The problem of excessive oiliness, which translates to shorter mineral foundation wear, unsightly delamination, and accentuated pores, affects a certain number of people. It's important to remember that natural, gradual oiliness is completely normal and indicates a properly functioning epidermal barrier, and that mineral foundation itself will gradually absorb excess sebum. However, don't confuse normally oily skin with seborrheic dermatitis. Excessive and persistent oiliness is a symptom of a medical condition. It can be externally induced or have a purely internal cause. In this case, any foundation, whether mineral or non-mineral, will look unattractive and its wear will be extremely unsatisfactory.

Don't dry out your skin and keep it properly hydrated

Seborrhea often occurs due to excessive skin dryness. The sebaceous glands, excessively degreased and irritated, produce an increased amount of sebum in a protective response, which enlarges and clogs pores. In cases of pathological, excessive secretion, sebum coats the epidermis with an impenetrable film. To effectively treat seborrhea and enjoy long-lasting makeup, first ensure proper skin hydration and eliminate drying factors: temporarily avoid any makeup (mineral foundation will exacerbate dehydration), strong drying, and toning without prior protection. Once the skin begins to normalize, your makeup should last much longer and blend better with the complexion. Also, remember to always properly prepare your skin before applying mineral foundation if you are prone to dehydration and a seborrheic reaction. Their loose formula can dry out the skin, so always protect it appropriately if you are prone to dryness.

The amount of water you drink is also crucial. A dehydrated body results in unsightly, dry, and often oily, tired-looking skin. Water ensures internal balance and is essential for the body's proper functioning.

Protect your skin properly before applying mineral foundation.

Minerals are dry, so when applied to dehydrated skin, they can dry out and cause not only dry skin, exacerbate keratosis, and atopic dermatitis, but also exacerbate seborrhea, automatically shortening the longevity of foundation. Well-hydrated, smooth skin reacts to minerals completely differently – they provide a blended effect, excellent longevity, and a lack of powderiness. However, they don't always work well when applied to skin that isn't protected or properly softened. If your foundation looks unattractive, separates, or has poor longevity within two hours, it's likely due to improper skin preparation.

What exactly you use under your mineral foundation is crucial. It needs to be a product that has a regulating effect on the skin. The consistency should be light and well-balanced enough to prevent the product from drying out excessively, leaving the skin feeling tight. It should also be gentle enough to avoid excessively greasy makeup, as the foundation will noticeably lose its staying power, clinging to the cream and migrating throughout the day. In many cases, creams and emulsions are the perfect solution, but if you have exceptionally oily skin and occlusive products don't work for you, and minerals themselves cause dryness, the best approach is to apply the minerals dry and then set them with a moisturizing mist.

Use a primer

If your oily skin problem is within normal limits and isn't caused by excessive skin dryness or systemic issues, using a dry clay primer will extend the wear of your makeup. It acts as a kind of barrier—it protects your foundation from contact with sebum and absorbs excess natural oil. A dry primer also allows for thinner layers of foundation and a gradual application, which also allows for a longer-lasting, matte finish.

A clay primer also works well as a cleansing mask or cleansing powder – simply mix it with water or yogurt. Remember that excessive seborrhea can also result from insufficient cleansing and failure to remove dead skin cells. Using clay-based masks effectively cleanses and tightens pores, and stabilizes excessive sebum production, as long as it's not caused by dry skin.

Wet sponge application

Minerals applied with the Softie Annabelle Minerals sponge become more resistant to sweat, water, and oils. They are also pressed into the skin more deeply and in smaller quantities, making them more durable and less susceptible to abrasion and combining with sebum.

Choose a healthy, balanced diet with limited carbohydrates

You are what you eat. Excess carbohydrates cause unstable blood sugar levels, exacerbate and cause inflammation, and negatively impact the intestinal walls. Your well-being, skin condition, and overall health all depend on this. Excess carbohydrates and too little salt further reduce thirst, and dehydration is often linked to consuming too much sugar and too little salt. Unhealthy, highly processed, low-quality foods and gastrointestinal disorders are the most common causes of increased seborrhea and acne.

Limiting your intake of legumes can be very helpful, as they are poorly digested and have a high pro-inflammatory potential (particularly irritating to the intestinal walls and villi) in people with intestinal disorders. Dairy products, while not high on the glycemic index, raise insulin levels and can cause insulin resistance. Dairy products are also heavily processed. These, of questionable quality, also contain a lot of natural sugar (especially the lower-fat versions)—lactose—which isn't always digested by the body and also stimulates insulin secretion, increasing appetite.

Include plenty of vegetables in your diet, especially green, leafy, and natural ones, as well as good-quality meat, offal, eggs, and full-fat dairy products with or without lactose. Don't avoid healthy saturated fats like butter, lard, and coconut oil, or sources of omega-3 fatty acids like oily fish, high-quality cod liver oil, or omega-3 fatty acids isolated from flaxseed. Also, focus on physical activity. Exercise oxygenates the body, stimulates circulation, boosts metabolism, increases intestinal peristalsis, and burns carbohydrates, thus balancing insulin levels. A daily dose of exercise is the minimum necessary to maintain a stable health level.

Rule out hormonal problems

Hormonal imbalances are the result of factors such as insulin release disorders, lipid and water-electrolyte imbalances, chronic inflammation, high levels of stress, and abnormal blood pressure readings. Raging hormones indicate a disruption in natural homeostasis, and seborrhea is the least of the problems caused by unstable hormone release. If seborrhea is particularly severe and unrelated to skincare, a specialist should be consulted and the necessary diagnostic tests performed to rule out—or confirm—a systemic disease(s).

Ewa Szałkowska – young, ambitious, and creative. Passionate about art, she loves good food, and dark chocolate. For several years, she has been passionate about mineral makeup and is learning it from the ground up. With immense passion, she runs a unique online space where she shares her knowledge and experience in skincare for problematic skin in an accessible and creative way. Founder and author of the blog http://www.ewaszalkowska.com/