Oily skin: a routine that controls shine without drying
Short answer: cleanse morning and evening with a gentle gel, use a light moisturiser, add salicylic acid or niacinamide, and finish with a fluid or gel sunscreen. Do not skip moisturiser: oily skin can still be dehydrated.
The routine
- Morning: gel cleanser, light moisturiser, fluid or gel sunscreen.
- Evening: gel cleanser, a treatment with salicylic acid or niacinamide, light moisturiser.
Ingredients that help
- Salicylic acid: exfoliates inside the pore, useful for blackheads and spots.
- Niacinamide: helps with shine and redness and is usually well tolerated.
- Zinc: found in many cleansers for oily skin.
What to avoid
- Harsh, stripping cleansers and scrubbing: they irritate without solving shine.
- Heavy, greasy textures on the face.
- Squeezing spots, which can leave marks.
See a doctor or dermatologist for painful, deep spots or when breakouts leave scars.
Why oily skin gets worse in summer
Sebum flows more easily when skin is warm, and sweat mixes with it, so the face looks shinier in heat and humidity. That is the Tunisian summer in a sentence: long hot days, humid air on the coast and sunscreen on top of everything. Air conditioning then dries the surface, and many people answer shine by washing more often or with harsher products, which leaves the skin tight and irritated while the shine comes back within hours.
A summer version of the routine
- Cleanse twice a day, not five: a gentle gel or foam in the morning and evening, and plain water or a quick rinse after sport.
- Use a light, non-comedogenic moisturiser. Gel textures absorb quickly and do not add shine.
- Choose a fluid or gel sunscreen with a matte finish. Oily skin still needs SPF, and some acne treatments make skin more sensitive to the sun.
- During the day, blotting papers remove shine without removing sunscreen. Reapply sunscreen over them if you are outdoors.
- Keep salicylic acid or niacinamide in the evening routine; start every other night if your skin is new to them.
Oily, but dehydrated
Oily skin can lack water. Signs are tightness after cleansing, fine lines that show under makeup and shine that comes back fast. Light hydrating ingredients such as glycerin and hyaluronic acid help, and stopping harsh scrubs often calms the rebound shine within a few weeks.
Blackheads, pores and spots
Pores cannot be closed, but keeping them clear makes them look smaller. Salicylic acid dissolves the oil inside the pore, clay masks once a week absorb surface oil, and patience matters: most routines need 6 to 8 weeks before a clear change. Spots that are deep, painful or leave marks deserve a doctor's opinion rather than stronger products.
Choosing products
Words to look for on the pack: gel, fluid, matifying, non-comedogenic, oil-free. Words that suit dry skin better: rich, balm, nourishing. Makeup can go on top of the routine; choose light, non-comedogenic formulas and remove them fully in the evening.
How to tell it is working
Judge a routine after six to eight weeks, not after three days. Take a photo in the same light every two weeks and look at the forehead and nose around midday: less shine at noon, fewer new spots and smoother texture are the signs to look for. If the skin stings, peels or turns red, cut the active product back to two or three evenings a week before stopping it. Change one product at a time, so you know which one helped and which one did not.
In Tunisia
Skinify lists products for oily skin available in Tunisia with their price in dinars: care for oily skin, anti-acne care, face cleansers and sunscreens, with cash on delivery in all 24 governorates.