How I Cleanse My Face Naturally…and Frugally!

It’s been seven years since I radically changed my diet and lifestyle, which God used to heal my body of PCOS (Click here to read my story!). One of the things I did early on was start eliminating toxins from my skin care products (but in all honesty, I have just taken the plunge to switch all of my makeup over to natural products). First of all I was obviously looking for something natural–no toxins or fragrances. Secondly, I was looking for cheap. I was a few months away from getting married and we couldn’t break the bank buying all my natural skin care products. I came across some articles talking about using oil to cleanse your face–and I just skimmed right over them. I mean, we all know that extra oil makes you break out, right? I was used to dousing my face with harsh astringents in order to take the oil away.

Well, turns out this isn’t the case. Here’s a brief overview of the oil cleansing method

The basic concept of this skin care and cleansing method is that the oil used to massage your skin will dissolve the oil that has hardened with impurities and found itself stuck in your pores. The steam will open your pores, allowing the oil to be easily removed. Should you need it, the smallest drop of the same oil formula patted over damp skin will provide the necessary lubrication to keep your skin from over-compensating in oil production.

www.theoilcleansingmethod.com

When I was researching this cleansing method, my face was still covered in acne so I really had nothing to lose. I went for it.  And here we are seven years later and I still use oil to remove my make-up and clean my face every single night. I don’t even use a moisturizer because my skin is left feeling moist and clean. 

Here’s what you need:

• Oils: I use a combination of castor oil and olive oil, but you can also use sunflower, grapeseed, or avocado oil. Here is a helpful list of some different combinations of oils you might want to dry depending on what type of skin you have. 

My skin is normal and I use about ½ castor oil and ½ olive oil. Maybe closer to ¼ castor and ¾ olive. Castor oil is more drying while olive oil (and the other carrier oils mentioned above) are more moisturizing. Just play around with the ratios until you find what works best for you. 

• Some sort of bottle to keep your oil in. I use a plastic squirt bottle and one batch lasts me several months

Technique

1. Start with a dry face–there’s no need to wash your makeup off first. 
2. Rub a quarter-size amount of oil mixture all over your face, making small circular motions with your fingers. I rub all over my eyes to remove mascara too. You can leave the oil on for a bit while you do other things or you can move to the next step.
3. Saturate a washcloth with steaming hot water–as hot as you can stand it. Put the washcloth on your face and let it sit until it cools off. Enjoy this part 🙂 The steam is opening your pores.
4. Wipe away the oil along with all the dirt, impurities, and makeup. 
5. Moisturize with a small amount of the same oil if your skin still feels dry.

That’s it! I know it seems absurd and goes against everything we’ve thought about our skin, but I really encourage you to try it! I’ve read that some people have an adjustment period when switching from chemical facial cleansers. But after a week or so your skin should adjust and you can enjoy saving money and cleaning your face without toxins.

Have you ever tried the oil cleansing method? I’d love to hear your experience in the comments!