I've posted in the past about how I personally take care of my oily skin but this is a bit of a revisit. For background, my skin is: very sensitive, has a tendency to burn way too easily, gets way greasy, was acne-riddled as a teen, and cystic acne continues to be a problem for me even as an adult. I want to go over my history a bit to help those of you out there with similar problems or who also have greasy skin find something that works for you.
A long time ago, I used think the best way to attack my acne was to just nuke it. I used 10% benzoyl peroxide acne facewash. Specifically, I used Oxy. The bottle looks way different now than it did then. It made my skin satisfyingly burn. I thought that because I was nuking all the grease off my face and killing all the bacteria, this was the best route. But I remember back when I was a teen and think "I still wore a lot of makeup to cover my spots." I also remember my skin just kind of constantly hurting. I developed still-present issue of not wanting anyone to touch my face. For the pain and for the fear that it would make more zits.
Another problem as a self-conscious teen, I washed my face too much. In the morning, when I came home from school, if I randomly felt like it, in the shower at night and also just before bed. It was all too much. I didn't always use the Oxy stuff, but I did certainly overwash. And I didn't moisturize. So far, three things going against having oily skin: the constant washing actually stimulates oil production, the benzoyl peroxide was too high of a dose, and not moisturizing meant my skin was getting simultaneously dry and flaky as whiteheads burst out!
My mom, seeing my agony, bought me Proactive. The packaging kind of explained how overwashing and using too high of a percent of benzoyl peroxide can actually make acne worse. I took heed. I started only washing in the morning before putting on makeup/going to school and at night when I took a shower. I still didn't moisturize in the traditional sense, but if you know anything about Proactive, it is a 3 step system. Wash, toner and "treatment". So I guess that's when I started moisturizing a little. This did help my skin stop being so burny and flaky. It made my skin polished and smooth feeling. But the white heads and cystic acne kept coming.
My later teens was the first time I considered going on Accutane. My mom was staunchly against it. One of the biggest side effects is horrible, horrible depression. I had some friends on it or who had taken it, though, and they swore it was a miracle. I went through all the steps to get it, including the blood tests, but ended up ultimately not going on it. I went off to college anyway and started trying some other skin care solutions.
I quit wearing makeup nearly as much in college but I don't think that helped reduce the amount of zits I got. The first non-peroxide face wash I recall using was Neutrogena's Facial Bar. I liked this because it didn't burn! Imagine that! But it also left a film on my skin that I started to notice made my skin break out. I'd follow it up with a cotton ball of either rubbing alcohol or witch hazel to get the film off. I found that their liquid stuff cured me of any film problems. I would still use that if there's nothing else around.
Eventually I started moisturizing. I haven't wandered far in that territory. I tried my roommate's Clean & Clear Morning Burst. But I kind of hated it, it felt too heavy. Then I tried the Dual Action stuff but that didn't seem to moisturize enough. I eventually settled on Neutrogena's Sensitve Skin moisturizer and swear by it to this day. I've sampled some stuff at Sephora, but nothing has been nice enough to get me to change. Even Clinique didn't help my skin. It simultaneously didn't moisturize and felt too heavy on my skin.
What I have learned as an adult is to treat your skin kindly and it won't explode. Don't overwash, don't add too many chemicals to it and it will generally be ok. You just have to get over the occasional zit. I still get zits every day. I'm just not willing to go to Accutane. I've toyed with the idea over and over but the side effects just sound like too many for just a common skin problem. You will find as you age that most people couldn't give less of a crap about a zit or two on your face. The goal with acne treatment, to me, isn't necessarily totally clear skin but skin you can live with. That's where I'm at.
So! Here is a list of things I totally recommend. Or don't recommend if they stood out in my mind to suck enough I should mention them. You will notice a trend in brands. I swear I'm not paid by anyone.
Washes:
Body Clear Body Wash
Pore Refining Exfoliating Cleanser
Deep Clean Facial Cleanser
Oil-Free Acne Stress Control Power-Cream Wash
Oil-Free Acne Wash Daily Scrub
Oil-Free Acne Wash Pink Grapefruit Facial Cleanser (I really like this one)
Oil-Free Acne Wash Pink Grapefruit Foaming Scrub
Oil-Free Acne Wash Redness Soothing Facial Cleanser (I really like this one too)
Time Release Acne Cleanser (I love it but it is expensive and I'd only recommend to use every other day)
Purity Made Simple (Not useful for makeup removal, seemed only good for mornings)
*CONTINUOUS CONTROL Acne Cleanser I do NOT recommend, it burns my flesh right off. A friend of mine uses it and swears by it though.
*MORNING BURST Facial Cleanser (I don't recommend, didn't clean my skin thoroughly, made me break out)
*Ageless Restoratives Energy Renewal Cleanser (I HATE! It leaves a film and I'm guaranteed to break out afterward)
Toners:
Sea Breeze Actives Deep-Clean Astringent (ironically, the Sensitive Skin version is useless)
Witch Hazel (you can get this anywhere. It is alright before bed, but I wouldn't use it before makeup)
Moisturizers:
Soy Moisturizing Face Cream SPF 20 (It was ok during the winter only when my skin was super dry)
Vinosource S.O.S Thirst Quenching Serum (see above comment)
Oil-Free Moisture - Sensitive Skin (as mentioned, is my standing favorite)
Spot Treatments & Masks:
On-the-Spot Acne Treatment (but use this sparingly and only on white-heads)
Clear Pore Cleanser/Mask (I use this only as a spot treatment on gross big red oozing whiteheads)
Clarifying Detox Mask (use occasionally as an all-face mask, but usually on smaller whiteheads)
Luminizing Black Mask (use only about once a month)
Make up:
True Match Super Blendable Makeup (I wear this everyday including the matching powder and concealer. Doesn't clog pores but isn't full coverage either)
Clear Complexion Makeup (This felt good on my skin and didn't break me out but the lack of colors made me quit because it didn't match my skintone)
Clear Complexion Concealer (Do the concealer before your foundation and the color mis-match won't be so obvious)
Visible Lift Serum Absolute Advanced Age-Reversing Makeup (Nice if you need more coverage and still didn't clog my pores)
Dual Wet and Dry Foundation (I loved the coverage and how this felt on my skin. I quit using it because it didn't match my skintone)
Clean Liquid Makeup, Sensitive Skin (I tried this years ago and it was terrible. Though the formula may have changed since)
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