The oil cleansing method is a natural way to clean the skin, and it’s a natural way to help prevent wrinkles. While it sounds crazy, cleaning our skin with oil actually makes a lot of sense – even for those with oil skin. Yes, in fact it can be a solution for oily skin and it can treat dry skin, too.
The Basics
The basic idea of oil cleansing is to use natural oils in a specific combination for each individual skin type to cleanse the skin and balance our skin’s natural oils. In this way, we end up with much more nourished and moisturized skin than we would with detergent-based facial cleaners.
With the oil cleansing method, we are using oil to dissolve any impurities in the skin (the stuff that gets stuck in our pores). After cleansing, if the skin still feels dry, using a few drops of the same oil will keep skin moisturized, and keep it from overcompensating for dryness by producing more oil (which could result in acne).
Oil Dissolves Oil
The fact of the matter is oil will dissolve the oil that is already on our faces. One of the basic principles of chemistry is that “like dissolves like.” On our faces, this means the cleansing oil will remove the oil (sebum) that our skin produces.
When we use the right oils, we can cleanse our pores of dirt and bacteria naturally. This gentle, effective method will replace the dirty oil on our faces with beneficial oil, which will heal, protect and nourish our skin.
When it is done properly and consistently, the oil cleansing method can help clear up oily skin, alleviate dry skin, clean out blackheads, get rid of whiteheads and help clear up acne, all while leaving the skin balanced and moisturized.
It’s important to remember that skin needs a bit of an adjustment period and it may take a week for it to adjust to oil cleansing. The adjustment period is a “detox reaction” in the skin, which occurs when impurities are pulled from the skin. After that, the skin will begin to improve. Many people even say that oil cleansing is the best anti-aging treatment on the market!
The Process
Finding the right blend of oils can take a few tries, as everyone’s skin is different.
The most commonly used oils are castor oil and olive oil, but any natural oil can be used. Castor oil is a natural astringent, which makes it great for oily or combination skin. It works to pull the impurities from our skin; however, it could be too much for dry skin.
Hazelnut oil is a good choice for those who prefer not to use castor oil.
Other good choices include sunflower, safflower and coconut oils.
For oily skin, use 1/3 castor oil/hazelnut oil mixed with 2/3 olive oil (or another oil of choice).
For combination skin, use 1/4 castor or hazelnut oil mixed with 3/4 olive oil.
For dry skin, use just a small amount of castor and the mixture should be mostly olive oil.
Adjust as needed and blend in small batches until the right mixture is found for your skin.
Pour about a quarter of the blend into your hand and massage into dry skin for at least a minute. This removes makeup, dirt and oil. Leave on for up to ten minutes.
Next, take a hot washcloth and place it over the face to draw out any impurities. Leave the cloth on for about a minute. Finally use the washcloth to remove any remaining oil (leaving behind a thin layer to moisturize the skin).
