A couple of years ago I noticed my skin was looking old (ok news flash, I was getting old!) but what I mean is, it was looking dull, dry and tight even after moisturizing. So I went searching for a new cleanser that wasn’t harsh on the skin and was free of any bad chemicals. Thats when I discovered the oil cleansing method, and after years of using it, I cannot recommend it enough!
Heres how it works.
I know it sounds pretty crazy to clean your face with oil, after all doesn’t oil cause break outs and clog pores? That couldn’t be farther from the truth! Trapped bacteria, dirt and hormones are what causes break outs. Skin produces oil to protect it from the outside environment, and when we wash our face with harsh soaps, we are removing all the natural oils, resulting in the skin making more oil and breaking out. And I don’t even wanna get into how much cringe-worthy junk is in face cleansers.
Now i’m no chemistry whiz but anyone thats taken chemistry in high school knows that “like dissolves like”, thats why oil and water don’t mix. The best way to dissolve oil is, you guessed it, with oil. Of course you don’t wanna just put any oil on your face, our skin is the biggest organ in our body, and what you put on it will be absorbed. By using good quality oil, preferably organic, you can remove the dirty oil and clean your face of dirt and bacteria naturally by replacing it with clean nourishing oil.
So what kind of oil should you use?
There are a ton of oils that you can try out, but a lot of people start with olive oil. Its a very gentle oil, thats super nourishing, and great for prevention of premature aging. If you have acne or oily skin always mix in some castor oil. Castor oil has a ton of benefits, but mainly its great for inflammation and used for its antibacterial properties.
Here is a simple recipe to start with:
- 1 TBSP Organic Castor Oil
- 5 TBSP Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
For normal skin its 1 part castor oil to 5 parts olive oil. If you have oily skin you might want to add a little more castor oil, 2 parts castor oil to 5 parts olive oil. You can also throw in some essential oils like lavender, melaleuca, or frankincense. This gives it a nice scent and essential oils have a ton of health benefits, I especially like frankincense because its good for wrinkles and improves elasticity.
What I use on my skin:
- Jojoba oil (gentle with antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties)
- Avocado oil (softens skin, reduces age spots, and heals sun damaged skin)
- Almond oil (contains beneficial fatty acids, vitamins A, E, and B)
- Castor oil (antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties)
- Lavender & frankincense essential oils
Equal parts of each oil and about 15 drops each of the essential oils. Honestly, when I’m portioning the oils out, I just eyeball the amounts into a little glass bottle with a dropper. Its not an exact science. Whatever oils you choose to try out, give your skin some time to adjust to the oils. Everyones skin is different and if your feeling that your skin is too oily or dry, you might want to adjust the ratios or try a different oil.
How to do it:
There are a ton of articles out there giving a long description on how to clean with oil, but I gotta admit, I do the lazy girl method! Apply about 6 drops to a cotton ball and wipe your whole face with it. If I’m wearing makeup, I might do this twice. Once to get all the makeup off, and the next to get any remainder. I leave the oil on my skin to moisturize, and voila, thats it! The simple lazy girl way works great! Every once and awhile I will do a deep cleansing method as shown below:
- Pour about a Tbsp. of oil in your palms and rub them together to warm the oil.
- Apply it to your face, gently making small circles all around for 30 seconds.
- Soak a washcloth under warm water and squeeze out any excess water.
- Apply the washcloth to your face letting it warm your skin.
- Gently wipe the oil from your face with the washcloth.
For those of you that aren’t into DIY projects, and mixing your oils sounds like too much time and effort (I’ve been there trust me). Check out Living Libations, there products are AMAZING with no artificial crap added. My favorites are the Seabuckthorn and Everybody Loves the Sunshine.
Don’t forget to exfoliate!
Another important step in the oil cleansing method is exfoliation. Because the oil cleansing method is only oil based, your skin needs to be exfoliated once or twice a week to remove any dead skin or debris. Check out the reasons you need to exfoliate and how to do it here!
Beautiful skin isn’t that hard to obtain!
No doubt perfect skin isn’t going to come over night, but you will notice a huge difference after the first use. Give your skin a few days to adjust and adapt to being clean and clear of all that built up dirty oil. Remember that new oil coming from your skin is a good sign and give it some time to balance out. Your gonna notice the redness and irritation subsiding and clear, soft, supple skin emerging.
Have you ever tried the oil cleansing method? Did it work for you? What oils did you use? Would love to hear from you! Please share below.
