If you haven’t heard of this amazing method for cleaning your face, you might have various questions running through your mind. Cleaning my face with oil? Won’t I break out? How the heck does that work? Well, let me tell you.
How the Amazing Oil Cleansing Method Works:
It is the like dissolving like principle at work. Often times facial cleaners are too harsh and strip your skin of oil. This causes your skin to produce MORE oil. In contrast. when cleansing with oil, it lifts the dirt, makeup, and the oil from your face but leaves it moisturized. It is super simple. The most complicated step is to pick out your oils. (I think that’s the fun part.)
How to Oil Cleanse your face:
- Take about a teaspoon of your oil blend, rub it in your hands and then all over your face. You can even take off eye makeup with the oil! (Just be sure to shut your eyes.)
- You can let the oil sit on your face for 1 to 10 minutes. The longer you leave it, the deeper the clean.
- Take a very warm wash cloth and hold it over your face for a few minutes. Rinse it out and repeat a few times. Finally, use a clean, warm cloth to wipe your face.
- Unless you are really dry, you probably won’t need to add moisturizer to your face after this.
Note: This is a deep cleaning method. Most likely you will not want to do this every day unless you have very oil skin. I have dry skin, and I only do this twice a week during most of the year and maybe three times a week during the summer.
How to choose your cleansing oils:
- Choose organic and minimally processed oils whenever possible. You have probably heard that your skin is your largest organ and that it absorbs most of what is put on it. This is why making your own beauty products is so awesome. You control the quality of ingredients!
- Play around with different oils and different combinations of oils until you find what works for you. Everyone’s skin is different. Lots of people love coconut oil for cleansing. It dries my skin out! So, if something doesn’t work, try a different oil or try different ratios.
Popular oils and their benefits:
- Castor Oil is a thick detoxifying oil. It can penetrate deeply into your skin to pull out dirt and grime and fight bacteria growth. Castor oil is also good for use in a pack to draw out impurities from certain places on the body.
- Safflower Oil removes dirt and oil while softening and retaining moisture. It is full of linoleic acid which contain essential vitamins. This oil is great for sensitive skin and promotes elasticity.
- Avocado Oil is extremely moisturizing. It has monounsaturated fats and antioxidants like vitamin E that soften and soothe irritated skin .
- Olive Oil is another highly moisturizing oil containing monounsaturated fats, vitamin A and E.
- Coconut Oil: I love this oil as a carrier oil and for moisturizing the body, not the face. However, I know there are those out there who absolutely love its effects on their face. It contains saturated fat, is anti-microbial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal, but doesn’t sink in very deeply, which is why it isn’t moisturizing enough for dry skin like mine. Also, it can be comedogenic (clog pores). If you would like a very thorough list of oils and their comedogenic rating, go here.
- Sesame Oil has many beneficial nutrients and improves circulation which can give your skin a glow. Containing vitamins A and E, it is helpful in reducing fine lines and wrinkles. Sesame oil has a lipid barrier very similar to our skin’s. Because it is anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal, it can help with acne. It is also detoxifying to the skin. I love it!
- Evening Primrose Oil contains Gamma Linolenic Acid which has anti-inflammatory properties that can soothe red or irritated skin. It is great for eczema and psoriasis as well. I love it!
- Rose Hip Oil is packed with vitamin C which stimulates collagen production. This can reduce fine lines and wrinkles. It also contains beta-carotene which is very moisturizing to the skin. The fatty acids in Rosehip oil improve skin tone and texture. I love it!
Choosing Oils for your Custom Cleansing oil blend:
Ratios for Dry skin: (these ratios are approximations, not hard fast rules)
Ratios for Normal Skin:
Ratios for Oily skin:
Ratios for aging Skin:
My Personal Oil Cleansing Formula:
Feel free to play around with it! Make small batches like the one above to start. That way if you don’t like your combination, you won’t have to waste much. If you have read my Face Serum post, you have seen some of these oils. If you have made the face serum, you probably already have some of these oils! I don’t add any essential oils to my cleansing blend because I like to use it as an eye makeup remover.
How about you? Do you use the Oil Cleansing Method? Are you going to try?
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I make all my natural skincare oil based. For my cleanser I use fractionated coconut oil, sweet almond, Rosehip and a few more.. it’s a very nourishing blend and leaves yr face absolutely refreshed and soft. I sell it in my Etsy shop. Have had a lot of good reviews. I wish more people were educated on this method. It’s the best! Great article!