Natural Skincare Routine for Oily & Blemish-Prone Skin

Oily and blemish-prone skin still needs a healthy barrier and microbiome. Stripping it back with harsh, foaming cleansers or antibacterials often makes oil and breakouts worse, not better. Here's a simple, natural routine using non-comedogenic, water-free skincare, for morning and evening.

Morning Routine

  1. Rinse – A splash of cool water or a wipe with a clean flannel is usually enough; there's no need for a full oil cleanse first thing.
  2. Treat & prime – Apply a rice-grain amount of Zinc & Calendula Cream to the T-zone and any blemish-prone areas, blending thin so no white residue is visible. On the rest of your face, apply a small amount of Beauty Balm — it's formulated with sun-stable oils, making it the right choice for daytime, unlike our night-time facial oil.
  3. Sun protection – If you'll be spending time in direct sun, apply a broad-spectrum mineral sunscreen before makeup. We don't currently make one ourselves, but we'd always recommend choosing a mineral formula (zinc oxide or titanium dioxide) in line with our approach to skincare.
  4. Makeup (optional) – Both Beauty Balm and Zinc & Calendula Cream work well as a primer under Mineral Foundation, and the foundation conveniently covers any white cast left by the zinc oxide, so you can use Zinc & Calendula Cream on visible areas without worrying about it showing. You can apply the foundation as a loose powder over the top, or, for a dewier, liquid-foundation finish, mix a little foundation powder into a dab of Beauty Balm or Zinc & Calendula Cream in your palm or a small dish before applying.

Evening Routine

  1. Cleanse – Massage a pea-sized amount of Beauty Balm over dry skin to dissolve makeup, sunscreen and the day's build-up. Remove thoroughly with a hot flannel, going over your skin more than once if needed until no residue transfers to the cloth. If your skin is oily or reactive, follow with a second pass using a cool, damp flannel or a splash of cool water — this makes sure no oily film is left sitting on the surface, which can otherwise contribute to clogged pores.
  2. Treat – Apply a rice-grain amount of Zinc & Calendula Cream to the T-zone and any generally blemish-prone areas. Zinc oxide helps mattify and calm inflammation without disrupting your skin's microbiome, and this cream is a complete, self-contained layer for these areas — no need to add anything else on top.
  3. Moisturise – On the rest of your face (anywhere you haven't applied Zinc & Calendula), finish with a pump of Marshmallow Facial Oil. It's lightweight and non-comedogenic, supporting your skin barrier without clogging pores — even oily skin needs this step. Keep the two products to their own zones rather than layering one over the other.

Spot Treatment for Active Blemishes

For an individual spot that's come to a head, you can use Zinc & Calendula Cream more generously than your everyday T-zone application. Since nobody's looking at your skin while you sleep, there's no need to blend it in thin — apply a pinhead-to-pea-sized dot (depending on the size of the blemish) directly onto the spot and leave it on overnight. The zinc oxide's oil-absorbing properties can help draw out excess oil and reduce the appearance of the blemish by morning.

Weekly Deep Cleanse

Once or twice a week, use the Pore Cleansing Charcoal Face Mask on congested areas to clear pores and refine texture.

New to This Routine?

If you notice a few extra breakouts in the first couple of weeks after switching, this can be part of your skin adjusting as it purges built-up congestion — it's a normal transition for many people and usually settles down. If breakouts continue or worsen beyond two weeks, try easing off in one place at a time (less product, or dropping the mask temporarily) to see what settles it, and get in touch with us if you're unsure.

Consistency matters more than complexity. Give your skin time to adjust to any new routine.