"As teens, we’re taught that facial oils are the enemy, and that mindset sticks. We’re also told that the “shine” of facial oils is unsightly and must be managed. But just as the oils that your scalp secretes are beneficial to your hair, the sebum that your skin secretes is beneficial to your skin. Its purpose is to protect your skin from the outside environment, to prevent harmful substances from seeping into your pores. But for some reason, nobody talks about that. My dermatologist certainly never said anything of the sort to me. And most popular facial cleansers are marketed as“oil free,” and we buy them because of our deep-seated belief that oil is the enemy.
But when skin’s natural oils are removed, our bodies often compensate by producing more oil. So by getting rid of oil, you may be setting yourself up to become oilier. Or, on the flip side, if your skin seems constantly dry, it could be because your natural oils have been stripped away and your body has stopped naturally replenishing them. Some folks cope with these imbalances by skipping cleansers altogether and just splashing with water on occasion. But dirt does accumulate in facial oil over the course of the day, and that needs to be dealt with somehow. Additionally if you wear makeup, you’ll need to get it off eventually.
Certain botanical oils can cleanse your pores of dirt and bacteria naturally and gently, while simultaneously replacing any contaminated oils with beneficial ones. They can also remove some makeup, and add a bit of moisture to your skin. Sounds pretty great, doesn’t it? So how do you get started?
HOW DO YOU DO IT?
Again, there are many ways to use the oil cleansing method, and this is just mine:
When I shower in the morning, I rub about a tablespoon of my oil mixture onto a dry face. I finish my ablutions, and then gently scrub the oil off with a dry towel. Every week or so, I’ll add a bit of my Neutrogena scrub to the oil mix for some extra exfoliating action.
Before I go to bed at night, I rub about a tablespoon of my oil mixture onto a dry face. Then I take a hot washcloth and wipe the oil and makeup off. Then I pat dry with a different, dry towel. I have purchased one washcloth for every day of the week and let them air dry after they’ve been used, then wash in the washing machine once per week. I also rotate dry face towels frequently. This helps a ton!
I find that my oil blend removes cover up, eyebrow pencil, and lip products. I still use a traditional makeup remover if I’ve put on mascara and eye makeup."
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@Already Pretty