When I later decided to shop for department store brands, every sales person I encountered told me I needed to use a moisturizer even though my skin was very oily. More often than not, they will recommend an oil free one. If you ask almost any esthetician or skin care expert, they will tell you that oily skin needs a moisturizer. So, in answering the question, "Do I need to moisturize oily skin," I believe the answer is not as black and white as some would believe. I never even entertained the thought of using a moisturizer, not even an oil-free one.

Having had oily skin for the first 20 years of my adult life, I always steered away from skin care products containing oil. Every time I went to my local drugstore, I scrupulously johann all product labels to make sure they said, "Oil free." I educated myself about many skin care ingredients just to make sure the products I considered did not contain any hidden oils. Was this just a ploy to get me to buy more products or did my oily skin truly need a moisturizer.

Their rationale is that even oily skin needs hydration and that moisturizers help prevent moisture (or water) from evaporating from the skin.