1. Epilation

Epilators are electric hair removal devices that pull out facial hair (or body hair) right from its roots. This may sound painful, but it is actually a relatively painless and mess-free way to remove hair when compared to waxing. It is also more effective than shaving as it removes the white facial hair from the roots, thus reducing hair growth over time and with repeated use. All you need to be mindful of is that the white hair has grown to at least a ¼ of an inch in length before using an epilator on it.

To prep your face for epilation, start by softening your facial skin with lukewarm water and applying a very thin coat of moisturizing cream to the area where you want to remove the white hair from. Then, glide the epilator in the direction opposite to the hair growth to pluck off your white facial hair. Rinse off your face and pat dry.

2. Tweezing

Now, here’s another method that will remove your white facial hair right from the roots. Tweezing your hair with a stainless steel and sanitized tweezer can prevent it from growing back for at least 4-8 weeks.

Start out by sanitizing your pair of tweezers with isopropyl alcohol or sterilizing it in hot water. Then, simply pluck out your white facial hair, one strand at a time. Since this is a little more time consuming method, it’s better to tweeze out facial hair when you just want to clean up a few strands or between sessions of other hair removal treatments.

3. Waxing

Waxing white facial hair basically involves the same procedure as that of waxing hair from any other part of your body. Hot wax is applied to the facial area from which you want to remove white facial hair. A waxing strip is then stuck on and ripped off to remove the white hair right from its roots. While waxing your white facial hair regularly can reduce their growth over time, it is also a painful method to undergo that can leave your skin feeling quite sensitive.

4. Hair Removal Creams

Before you use a facial hair removal cream, wash your face with warm water to soften the hair follicles. Then, apply a layer of the cream on the area that you want to remove the white hair from and leave it on for the time duration recommended on the box. Then, wipe the cream and hair away with a warm, damp washcloth. It is best to do a patch test before using these hair removal creams to make sure you are not allergic to them.

Use Oil-Free and Water-Based Products

Obviously, you don’t want to put any more oil onto your skin than is already there. Look for “oil-free” on the label, especially for those leave-on products like moisturizers, sunscreen, and makeup.

You may also want to use products labeled noncomedogenic. This means they are less likely to cause pore blockages (comedones), and less likely to trigger acne breakouts.

Water-based products are another great option for oily skin types. Water-based products use a gel base and don’t leave any heavy residue on the skin. They feel virtually weightless on the skin.

You can find water-based moisturizing gels, sunscreens, and makeup foundation. Check the label; many of these are marketed to people with oily and breakout-prone skin.

Your topical acne medications have water-based options too. Differin, Retin-A, Onexon, and more all come in a gel form. If your current acne medication feels too heavy or greasy for your liking, ask your dermatologist if there is a gel option.

Don’t Scrub at Your Skin

Those of us with oily skin seem especially conditioned to scrubbing away, and it can be a hard habit to break. After all, won’t scrubbing at the skin help deep-clean the pores, clear acne and reduce oiliness?

Surprisingly, no. Rubbing the skin with abrasive scrubs, pads, or washcloths won’t make your skin less oily and won’t improve acne. It will irritate the skin, though. Oily or not, be kind to your skin and treat it gently.

Exfoliate and Use Acne Treatments

Acne treatments and exfoliating products reduce excess oil, and can also improve the look of large pores. Oily skin and large pores often go hand in hand and can be just as frustrating as acne itself. While you can’t permanently shrink your pore size, you can make them look smaller.

Many acne medications pull double-duty and reduce enlarged pores while clearing breakouts. Topical retinoids, in particular, are good at minimizing large pores. Over-the-counter salicylic acid is another option.