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7 Unexpected Reasons Your Skin Is Oily

So we’ve crossed the threshold of acne, aren’t quite to the magical land of wrinkles, and are smack dab in the middle of oil world. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I still get tons of pimples in my 20s, but my major skin issue rn is how f*cking oily my face is. It sucks, and if you’re anything like me, you probably go through between three and 18 oil blotting sheets per day, and makeup slides off your face no matter the season. It’s a terrible time in a betch’s life, and it must be stopped. First, we must understand our enemies. Then we can defeat them. Here are some of the weird reasons your skin is oily and like you got smacked in the face with bacon. (Just me, then??) Read on to find out a few unexpected reasons your skin is oily and what, if anything, you can do about it.

1. Hormones

SURPRISE, SURPRISE! It’s our baby-making hormones here to f*ck your life up once again. Basically, being on the pill, being off the pill, being pregnant, having your period, almost having your period, and everything in between can wreak havoc on your skin. Your sebaceous glands go into overdrive when our hormones are out of whack, which is one of the reasons your skin is oily as the most recent BP oil spill. Yay. Combat it with like, I guess not being female? Moving on.

2. Dairy

If you haven’t put together the fact that your cheese habit is causing you to break out, then maybe you don’t deserve clear skin. By the same token, according to Bustle, “levels of testosterone and progesterone—and nearly 60 other hormones—rise in the body when you consume dairy, causing too much oil to build up beneath the surface of your skin.” In other words, maybe it’s time to cut back on those late night milkshakes or glasses of whole milk you’ve been chugging while trying to fall asleep. Which, by the way, can also lead to troubled skin if your sleeplessness is being caused by stress. Guys, this is SO FUN.

Milk was a bad choice

3. Not Enough Moisture

Seems totally weird, but it’s truer than my love for overpriced skin products. You need to use a moisturizer regardless of your skin type, period. Basically, if you don’t your skin will freak TF out, be all like, “omg I’m not good enough” and then go f*cking nuts on oil production to make up for the moisture it isn’t getting. If you do have super oily skin, don’t get a thick cream to make up for all this stuff, though. Get a light, oil-free moisturizer with ingredients like glycerin that helps water stay in your skin, keeping oil at bay.

4. The Weather

Finally, I can blame the weather for my skin problems! Praise be. Of course, you’re likely to see a bit more shine when the humidity index is over 100 percent in the summer. But the drying effects of winter can also cause your skin to dry out and, in turn, produce MORE oil to compensate. Combat that sh*t with a good moisturizer created especially for oily skin. Or just live in a bubble and never go outside—up to you.

5. Your Sheets

Please, please, please wash your bed sheets once per week or suffer the consequences. Not washing your sheets is like not washing clothes that you’ve spent 8-10 hours in every day and is so unbelievably disgusting considering the drooling, tossing, turning, boning, and all the other interesting habits that happen under the covers. Do you want your skin to lay in a puddle of drool? That’s probably really good for it, right? Wrong. Make sure you’re sleeping on breathable fabrics like cotton or, if you’re fancy, grab a silk pillowcase that’ll go easier on your skin and help chill out the oil over-production.

6. You Love To Drink

Yikes. BLAME IT ON THE AH-AH-AH-AH-AH-ALCOHOL. But seriously, Arleen Lamba for Bustle says, “when you consume alcohol your heat index rises, which means you actually do get warmer and sweat more.” In other words, maybe curb the drinking for a week or three and see if your oil problem clears up a bit. Chug water, sleep, and eat green things to become a pillar of health and non-shiny skin. Your body is a temple, fam.

7. Stress

Oh, what a shocking addition to this list! Yes, it turns out that stress is a huge reason your skin is oily. Cool. According to Schlessinger for Reader’s Digest, “‘When we become stressed, the level of the body’s stress hormone (cortisol) rises … this, in turn, causes an increase in oil production, which can lead to oily skin, acne and other related skin problems.’” SWEET. So I guess the moral of the story is to not get stressed out, cause if you get stressed out you’ll get greasy and pimply and then, in turn, get more stressed out and the cycle will continue literally until you die, I assume.

Images: Chris Knight, Unsplash; Giphy (3)

Sarah Nowicki
Sarah Nowicki
Sarah Nowicki aka Betchy Crocker writes about food, fashion, and whatever else she's in the mood to complain about for Betches and like, some other people. She resides in Asheville, NC, where she spends her time judging hipsters and holding on to her Jersey heritage and superiority. Yell at her on Instagram @sarahnowicholson