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Camille C. > Skincare > Acne
Why Moisturizing MORE Is Actually the Secret to Controlling Oily Skin
DEBUNKING the biggest skincare myth that's making your oily skin WORSE.
Note:"I always skipped moisturizer because I thought it would make my oily skin worse. Learning this completely changed my skin!"
By Camille C.
May 7, 2025
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Updated 11:31 pm GMT+2
15
You've been told your whole life that oily skin needs to be dried out.
But despite using drying products, your skin seems to produce even more oil as the day goes on.
Why does your skin get so shiny no matter what you do?
The counterintuitive truth might surprise you.
Skipping moisturizer is actually making your oily skin worse!
The Dehydration-Oil Connection
Your skin has a sophisticated feedback system that monitors hydration levels. When your skin senses it's dehydrated, it produces MORE oil to compensate.
This creates a frustrating cycle:
- You skip moisturizer because your skin is oily
- Your skin becomes dehydrated (lacking water)
- Your sebaceous glands go into overdrive, producing excess oil to prevent moisture loss
- Your skin becomes even oilier than before
- You use more drying products, making the cycle worse
Research published in the Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology confirms that proper hydration is essential for regulating sebum production, even in oily skin types.
Many people confuse oil and hydration - they're not the same thing. Your skin can be both oily AND dehydrated at the same time.
Signs Your Oily Skin Is Actually Dehydrated
Tight Feeling: Your skin feels tight after washing, even though it looks oily.
Makeup Separation: Your foundation breaks apart or looks patchy within hours.
Increased Sensitivity: Your skin reacts more strongly to products than it used to.
Congestion: You have more blackheads and clogged pores than usual.
Overproduction of Oil: Your skin becomes extremely oily by midday, especially in the T-zone.
Fine Lines: You notice more fine lines, especially when you smile or make expressions.
Delayed Healing: Acne marks and blemishes take longer to heal than they should.
5 Tips to Properly Moisturize Oily, Acne-Prone Skin
1. Choose Lightweight, Non-Comedogenic Formulas: Research in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology shows that gel-based or lotion moisturizers with ingredients like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and niacinamide provide hydration without clogging pores. These ingredients attract water to the skin without adding excess oil.
2. Layer Hydration Strategically: Clinical studies demonstrate that applying hydrating products to damp skin increases moisture absorption by up to 10 times. Apply your moisturizer within 60 seconds after cleansing when your skin is still slightly damp to maximize hydration with minimal product.
3. Incorporate Oil-Controlling Ingredients: According to research published in the International Journal of Cosmetic Science, ingredients like niacinamide (vitamin B3) can reduce sebum production by up to 54% when used consistently. Look for moisturizers that combine hydration with oil-regulating ingredients.
4. Use Different Moisturizers for Day and Night: Dermatological research shows that skin has different needs throughout the day. During the day, use a lightweight moisturizer with SPF protection. At night, focus on repair with slightly richer formulations containing ingredients like ceramides that support barrier function.
5. Don't Skip Moisturizer After Treatments: Studies in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology confirm that applying moisturizer after acne treatments significantly reduces irritation without compromising efficacy. This prevents the dehydration that triggers increased oil production.
The key to managing oily skin isn't eliminating moisture, it's providing the right kind of hydration while regulating oil production. When these two factors are properly balanced, skin becomes less oily over time as it no longer needs to compensate for dehydration.
A comprehensive skincare system designed specifically for oily, acne-prone skin should address both hydration and oil control simultaneously. Products formulated to work together can break the dehydration-oil cycle by providing optimal moisture while regulating sebum production, resulting in clearer, more balanced skin.
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Feel Like There's No Way To Get Rid Of Acne Or Breakouts?
Like No Creams, Diets, Or Pharmaceutical Drugs Can Help?
CONTINUE READING:
I'm Going To Share My Personal Story Of 16 Years Battling Acne And How This Unique Formula Finally Helped Me Win (And Helped 301,521 + Women Do The Same)
I looked over at my mom. A tear ran down my cheek. “This is ridiculous,” I said to her, throwing my hands in the air: “I’m almost 30 years old and I have the skin of a sweaty teenage boy who hasn’t showered in a week.”
I Was Looking For Any Sign Of Change
I walked over to the mirror and studied the very red and very irritated bumps on my face one more time. I squinted and thought to myself, I think I see a difference.
I was excited; I had just started using a new cream that others swore by, that had been praised up and down on the forums. Maybe this was finally it, the holy grail of creams, the one I had been waiting for.
Weeks went by, and optimism gradually faded to fear, then disgust, and finally, anger. My newfound cream was a dud, added to the pile of half-used tubes hiding in the back of my drawer. So many questions filled my mind, each one more puzzling than the last.
“Why can’t I figure this out?”
I had been battling acne on and off (but mostly on) for 16 years. I had been to the moon and back trying to fix my skin and was desperate for something, anything, to work.
I had heard every name in the book –– from “pizza face” to “Rudolph.
At 13, I rode my bike to the local drugstore to buy makeup and zit cream.
I would lather my face with Clean and Clear products hoping that, by some miracle, they would whisk my puffy whiteheads away. Just like that, I’d be able to forget about this whole pimple problem.
And they did make me forget about my zits. Because I had a new problem.
The flakes and dusty layers of skin I developed made me look like a prime candidate for a Head & Shoulders commercial.
Back down to the drugstore I went. One by one, I purchased every variety of cream, gel, pad, strip, and wipe in the skincare aisle. And, one by one, they each created some new and troublesome skin problem.
Each time I shopped, I was more and more drawn to the makeup section, with its gleaming bottles and colorful promises.
Pictures of models smiled out to me, saying that I too could have beautiful, radiant skin, no strings attached – all I needed was foundation and concealer. Who could resist?
I happily took my basket to the counter and smiled as I delightedly handed over my hard-earned babysitting money. I slathered and covered and forgot about the ugliness I felt underneath with my Cover Girl cocktail.
Ultimately, I’m not sure what was worse: the patches of red from my nose to my chin, or the orange lines along my jaw and hairline from my caked-on Wet ‘n’ Wild concealer.
I was a modern-day Oompa Loompa. 🤦♀️ It could never last.
Getting my mother to take me to the dermatologist was like pulling teeth, but after much whining, she conceded.
My new skin routine consisted of a nurse brushing on a tingly, itchy glycolic peel and a prescription for a cream I had heard good things about.
Promise filled the air as I happily handed my newly scribbled doctor’s note to the pharmacist at Walgreens.
Minutes later, he gave me my package and muttered, “If this doesn’t work for you, there are hundreds more creams you can try. Talk to your dermatologist, and have him write you a new prescription if this one doesn’t do anything in the next few months.”
My eyes glazed over. The promise that had been prancing around minutes earlier was run over by an 80-year-old lady, white-knuckling the steering wheel as she pulled into the pharmacy parking lot.
By the time I turned 21, my skin was no better than when I had started at 13. The only things that had changed were my tolerance (lower) and my wallet (slightly improved).
As my budget increased for products and possible treatments to try, so did my acne.
These painful, horrible red splotches stayed for weeks on end and were worse than any white or blackhead.Just when I thought one was healing, 3 more would pop up in its place.
My hands got antsy and I started picking, leaving me with brownish scars, redder cheeks, and no more answers than I had when I started this battle.
And to make matters worse, in addition to my rosy complexion, I had small, white bumps on every inch of my skin, making it feel like rough sandpaper. Nothing was helping.
Dreams of clear skin became distant and unlikely… But I wasn’t out of ideas yet.
Back to the doctor I went, this time with hopes of a new cure: birth control. So many birth control brands had ads about their fantastic results peppered all over the internet. I was already sold. Besides, at this point, what did I have to lose?
The nurse practitioner was happy to give me my prescription, along with a sample of the newest wonder birth control, guaranteed to clear up any acne issues.
Not too long after I began taking it, my skin cleared up.
I was dumbfounded.
Who knew, all this time, that this was the answer?
I happily told others all about my newfound fix––until, that is, some uncomfortable new problems started cropping up. Not only did I gain about 10 pounds, but for the first time in my life, I had a yeast infection, which was incredibly gross, irritating, and painful.
I found myself yet again at the drugstore for yet another new problem. But a yeast infection can be defeated.
One hurdle down, now all I had to do was handle my newly developed spare tire.
I still thought the added weight would be my only real problem, when, not a month later, for the first time in my life, I developed a bladder infection.
With roughly a case of 100% Pure Cranberry Juice (not your Ocean Spray cocktail, the real stuff that’ll make you say, “Pucker up, buttercup!”), prescription antibiotics, and bladder pain relief pills that turned my pee orange, I worked through the trauma of my latest issue. Fine. Settled.
Except that, about two months later, I developed another bladder infection. And then a few months after that, another one. It became a new staple problem I had to deal with every other month. I started to order cranberry pills by the dozens on Amazon.
9 bladder infections later, after doing a little extra digging, I found out that my current birth control had a list of side effects a mile long, including the possibility of bladder and yeast infections. This was just one of many possible uncomfortable byproducts of what the pill was doing to my insides.
But, boy, did I have clear skin.
Was this a price I was willing to pay?
I made an appointment with my doctor and told her about my new ongoing issue and my theory that it was associated with my birth control.
She refused to consider the birth control as a possible cause, and her solution was to write me a new prescription for an antibiotic that kills bacteria (both good and bad) in the body.
I was to take this, indefinitely, along with my birth control.
She wouldn’t even write me a different kind of birth control prescription, saying that if there were no other side effects, I should stick to the one I was on.
As I walked out of the building, surrounded by shiny, gleaming posters for the brand of birth control I was taking, I couldn’t help but feel bitter.
I started talking to my friends about the birth controls they were on. One was on a pill that made her gain 50 pounds, another was on one that made her feel crazy and empty inside, another was experiencing anger problems so bad that they’d almost ended her marriage, and another friend had actually developed acne when she went on her birth control.
Every option came with an unacceptable side effect or compromise.
If I was a birth control Goldilocks, no porridge was just right.
After my 12th bladder infection, I discontinued use of the birth control. And no, I never had another bladder infection again.
When I dropped the birth control, I said goodbye clear skin, hello breakouts. Not only that, but I gained even more weight. My confidence was shrinking down to nothing.
I was heart-broken and miserable. I thought the battle was over and I’d lost.
By my late 20s, despite all the money I had poured into (well, spread onto) my skin, my acne hadn’t improved at all. If anything, it had migrated, spreading to new locations on my face, lower cheeks, jawline, forehead, and even my shoulders.
I was defeated. I was never going to figure this out.
The lines I heard from so many dermatologists and doctors––that “I’ll grow out of it,” that “It really isn’t that bad,” and, my least favorite, “I’ve seen worse,”––infuriated and discouraged me.
They had no answers, and I had no patience. This was all getting far too old, and I was getting tired of hearing myself complain.
I felt like a wounded soldier in a battle that had been rigged from the start. I wanted to retreat.
I mean, I could live in my pajamas, right?
I would be Meals on Wheels’ biggest customer. If Tom Hanks could make friends with a dodgeball, so could I. I worked it all out in my head… until I remembered that I had to go to work if I wanted to keep my apartment, and what’s more, I had a life to live.
I had a little fight left in me after all.
If countless doctors, pharmaceutical companies, and traditional products couldn’t give me answers, then it was going to have to come down to me.
Because NO ONE cared that, in 16 years, I hadn't fixed my issue...
And honestly?
I was sick of spending money on products that didn’t work. I mean, I spent 16 years trying to find the solution but nothing, NOTHING had worked up to this point without serious side effects...
I felt hopeless.
But I started researching acne and its causes...
And, surprisingly, it has nothing to do with changing your pillowcase or any other BS you've found online by now. Really.
Most solutions that exist in the market are made for one thing and one thing only...
Fighting bad bacteria.
But while they're actively trying to get rid of the bad bacteria, they get rid of the good bacteria too!
Let me ask you a question. Have you ever felt a squeaky clean feeling after using a skincare product?
This is DAMAGING to your skin!
What those products are doing is actually causing an imbalance on your skin, which then causes more breakouts.
This realization only pushed me to do more research. It was all starting to come together…
Scientific research, books, and consultations with the doctors were all leading me in the same direction.
Soon enough, I started experimenting on my own skin with the products I created…
Within a few months, my husband started seeing small improvements on my skin. He encouraged me to keep doing what I’d been doing.
Those tiny steps forward encouraged me to study even further until I had it all down to a science…
I’ve discovered natural ingredients that we don’t have here in the US, flown to countries like Norway, France, Italy with one goal and one goal only…
To make an all-natural formula that would help women around the world heal this terrible condition…
The formula that would fight off bad bacteria while promoting good bacteria and balancing oil production on the skin.
After seeing my results, my friends started to ask me if I could make products for them too. It got to the point where I was getting hundreds of orders every month, just from my friends…
Fast forward to today: We have over 306,632+ loyal customers that are enjoying their healthy, glowing skin.
But what’s more important…
They have the confidence to leave their house, go to work & enjoy social events with their friends…
It actually works!
But don't take my word for it...
Here’s What Our Happy Customers Say
Catherine
Verified Buyer
Love this product! My skin hasn’t looked this good for years! I’ve struggled with hormonal acne most of my life, even into my late 60s! This is the only product that has helped to clear my skin. I’m a customer for life!
Lindsey F.
Verified Buyer
I absolutely love the way these products make my skin glow and feel amazing! This actually cleared up the black heads on my nose that I’ve been trying to get rid of for years! They come back easily if I skip my daily/nightly skincare routine so it’s definitely important not to skip taking care of your skin if you want to see constant results from these products. Love them. Definitely worth the price imo.
Nikki V.
Verified Buyer
I’ve had acne since on and off in my teens. But constantly had it for 3 years now (I’m 20 now). I am used to waking up with a new pimple. But the first 2 weeks of using the clear skin starter kit I did not see any new pimples. Since then I have gotten a few. These products are making a huge difference. My sensitive skin loves the natural ingredients. My usual red complexion is now calm and even toned.
Catherine
Verified Buyer
Love this product! My skin hasn’t looked this good for years! I’ve struggled with hormonal acne most of my life, even into my late 60s! This is the only product that has helped to clear my skin. I’m a customer for life!
Lindsey F.
Verified Buyer
I absolutely love the way these products make my skin glow and feel amazing! This actually cleared up the black heads on my nose that I’ve been trying to get rid of for years! They come back easily if I skip my daily/nightly skincare routine so it’s definitely important not to skip taking care of your skin if you want to see constant results from these products. Love them. Definitely worth the price imo.
Nikki V.
Verified Buyer
I’ve had acne since on and off in my teens. But constantly had it for 3 years now (I’m 20 now). I am used to waking up with a new pimple. But the first 2 weeks of using the clear skin starter kit I did not see any new pimples. Since then I have gotten a few. These products are making a huge difference. My sensitive skin loves the natural ingredients. My usual red complexion is now calm and even toned.
This advertorial is paid marketing content created by AverrAglow.com. Real customer reviews appear alongside dramatized or simulated scenarios for illustrative purposes, Camilles story is 100% real. Individuals featured may have received free products or compensation. Results vary from person to person. Product statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. All information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical, legal, financial, or other professional advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before starting any new skincare routine. Purchases made through links on this page generate revenue for Averr Aglow®. Prices, offers, and availability are subject to change without notice.