The Oil Cleansing Method.

Jul 29

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Have you heard of the Oil Cleansing Method to cleanse your face?

I'm OBSESSED!

The oil cleansing method caught my attention about ten years ago. I loved it the first time I tried it. My skin felt clean, pores were unclogging and tightening, and my skin felt so hydrated!

I became obsessed and used oil exclusively to clean my face for years but at some point in time, I was seduced by gorgeously packaged and marketed skincare products and slowly drifted away from my oil.

My skin continued to look great for a while after going back to using more conventional face washes but slowly my skin was losing some of its luster and freshness. Eventually, I started to notice that all of the pores on my face were plugged! From a distance, my skin looked clear but when I looked closely, every single pore was clogged!

Eeeeeek!

I spent a year consistently getting facials and seeing an esthetician. I tried switching up my skincare, makeup, supplements, and tweaking my diet... I tried everything I could think of but nothing changed the pore situation permanently.

The only relief for my skin during this time was using my clay mask. It's very effective at cleaning out pores and I was using it as though my life depended on it! I was so thankful for that mask but I was frustrated because I felt like I shouldn't have to rely on a mask to the degree that I was. I love using masks but I felt I needed to use them every day to keep up with the issue and I knew that shouldn't be the case.

Then one day my fairy godmother showed up. Seriously! I walked into a gorgeous natural, organic, wildcrafted skincare store and spoke with the owner about my skin issue and she reminded me that I should be using oil exclusively for washing my face.

If I could use a mind-blown emoji right here I would!

I stood there for a moment looking stunned and probably a little bewildered. I was thinking to myself, "What?! Of course! How is it possible I didn't think of that?!"

This gorgeous woman (who, by the way, looks like a goddess at the age of 80!) steered me back on course. Her recommendation specifically is to use grapeseed oil. I listened to her, took her advice, started cleansing my face again with grapeseed oil, and was delighted to watch my clogged pore issue clear up! Not only that, but my skin regained its vitality and freshness while staying wonderfully hydrated.

What is the oil cleansing method??

So, at this point you may be thinking, this sounds great and all, but what the heck IS oil cleansing?

Here's a quick lesson: It may sound a little crazy at first but oil actually dissolves oil! Using oil to wash your face allows you to get gentle yet very effective deep clean. The oil gets into your pores and helps dissolve hard sebum plugs that are stuck in your pores along with all of the grit and grime, allowing you to wipe it away with a steamy (but not too hot!) washcloth.

There are a lot of different oils that people use and recommend but the only one I use is grapeseed oil. Coconut oil is popular but I find it starts to plug my pores after a while and castor oil, (another popular oil) is too drying and harsh.

The benefits of Grapeseed oil:

Grapeseed oil is a dream for oil cleansing. It contains high levels of fatty acids like linoleic and vitamin E which help moisturize your skin and may help with acne due to its possible anti-inflammation properties. Vitamin E also helps with anti-aging as it is an antioxidant. Grapeseed oil may also help to keep your skin soft and improve elasticity.