Hair and Grooming #3 - Oil Be Gone

Summer is upon us, at least in the Northern Hemisphere and the sun, heat and humidity that one would enjoy on a vacation, are all contributing factors to an undesired oily face. Oil secretion is a natural process by which your body is protecting the skin from drying up, however there are many circumstances where a shiny face is not very desirable.

Romanian actor Sebastian Stan, who plays Gossip Girl pseudo-villain Carter Baizen on a not so great day, oil-wise

Women have been secretly fighting their sebaceous glands for some time now, and I think it's about high time more men got on the anti-shine wagon.

While there are plenty of cosmetic solutions that involve creams, toners, serums and other concoctions of a similar consistency, I feel that most men wouldn't want to go through all the trouble of finding the right cosmetic products for their skin type.



The easiest solution that you can carry around in your pocket would be a little pack of blotting paper. There's not much to blotting paper: you blot (that's patting not wiping) the oily areas on your face and the paper absorbs the oil, after which you throw it away.

Blotting papers have a long history dating back to around 517 A.D. in Japan when Japanese professional dancers, called maiko, and Kabuki performers used specially treated paper made with hammered gold to blot their skin.

eHow.com 

When shopping for blotting paper/tissues don't go for the more expensive options. Not much can be added to blotting paper to make it worth paying more.

For the more independent and crafty of you, here are instructions for making your own blotting paper:

One other thing that you can use on-the-go to ward off any shiny areas on your face is applying a colourless blotting powder that absorbs oil particles on your face and leaves you with a matte look throughout the day.