheads? Red? Blotchy? You need a nice acid too - but these are different for different types of spots

Then - SPF daily. Minimum 30, ideally 50.

Find a nice moisturiser, not too greasy.

Tbh I love Paula's choice - pretty much all their products, depends on your budget.

Micellar water leaves a residue behind, which might be causing clogged pores. A gentle face wash would be better, I like bioderma face wash, the pink one, I found the blue one actually made my skin oilier. I use an oil cleanser to remove makeup and then the bioderma wash after.

Paula's choice bha is great for unclogging pores and preventing spots. Not cheap, but a bottle lasts ages.

Dr Hauschka clarifying day oil is like magic, a couple of drops warmed between your hands and pressed into your skin somehow makes skin less oily.

Avene tolerance extreme lotion is a nice light, non clogging moisturiser with only half a dozen ingredients, so very little that can cause any problems.

So many people swear by La Roche Posay, but it’s the worst thing I’ve ever used on my skin. Within a few hours of using the face wash and moisturiser, my skin was so tight, dry and flaky. It became so sore and looked awful. Yes, it dries up the spots, but not worth it due to the dryness and flaking!
Awful.

The only think I’ve found that works is Paula’s Choice BHA Liquid Exfoliant.
Honestly incredible stuff.
I bought a bottle in December and am already onto my second. It’s not cheap, but it makes skin look amazing, very quickly.
It seems to unclog the skin, make it look glowy and radiant, and doesn’t dry it out,
I’m 42, with wrinkles, lines AND acne (the joy! 😬), and this has made me look so much better.

Agree Paula’s choice BHA is the dogs bollocks. I was getting through so much it was getting expensive, so looked for salicylic acid elsewhere - as I said upthread the clearasil pads work really well for me.

Interestingly AHAs irritate my skin loads so I avoid - BHAs seem to soothe it and clear it up, magic stuff!

I have an oily t-zone with dry cheeks I.e the worst of both worlds. I really like the body shop seaweed range and use the facial wash every day and exfoliater once every couple of days. They have an oil control gel as well that I’m desperate to try but it’s never in stock in my local store!