There’s dewy and then there’s oily; glowy and greasy; luminous and shiny. 

And then there's leaving the house at 8AM feeling like a Dewy Angel and then there’s glimpsing yourself in the mirror at 3PM and realising a mini oil reservoir has opened up shop on your T-Zone.

This isn’t an uncommon problem and don’t worry, we’re not just going to recommend investing in an oil-free foundation and carrying blotting papers with you everywhere you go. Naturally, those can help but these are band-aids when what you want is prevention. And that starts with good skin habits and an arsenal of oil-balancing ingredients and formulations.

What causes oily skin?

Oily skin is caused by all sorts of things; some will be in your control and others, frustratingly, will be out of it. First, your oily skin may just be the result of being blessed with more sebaceous glands (sebum producers!) then cousin Liz. Other factors for oily skin include: Hormones! Anxiety! Stress! Environmental factors! Medication! Overusing actives! Or, confusingly, having dry skin. 

In short, there are any number of reasons you could have oily skin and luckily for your face and scalp, these areas generally have the most sebaceous glands on your cute body. 

How to beat the 3PM shine?

Now you know what causes oily skin, you’re better equipped to deal with managing it i.e. erasing that 3PM shine that turns up uninvited and unannounced around the time you go digging around for chocolate in the office kitchen. 

Here’s how to manage 3PM shine with good skin care habits:

1. Cleanse regularly but don’t overdo it as this can lead to dehydrated skin and overactive sebaceous glands. 
2. Use an oil-free moisturiser with a shine-free finish and ingredients designed to sink in fast, balance and soak up oil. Sometimes referred to as ‘liquid blotting papers’, these formulations are great matte skin multitaskers.
3. Drop niacinamide into your routine, which can help regulate oil production and may help stop the sebaceous glands overproducing oil.
4. Consider retinoids, which have been shown to help stem oil production.
5. Amp up your clay masking. Why? Clay is magnificent ingredient that gently soaks up excess oil and helps decongest skin.