Cheapest solution to oily skin: Milk of Magnesia! Its magic!!!

Today I will write about another trick I picked up from MakeUp Alley, which deals with oily skin. I have extremely oily skin. I use the best oily skin care products (which include oil control face washes/ toners/moisturizers/primers/foundations/powders etc) possible but with all that, my skin gets oily within 1-2 hours of applications. Don’t even get me started on make up. No matter what I use I always end up looking all greasy and cake-y even with continuous blotting every hour. I spent too much money on oil control products thinking this next one will be the solution to all my problems, only to get my heart-broken. (Maybe someday I will do a inventory of all the products I have tried for the sake of oil control and failed miserably…)

So one fine day, I was just browsing about oily skin when I came across a MUA discussion on Milk of Magnesium. Yes, I am serious. Yes, it is a laxative. But it is also the answer to all my problems. And millions of other oily skinned people, apparently!

You think I am weird? Check this MUA reviews of Milk OF Magnesium out. See, I am not weird. You are weird. LOL!

I have already posted a blog entry about my morning and afternoon skin care, which has slightly changed, due to the incorporation of this glorious glorious, lets call it a “product”, shall we? So anyway, this is what I do to a guarantee an oil-free face for the whole day (while previously, with all the products in the world, I could only do like 3-4 hours. max)

Step-1: Wash your face with an oily skin friendly face wash. See my previous blog post on my favorite go-to face washes oily skin here.

Step-2: Use a toner. If you have oily skin it is very important to use a toner. Right now, I am using a Healthy Shop toner which has white tea and grape seed extract, you can use any toner designed for oily skin really. You can even make your own all-natural DIY home made toner (someday I will post another tutorial on that) but it is important that you use a toner every time you wash your face. The main reason is, when you wash your face, it changes your ph level, which will lead to more oil production. The more you wash your face, the more oil it will produce. Kind of counter-productive, I know, but that is how it is. So do yourself a favor, use a toner. Put some on a cotton pad and do a swipe or take some on your hand and pat your whole face (like the way guys use aftershaves). Either way, use a toner.

One important thing to remember here, use the toner while your face is still damp (from the water you used to wash your face). Its highly important that after you wash your face, at no point, you will let it totally dry before you put the moisturizer. The job of moisturizer is to trap the moisture inside the skin and if your skin has already dried the moisture have already evaporated. All water based moisturizer contain some water molecule but its not as good as the real thing. Also when you wash your face your skin has longer contact with water than when you put on a moisturizer which means it can retain more water. So remember, never let your skin dry.

Step 3: Massage an oily skin friendly moisturizer when your skin is still damp from the toner.  I will do a post on my favorite go to moisturizer for oily skin later, but they are in the picture. Wait for five minutes for the moisturizer to sink in.

Step- 4: Here comes the super important super secret part. Milk of Magnesia.  First thing first, after the five minutes of sinking moisturizer in your skin, blot your face with a tissue paper to take care of excess moisture from your face. After that get a bottle of milk of magnesia, I am using a local brand, Acme’s Milk of Magnesia, which costs about tk 28 (less then a penny!) and lasts forever.

Shake the bottle well and pour some Milk of Magnesia into the cap. You will need very little to cover your whole face, like, 5-7 drops at most. Use your fingers to put a thin layer all over your face. Don’t massage it, just take some on your fingers and swipe them all over your face for the thinnest layer possible. Too much will leave a white cast over your face. It will take some practice but eventually you will be able to grasp it. It will take 1-2 minutes for the milk of magnesia to dry and disappear.

If you have any milk of magnesia left, discard them and wash the cap. Do not use your finger to dip into the bottle directly, always use the cap and later wash it off before sealing the bottle to avoid contamination.

See these videos if you need more help :

Step-5 (optional): If you are not doing make-up, you are done.

If you are doing make up, proceed as usual. Don’t worry, foundations will not melt with Milk of Magnesia, just as long as you are using stuff designed for oily skin. Some of my favorite liquid foundations (full coverage/medium coverage/light coverage), mineral foundations, compact powder etc for oily skin are in the picture (and will do a post later). I have used Milk of Magnesia with all of them (individually or combined) and have no problem what so ever.  

My Take on Milk Of Magnesia:

1. It totally takes care of oil problem, obviously. First time I used milk of magnesia,  I thought, this must be how people with dry skin feel. No offense guys, I am sure the grass is only greener on the other side, but it was an amazing feeling.
2. If you are doing make-up, you will not need to use any primer. This is the primer. And it is the best primer ever.
3. It instantly makes my pores appear smaller and almost disappears. For someone with really big pores around my nose and chin areas, it is like magic.
4. It seals the moisturizers giving it more time to work on skin. Normally my moisturizer, night creams etc rubs off, specially during the night but now its being protected by that layer of milk of magnesia so its stays on and works better.
5. Milk of magnesia has some magnesium, a very important mineral that can supposedly prevent acne/pimples and fade marks.
6. Sometimes I put milk of magnesia in a thicker layer, wait till dry, massage some olive oil to take it off. Milk of magnesia binds with the dead cells, blackheads and white heads and massaging it with olive oil takes the whole thing off. My face is exfoliated like never before (and without any strong beads that can tear up my skin).

Really the advantages are just too many to list. You can always search internet if you are interested. Here are some links for a start…

*Is Milk of Magnesia a Cure for Oily Skin 

* How to Treat Oily Skin With Milk of Magnesia 

*Makeup Tips n Tricks: Milk of Magnesia for Oily Skin

*Milk of Magnesia: Oily Skin Solution

 *Mattify Skin And Make Makeup Last Longer With Milk Of Magnesia

So try milk of magnesia today, it will save you tons of money you previously spent on oil control and more importantly provide you more control than all those products put together.

And don’t forget to share your experience…questions and comments are welcome.