Oily Skin and Blackheads in Summer: Why It Happens and What to Do

In summer, heat does two things. First, it pushes your sebaceous glands to make more sebum. Skin gets shiny, especially in the T-zone (forehead, nose, chin). Second, sweat mixed with sebum clogs pores. Impurities get trapped, pores look bigger, and blackheads and closed comedones form under the skin.
Sunscreen adds to it (it leaves another film on your skin), so does makeup mixing with sweat, and so does air conditioning, which swings you between hot and cold and dehydrates skin. The result: oily on the surface, dehydrated underneath. The same paradox as spring, turned up.

The signs are clear: a shiny T-zone within a few hours of cleansing. More visible pores on your nose and cheeks. Blackheads that weren't there before. Small bumps under the skin, mostly on your chin and forehead. Uneven texture to the touch. Makeup that won't stay put.

The temptation is to use harsh cleansers to “get rid of the shine.” But your skin reacts by making even more sebum to compensate. It's a cycle that feeds itself. The other mistake: skipping hydration because “my skin's already oily.” Skin that's oily on the surface can be dehydrated underneath. Skipping hydration makes everything worse.

At night, double cleanse. Essere's Double Cleanse Kit pairs All Clean – Cleansing Balm (step one: removes makeup, sebum and impurities, even the most stubborn, while respecting the barrier) with My Cloud – Cleansing Mousse (step two: deep cleansing with a light, hydrating, soothing texture). Two steps, different skin in the morning.