Oil Cleansing for Beautifully Balanced Radiant Skin
I wish someone had told my twenty something self that I should be cleansing my skin with Oil. I probably would have laughed at the suggestion that someone who is suffering from breakouts every other day should be massaging Oil all over there face on a day to day basis. Oil on your face was the enemy and should be exterminated as quickly as it appears – or so I thought as I spent a lot of money on skincare products that did just that. I used all the products that were marketed to people like myself suffering with bad skin in the hope that one of them would do what it promised to do and leave my skin pimple free, clear and radiant. They never did. On a typical day my skincare routine looked like this –
Morning – Cleanse skin with a foaming cleanser, Tone skin with an alcohol based Toner, cover pimples with a medically based product and then cover up with a mineral oil based foundation and concealer.
Night – Cleanse skin with a foaming Cleanser, Tone with the alcohol based Toner, cover pimples with a medically chemically based pimple potion.
I look at this now and it is so obvious why my skin was a mess. My Cleanser, Toner and pimple potion were stripping my skin of its natural oils and my skin trying to rectify this – produced more oil. My cleansing routine was leaving my skin in a constant cycle of being tight and dry followed by the inevitable oil slick. To make matters worse my mineral oil based make up then clogged my pores and all of these products filled with NASTY ingredients irritated and inflamed my sensitive skin leading to my less then perfect complexion.
Oil is not the enemy our skin needs the oil it produces (sebum) to heal, protect, moisturise and some would say most importantly keep our skin looking youthful. What we need is a cleanser that balances oil production and keeps our skin healthy. Oil cleansers don’t strip the skin like foaming or alcohol based cleansers do and because of this your skin is left clean, balanced and nourished. They work on the principle that like dissolves like – the Cleansing Oil that is massaged into your skin will dissolve the dirty Oil that has hardened with impurities (dead skin cells and dirt) and is now stuck in your pores. The hot steam from the cloth opens your pores and allows for the Cleansing Oil to dissolve the dirty oil mixture and be easily removed.
Now here’s how to use your Oil Cleanser and an important note here is that I am referring to Botanical Oils such as Camellia, Castor, Rice Bran, Jojoba not the Mineral Oil based mainstream products filled with unpronounceable chemicals. I do not recommend Coconut Oil as it is highly comedogenic though I do hear it is fine for some people and of course if you use correctly you should remove all the Oil anyway. I would look for a product that has organic Castor Oil in particular as it is has potent anti – inflammatory properties and is the most important cleansing oil.
1) Pour a generous dollop of Oil Cleanser into your palm, rub palms together to slightly warm the oil and smooth over your face – Massage deeply into your skin. Take your time, I like to begin the massage at the basin before a hot steamy shower.
2) Soak your face cloth in hot water (not scalding) we want the heat from the cloth to be hot enough to open the pores and soften any congestion. Cool water will not work. We are steaming our skin as your aesthetician would in a facial. Wring out excess water.
3) Hold your steamy cloth to cover your face then gently press down – wipe away. Rinse your face cloth. Soak the cloth again as per step 2 and repeat this process 2 – 3 times.
4) Finish with a rinsing your skin with cool water as this will help close and refine your pores.
5) Follow with your Facial Serums, Mist or Moisturiser.
As I said above your skin should be left feeling clean and nourished which will feel different at first if you are used to it feeling squeaky clean (stripped). The OCM should be done at night and be the cleansing ritual you use regularly but not only. It is best used in conjunction and alternatively with a Facial Polish used every now and then 3-4 times per week. You should not need to cleanse in the morning after deep cleansing with the OCM the night before, a gentle wipe with a warm, clean face cloth should be all you need. We don’t want to over cleanse our skin as this will only cause irritation and increase oil production. Do not be surprised if your skin seems to get worse before it gets better it needs time to adjust as your skins oil production starts functioning properly again you will notice a huge difference in your skin.
I have talked a lot about how beneficial the OCM is for oily/problem skin and want to assure you that the OCM is perfect for all skin types although if you have any severe skin condition including Acne please consult with whom ever is helping you with your specialized treatment. I am now in my forties and my skin has never looked better we do not want cleansers that strip the skin as get older it is the extra nourishment we want that will help us achieve Beautifully Healthy Radiant Skin.
Nicole O’Sullivan
Wildcrafted Organics – luxurious botanical skincare
www.wildcraftedorganics.com.au
Dip. Nut., Dip. Bot Med., Dip. Organic Skincare Formulation