What The Heck Is Oil Cleansing, And Why Should We Be Obsessed With It? June 25, 2019 15:27

You may or may not have heard of it…but there is a new (old) trend in skincare that is causing some buzz right now…cleaning your skin with oil.

When the oil cleansing craze first took off, I was a bit skeptical about slathering my face with more a product my skin naturally produces. But I secretly obsessed over having perfect skin like the women I have read about who swear by the face cleansing method.

Still there are plenty of questions to be answered: What exactly makes cleansing oil better for your skin than regular methods? Can people who have oily skin use the technique? Why doesn’t the oil clog our pores?

So I asked around the experts to help sort out the hype. Here’s what I learned.

Cleansing oil uses the “good oils” in your skin to remove the “bad oils.”

No matter the skin type, cleansing oil mixes with the preexisting oils already on your face. Some of these oils can either be naturally produced sebum or those from makeup and other products. When you rinse it all off, the ‘good oil’ takes those ‘bad oils’ and dirt along with it.

When massaged into the skin, oils bind to surface impurities, pulling out dirt without clogging pores and allowing them to be comfortably rinsed away leaving the skin clean, soft and hydrated, So, the oil does not sink into your pores since it works to remove impurities and then gets washed away.

A lot of oil-free cleansers strip our skin of natural oils, leaving it unbalanced and causing it to produce more oil to rebalance it. Excess production equals more problematic skin. Oil cleansers keep the skin’s natural pH balance, and prevents it from having a production overload. Plus, essential oils are naturally antibacterial.

Oils contain antioxidants and anti-aging ingredients that also improve the texture and appearance of your skin.

There are a variety of cleansing oil formulations that contain active ingredients to address specific skin concerns — dryness, dullness, acne, anti-aging — and thus may be used to cleanse and improve all skin types.

Depending on the product and the effects desired, you can blend a mixture of botanical oils (olive, sunflower, sesame, safflower, almond, grape seed), extracts (green tea, jasmine) and/or vitamins (vitamin E and C).

The question of whether cleansing oils are helpful and/or safe for those with acne-prone skin has been a matter of much discussion, but because acne encompasses oil production, bacterial overgrowth and inflammation, make sure you use 100% natural oil.

Although the likes of baby oil are a great makeup remover, but they are not an effective cleansing oil.

Baby oil contains mineral oil, lanolin and fragrance w and although on one end, baby oil locks in moisture, but at the same time it inhibits the skin’s natural ability to breathe and can block pores.

1. Jojoba Oil - The most common and moisturizing oil, perfect for all skin types. It is very lightweight and absorbs quickly into the skin with the added benefit of anti-inflammatory properties.

2. Rose Hip Seed Oil - Perfect for dry skin or mature skin types, rose hip seed oil nourishes, regenerates, and firms your skin. This oil has essential fatty acids that help reduce redness by calming the skin, and will even smoothen texture from acne scars.

3. Argan Oil - This oil has high levels of vitamin E and antioxidants for anti-aging. This oil can help reduce fine lines, and won't leave an oily residue on your skin skin.

4. Tamanu Oil - Recommend for acne-prone skin because it is rich in fatty acids, antioxidant and antibacterial properties. Incredibly healing for irritated skin, or even for acne scars and stretch marks.

5. Evening Primerose Oil - The all-in-one for the anti-aging. This oil is extremely moisturizing for dryness, and will reduce wrinkles, encourage regeneration of skin cells and keep skin soft. This is also used to treat skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, and rosacea.

6. Avocado Oil - Excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins A, D and E. Extremely hydrating and helps soothe inflammation of the skin.

7. Olive Oil - One of the thickest oils, perfect for extremely dry skin types. Be sure to grab organic olive oil, never adulterated.

8. Sea buckthorn oil has nourishing, revitalising, and restorative functions, promoting the healing of skin injuries and helps to reduce sun-induced skin damage and heals sun-induced skin injuries.

METHOD

Oil Cleansing in 3 Easy Steps

Prepare. Either mix your oils together ahead of time, or have the bottles ready. Set a clean washcloth beside the sink. Turn the hot water on to warm up.
Cleanse. Starting with a dirty face (no need to pre-clean here, even if you’re wearing makeup), rinse your face lightly with the warm, running water.

Pour the oil in the palm of your hand and then apply gently all over your face. Massage firmly, but gently, always moving upwards. Massage for 2 minutes, and then let the oil sit on your face for 30 more seconds or more.
Rinse. By now, you should have very hot water coming out of your faucet. Adjust the heat until it’s cool enough to apply to your skin, but warm enough to soften the oil (it’s probably going to be hotter than the water you usually rinse your face with). Dunk the washcloth under the hot/warm water until it’s completely soaked. Apply the washcloth to your face and hold it there for 10-15 seconds. Slowly begin to wipe off. Rinse your washcloth and repeat until you’ve wiped all the oil off your skin.
That’s it!
Your skin is now cleansed.

PORES ARE NOT DOORS

Your pores don’t open and close, there are no muscles, they are just small openings in the skin. Steaming your face before hand can help loosen imbalanced sebum, clogged pores and blackheads, but not because the pore is “opening.” It’s the proper balanced oil that will draw the unwanted oil and debris out of the skin, regardless of steaming or the use of a hot wash cloth.

So unless you have congested skin, whiteheads, blackheads or other clogged pore, problem conditions - the right oil won’t need any help effectively pulling the imbalanced dirt and oil from the skin, and the water in the wash cloth is just weakening the oil's process. So you can skip the hot wash cloth application. If you are steaming to loosen clogged pores, after steaming, pat the face dry then oil cleanse on a dry face.

MADÉ PURE PLANT FACE & BODY OIL

A cocktail of 39 pure organic plant oils come together to render an illuminating, 100% natural face oil.

Lightweight yet highly concentrated, this skin-loving facial oil imparts a radiant glow and protects skin from harmful external aggressors.
Infused with a blend of nourishing exotic oils this luxury multipurpose beauty oil softens and re-balances skin. The hydrating formula is rich in Vitamin A and beta-carotene to help perfect skin and contains free-radical fighting antioxidants to help protect skin against harmful external elements. Used over time, skin appears radiant, plumped and healthier-looking.

BENEFITS
Provides daily nourishment for a healthy complexion.
Calms and soothes dry, irritated skin.
Refines the appearance of pores.

Oils include Jojoba, Almond, Argan, Apricot Kernal, Camellia, Neroli, Sweet Orange, Rosehip, Ylang Ylang and Jasmine