Share: do you use facial blotting paper regularly?

I used to buy tons of Clean & Clear Oil Absorbing Sheets more than 10 years ago. It was like, a must-buy beauty item for me then. However, I bought it more because I found it fun to see the oily stains on the sheets and not because they actually helped control my facial oil. Then I stopped purchasing them especially after a male colleague suggested in jest that a roll of paper towels is cheaper and way bigger to soak up all on the oil on my face! Well, that was funny but in hindsight, there was some truth in what he said too.

Do not blot your face excessively
But I’m so glad I no longer use Clean & Clear blotters because I’ve recently found out that they contain mineral oil and ultramarines, amongst other ingredients. Anyway, I no longer have any facial blotters in my bag. I’ve found lesser need to use them over the years and even when I need to blot off excess oil, a piece of tissue paper can do the job too. I’ve read that its not advisable to use such blotters excessively as they can contribute to more oil secretion because a dry face will produce even more oil to counter its extreme state of dryness.

Other options to blot out the shine
I guess there is no harm in using facial blotters sparingly. I still use them once in awhile, especially if I come across interesting ones like the Tatcha Aburatorigami Japanese blotting paper. In fact, they did help my makeup look more matt. However, like I’ve mentioned, a piece of tissue paper is good for me. Joyce of Atelier Beauty also shared that the napkins at Starbucks make great facial blotters and I’ve read of others using toilet seat covers and coffee filters to do the same job.

Your say
So do you use a facial blotting paper daily? Is there a brand you particularly like? If not, how do you keep the shine on your face at bay?

Comments

  1. xin says:

    i don’t use it everyday, but i do have a box of blotters on my office desk from Daiso, just because it looks cute ?

    i have started using just tissue to blot face for quite some time coz i just can’t justify the price to pay for the clear & clear blotters. LOL
    xin last post is: Review and Thoughts: The New Clarins HydraQuench Intensive Serum Bi-Phase and Cream-Melt

  2. fwy says:

    I used to buy Clean & Clear Oil Absorbing Sheets too. However, I was told I may end with oilier skin with too much blotting. I do not use any blotting paper nowadays but just a piece of tissue to blot my face.

  3. EcoBeauty says:

    I used to buy the Clean and Clear ones but ended up always losing the packet after using just around 5 sheets. I used them more for fun ’cause I enjoyed seeing the patterns of oil on my face, haha
    EcoBeauty last post is: Beauty Food: Organic 5-Course Grazing Dinner By Onaka

  4. Pollya says:

    Starbucks napkins as facial blotters, haha! Yeah, their napkins always remind me of the highly-absorbent jotter paper we used in primary school ?
    I used to use loads of facial blotters too — each time I had to use double layers in my hands, and could easily use up to 10 sheets for my whole face cos the oil slick was that thick! However, things have improved since I’ve learnt how to use the right moisturisers – I found out my face is oily but dehydrated (i.e. lacks water but not oil), so using the right moisturisers actually hydrates my face, and this decreases sebum production which is partly a “compensatory” reaction of the skin when it is too dry.
    I still use blotters once in a while tho, mainly to keep makeup matt like you said.

  5. sesame says:

    True true…don’t know why I was willing to pay for all those Clean & Clear ones last time. Madness!

  6. sesame says:

    Yeah…that’s what I learned too. I think that might happen with excessive blotting, considering the ingredients in those sheets.

  7. sesame says:

    Same here! It was fun to see the oil stains…got some thrill looking at them each time. LOL.

  8. sesame says:

    That’s great! I’m glad you’ve found the right moisturizer to keep your oil production in check. That’s definitely way better than using too many facial blotters.

  9. Soos says:

    I just used one! At 3 am in the morning! It’s a Japanese brand – stf.
    Soos last post is: Two movies in one week

  10. sesame says:

    What are you doing at 3am blotting your face??? You’re too funny! ?

  11. Miggs says:

    I use to when I was younger, but nowadays I think they’re just a waste of money. Now I use unbleached paper towels or the napkins I pick up from Starbucks.

  12. Issa says:

    oh, i didn’t know that using these blotting papers can increase the oiliness on my face! I do use them regularly because I can’t stand the oily T zone! I use Clan and Clear and Labworks blotting paper…. maybe I should try using tissue paper too… thanks! ?

  13. sesame says:

    Well, it seems to be according to some sources but I’ll say probably due to excessive blotting too.

  14. sesame says:

    You love the Starbucks napkins too? I’ve never tried them myself though.

  15. Swati says:

    wow..your post came in good time…I was contemplating buy facial blotting tissues but I have been making do with the paper towels while at home and to be honest, they are working fine for me so I was in a dilemma as to its well-worth the cost or not and then, recently I heard that Body Shop has mineral blotting papers but they have mineral powder on them and I was a little skeptical about buying them but I certainly didn’t know that the blotting papers make the skin secrete more oil.
    Swati last post is: What will I do on Karvachauth? {Guest Post}

  16. Nora says:

    I bought my blotter from Daiso but I rarely use it though. At times, I can’t be bothered to open my makeup bag for a blotter, I just use tissue paper.
    I still got a packet which I chunk it somewhere in the cupboard.
    I do use the Starbucks napkin to blot my face too, it’s free!

  17. sesame says:

    Those with powder may even clog your pores so they’re not recommended. The normal ones are okay but like you mentioned, they’re a liability.

  18. sesame says:

    Haha…napkins probably work better too cos they’re also bigger.

  19. kailinggg says:

    tissue works the best for me, but i don’t blot very often because i feel that blotting traps dirt into my pores!

  20. lemon says:

    When I’m wearing full makeup, I probably blot just once in a day. I use a tissue or cheap thin toilet paper. I think those toilet seat covers in American public restrooms (that have similar texture to blotting paper) may work as well. But yeah…those unbleached napkins really do some fine work.

  21. sesame says:

    I see…

  22. sesame says:

    I’ve not come across the actual toilet seat covers but I’ll stick to napkins. ?

  23. glimpse says:

    Cigarette rolling papers work well and they’re cheap ?

  24. Julianna says:

    I need your advice should I get blotting papers and try it or just tissue paper . I’m fed up with looking different in the afternoon !!!

  25. Sesame says:

    Why don’t you try both and see which works better for you? My advice is not to blot too frequently though.

  26. Pinky says:

    Thank you for sharing this info. I am currently using Bench facial absorbent paper. I don’t know if this is effective but I trust their website. I will try to use the tissue paper because I don’t want to spend more money.

  27. Sesame Chew says:

    Have you tried using the napkins from Starbucks. Was told they’re good for absorbing facial oil.

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