How to Get Rid of Oil on Your Nose and Forehead

We all want to shine on, figuratively that is. Literally, having a shiny face feels like the kiss of death. There’s a happy-medium we need to capture with skin. One where it looks dewy and fresh, not dried out and flaky, yet one that doesn’t glisten with oil.

If you have oil on your nose and forehead, you know this dilemma. How do you walk the fine line to get a matte finish without drying things out? How do you achieve skin greatness and look fabulously flawless day or night? All these answers and more will be found in this post!

Why your nose and forehead produce extra oil

In short, your skin contains oil glands and sebum, which we’ve discussed before, is what comes out of them to keep your skin conditioned. Certain parts of the body and face have more oil glands than others. When there’s more of them or they’re larger, they tend to get pretty active.

On the face, it’s even more so the case because oil glands respond the environmental stressors. Among those, the sun and pollution can cause your sebum production to go overboard to compensate. However, there is no link between excess in sebum production and acne according to dermatologists, so if you have an oily nose and forehead compared to the rest of your face, it’s probably because you have what’s known as combination skin.

The T-Zone area produces more oil than the rest of the face

Look at yourself in the mirror. Are you looking? Good, now mentally draw a big ‘T’ on your face with the top bar going across your forehead and the vertical piece extending down your nose and onto your chin. Your T-Zone, as it’s called, is the major contour of your face.

And as such, this T-Zone collects oil. You may notice it catches in the corners of your nose. Yuck! That’s why having a good skincare plan is important to keep this oil production under control.

Some factors can add more to the agony of your oily nose and forehead. Here are a few things you should learn more about in order to gain control of your shine.

– Oil Glands

As mentioned, those oil glands are in higher concentrations on your nose and forehead. These are larger in size too so they are much more active than oil glands on other parts of your body. They’re just trying to protect your face from environmental influences. Some people never notice a problem with skin until they move to the city and their skin constantly has to battle pollution. Others start spending more time in the sun without sun protection, leading the skin to attempt to protect itself.

– Touching your face

Here’s something to try…focus on noting each time you touch your face with your hands. Believe it or not, you do it a lot more than you realize. But now that you know, you can make an effort to keep your hands off.

Your hands come into contact with lots of things, and even if you’re fairly vigilant about keeping them clean, there will be times you swipe your hair from tickling your nose or cheek with a hand that isn’t outright filthy but isn’t freshly-washed. Your hands pick up germs, dirt, and debris, plus, they have natural oils on them. You may even get more oils on your hands by running them through your hair. If you’re a hair twirler when you’re nervous, you may be transferring more unwanted oil to your nose unwittingly.

– Hormones

Androgens are sex hormones and oil production is caused by them. They make the sebaceous glands grow. As they become more active, they produce more oil. That explains why puberty is such a nightmare. Your body makes more oil, particularly on the nose. Whenever your hormones fluctuate, you can expect changes in the way your skin produces oils.

– Genetics

Sometimes, it’s just the hand your dealt. The main cause of an oily nose and forehead could be hereditary, all dictated by your genetics. It’s not hopeless though. Keep reading and you’ll discover how to take care of your excess oil.

– Bad Nutrition

Your skin is your largest organ and it will reflect your inner health on the outside. If most of your meals come through the drive-thru lane and all you drink are sodas, it’s time to swap those unhealthy habits for the sake of your skin. Drinking plenty of water and eating a diet full of fresher food options like fruits and veggies can help a lot and will lead to glowing skin from within.

How to get rid of the excessive oil on your nose and forehead

While there are many things that cause excess oil on your nose and forehead, there are also just as many ways you can handle that shine. Take on some of these tips for a shine-free look!

1– Use blotting paper

Blotting paper is an essential you should have with you in your bag. It’s smooth and absorbs excess oil without messing up your makeup and is perfect when you’re on the go. These natural oil absorbing tissues by boscia green tea blotting linens are definitely the ones to look for and they’re super affordable too.

If you forgot your blotting paper, you can always use plain white tissue paper. Not the kind you blow your nose with! This should be the kind of paper you’d use in a gift bag. White is best though because colored tissue paper can bleed dye out onto your skin. Not quite the look you’re going for, we bet.

Cigarette papers are another option if you have them, one that’s very budget-friendly. And if you need a freebie, grab toilet seat covers and use them to blot your skin. You can stash them in your bag and cut them into pieces that don’t resemble a toilet cover if you’d prefer.

2– Use disposable face cleansing pads

When you’re not wearing makeup, perhaps at the gym, a great way to freshen up and get that excess oil (and sweat too!) off your skin is to use those disposable cleansing pads for your face. They’re great on the go, but ideally, if you can rinse off the residue, that will be best so you get rid of the leftover bits of soap for a truly fresh and clean feeling.

3– Swab on some toner

Toner is great for controlling excess oil and shine. Just be sure you’re not choosing one with alcohol in it. There are many great toners you can try like BRAND to help get oil on your nose and forehead under control. You can also make your own if you have a clean, empty jar.

Simply add half a cup of apple cider vinegar plus one cup of filtered water, then shake it up. Apply this solution to your skin with a cotton ball and you’re on!

4– Splash water on your face

A splash of fresh water always feels refreshing, but when it’s with cold water, it can be even more so. Cold water helps your pores tighten up, leading to a fresher face. Always towel off by patting skin with a soft, clean towel. Never rub or pull at the skin!

5– Wash your face less often

This may sound counterintuitive, but if you wash your face too much, it has an adverse effect. That sebum your face produces is very beneficial to your skin to protect it, keep it supple, and leave it looking healthy. But when you wash too often, then your skin tries to make up for that lost oil, leading to overproduction of sebum.

Stop it from happening by washing your face with an oil wash once per day. If you feel your skin is shiny or oily between your washings, take one of those blotting papers (or cheap substitutes) and use them instead.

Don’t forget to moisturize your skin immediately after washing it. When you let your skin dry off, your pores scramble to compensate for the dryness by releasing more sebum. Once you start doing these things, you’ll start to see an improvement over the next week.

6– Make sure you take off that makeup every night

It is never, ever, ever okay to sleep with makeup on! No matter how tired you are, force yourself to cleanse your skin so it can stay healthy. Makeup, even the best brands, is damaging to your skin when left on for that long.

At night, your skin cells repair and when they’re trapped under makeup, it’s impossible. You have to rid your pores of that makeup, dirt, dust, and debris from your day before pulling the covers up around your neck.

7– Don’t use drying products

Soaps and soap-based facial cleansers are horrible for your skin. They dry it out too much which leads to those pores of yours overreacting with the sebum. Never use products that have sodium laurel sulphate in them. That is one harsh chemical to avoid. An example of a cleanser that is free of this damaging chemical is the Simple One-Step Facial Cleanser by philosophy

Sometimes, depending on the severity of your oiliness, you may just opt to wash your face off with plain water rather than use cleanser.Avoiding over-washing and making sure to use the right kind of products, like a micellar water cleansing solution, will help calm oily skin. A good micelle solution you might want to try is the cleansing and make-up removing micellar water by Bioderma.

Honestly, the best thing you can do is get as natural as possible with oily skin and treating blemishes. When they arise, try tea tree oil as opposed to harsh cleansers so you don’t wind up irritating your skin further. Remember that your skin needs to retain some of the oil it creates to keep hydrated. When you dry it out by drawing out too much oil, then you create a nasty vicious cycle that will only get worse and worse. It’s time to break that cycle.

8– Use makeup that won’t cause skin oiliness

Makeup can be your best friend when you know how to use it right. That being said, putting too much on will only make things worse. Try a matte finish for your foundation and choose mineral powders that will help soak up excess oil to prevent shininess.

Choosing the right makeup will ensure that the oil on your nose and forehead stays under control. LORAC Sheer Porefection is a great foundation for oil control while Dermablend Loose Setting Powder works wonders for powder-based control.

9– Use an oil-free sunscreen

Protecting your skin when you go outside is essential for all skin types. But those with oily skin often fear sunscreen because it tends to be greasier. That comes with one big caveat though… there are now many oil-free formulas that are perfect for your oily skin. They absorb fast and are lightweight so you won’t feel extra greasy, promise. Sometimes you’ll see them noted as “mineral sunscreen” on the bottle. For acne prone or oily skin you should opt for a powdered sunscreen as it won’t clog your pores, Colorescience-Sunforgettable Brush is a popular oil-free sunscreen that many people have found to be a relief for protecting their oily skin when going outdoors.

Conclusion

Oily skin can happen for many reasons, from being born with it to hormonal fluctuations to environmental causes. Knowing how to get it under control will give you more confidence everywhere you go.

For most people, the T-Zone area is of prime concern because of the excess oil production on the nose and forehead. But by using a few smart tips, you can keep this oil at bay. By changing your habits and preventing over-cleansing, you can retrain your skin not to produce more sebum than it needs to stay comfortable, elastic, and healthy.

Many people like you have oily skin, and the solution to it is changing your approach to skincare. Once you do, you’ll see your skin improve drastically and you’ll feel your inner shine come through. When you control exterior shine, it’s easy to go everywhere with confidence and dazzle the world with your pure and natural beauty.