Why skin produces oil
Oil, or sebum, is produced by the skin's sebaceous glands, and it is not your enemy. Sebum keeps the skin soft, supple and protected, and it is a key part of a healthy barrier. Skin that produces a generous amount of oil often ages more slowly and stays more resilient over time.
How much oil you produce is influenced by genetics, hormones, climate and age. Some skin is simply oilier by nature. The goal is never to eliminate oil entirely — that would leave the skin unprotected — but to bring an overactive skin back into comfortable balance.
The difference between oily and dehydrated skin
One of the most important things to understand is that oily and dehydrated are not opposites — skin can easily be both at once. Oiliness is about how much sebum the skin makes; dehydration is about a lack of water in the skin.
In fact, dehydrated skin often produces more oil to compensate for the lack of moisture and the stress on its barrier. So skin that looks shiny may actually be thirsty underneath. This is why drying out oily skin so often backfires: it deepens the dehydration that was driving the oil in the first place.
The over-cleansing cycle
The instinct with oily skin is to wash it constantly and use the strongest, most stripping products available to chase that squeaky-clean, matte feeling. Unfortunately, this sets up a self-defeating cycle.
When you strip away the skin's oil with harsh cleansers, the skin senses it has lost its protection and ramps up oil production to replace it. The result is skin that feels tight and stripped right after washing, then becomes oily again faster than ever. Add a damaged barrier into the mix and you also get sensitivity and breakouts on top of the oil.
- —Harsh cleanser strips the skin's protective oil.
- —Skin overproduces oil to compensate.
- —You wash again to fight the oil — and the cycle repeats.
- —The barrier weakens, adding sensitivity and breakouts.
How to balance oily skin
Balancing oily skin means breaking that cycle with gentleness. When you stop stripping the skin, it gradually stops over-producing oil to defend itself. Hydration is key — keeping the skin's water levels up reassures it that it doesn't need to flood the surface with sebum.
- —Cleanse gently twice a day — avoid harsh, stripping foams.
- —Keep the skin hydrated rather than drying it out.
- —Use lighter, non-suffocating nourishment, but don't skip moisture.
- —Avoid over-exfoliating in an attempt to control shine.
- —Always protect from the sun, which can worsen oil and breakouts.
The Skin Nurture approach
We don't see oil as something to be eliminated — it's part of healthy, protected skin. Our approach is to help oily skin find its natural balance by cleansing gently and keeping the skin properly hydrated, so it has no reason to overproduce.
By working with the skin rather than against it, we help break the strip-and-rebound cycle that keeps so much oily skin trapped. Nurture yourself: balanced, comfortable skin comes from support and hydration, not from constant stripping.
Ksenia Kish
Founder of Skin Nurture
Every word here reflects what we believe. Nurture yourself, and your skin deserves support rather than a fight. Read more about our story.