Cheap, natural skincare: Oil Cleansing

[Annalixa]

I haven't tried this yet (I just found it yesterday) but I will definitely be trying it as soon as I get my hands on the ingredients. I haven't had historically bad skin or anything, just your standard pubescent acne. All of the information presented here is basically a Cliff's Notes version of information I've found on LiveJournal, notably the "naturalliving" and "naturalskin" communities.

But the idea with oil cleansing is to use oils (extra virgin olive oil, castor oil) and hot air/steam to treat and moisturize your skin. Most skin products are, like shampoo, really harsh, and strip away too much of the oil. The OTC acne stuff (neutrogena, etc) are really crap, and also not effective acne fighters, which I (and I'm sure many others out there) can attest to from personal experience.

As an aside, the best acne treatment I ever used was probably going on the pill, as acne is related not to dirt or oil on your face but hormones, which is why it first shows up during puberty. ProActiv is also pretty effective, I think, though I don't know all of what's in it. As it's developed by dermatologists and comes in multiple products for multiple steps, I imagine whatever is in it is pretty safe for your skin.

What do you need for Oil Cleansing?
1. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2. Castor Oil
3. A wash cloth that can cover your face, fabrics like terrycloth or flannel preferred OR a regular towel
4. Hot water

That's it!

How do you do it?

You'll be using a mixture of the olive oil (EVOO) and castor oil (CO) first. You can start out at a 50/50 ratio, and then adjust it for oily or dry skin as needed. EVOO is used for moisture, CO is used for cleansing.

Take enough of this mixture to fill the palm of your hand and rub it into your face and neck. Be really thorough with this; give yourself a facial massage.

When you are massaged out soak your washcloth in steaming hot water, wring it out, and put it over your face. The heat opens up your pores and helps to clean beyond the surface. As the cloth begins to cool, wipe the oil and anything else off of your face. You can also opt for a steaming by holding your face over some hot water and "tenting" it with a towel to keep the steam inside, and then afterwards dab off the oil with a tissue.

You might have to repeat the above process two or three times, but that's about it. That is the end of your oil cleansing regime! If you like, you can splash your face with cool water to close pores (in my own hair experience, I would really recommend this--days where I condition rinse with cold water go much better than days I don't), or maybe moisturize your face with a bit of EVOO. If want to do that, make sure your hands are clean and then rub just a dab of EVOO between them, and then work the oil completely into your face.

I imagine this works for the rest of your body as well. The skin on your face is the most delicate, so if something's safe to use on your face, it's safe to use pretty much anywhere else, though effectiveness might be another issue, and also things like callouses and really dry skin (feet, hands, etc). I have seen recipes for calloused feet calling for whole milk and EVOO, so I will try to dig those up (sorry, vegans).

Most everyone I talk to does this process every day, or sometimes every other. There might also be a sort of "detox" process, but no one is talking much about it, so I gather it's not like it is with no ' poo.

Tweaking

I think it would also be possible to throw some spices, teas or oils in there give you a nice little scent, though you should make sure they're not skin irritants or that you're allergic to them or anything like that. Your skin is your biggest organ, after all. You might even want to adjust the oils you're using (many people with very dry skin don't use any CO in their mixtures; others use essential oils like carrot seed, neroli, patchouli, sandalwood, chamomile and geranium) or how you use water, if you use it at all (some people skip the "steaming" and just dab the oil off with a tissue).

Alternatives/Things to Try

Lots of produce and such can be used as facial treatments and skin exfoliants: almonds, bananas, strawberries. Google a little for recipes if you're interested (though I eventually plan to find some and put them here).

And just get plenty of water! Drink lots and, if you have a hard time drinking that much water, up your fruit and veggie intake. According to the FDA, you should be getting about two of your 8 ounce glasses of water from foods anyway.

Shea butter would be something to consider, not just for your face, but for EVERYWHERE. Check the linkapalooza thread for places to buy people/planet-friendly shea butter.  

[Annalixa]

So I just tried this earlier tonight. I couldn't find castor oil at the store, so I used a combination of EVOO and almond oil.

Holy crap is my face soft! The oil can be tough to rinse off properly, both your hands and your face, but that's about it. I think next time I'll dab my face off after the hot towel. I was afraid I would stink of olive oil, but according to the boy I smelled just fine. Next time I might use more almond oil and less olive, just to make sure I smell pretty. smile  

[Annalixa]

Tried my second treatment just now. This time I used mostly almond oil, with a bit of EVOO. I didn't hot towel (since I noticed my pores were a bit open, figured it was the "steaming" part), just dabbed the oil off and then splashed my face with cold water, partially to close the pores and partially to wake my a** up after staying up all night. =P

No significant difference, except the pores. I think I will be doing dabbing instead of the hot towel, as that is much lower maintenance.

Applying the oil is kind of a pain, since it's...well...oil. I wonder if a cheap spray bottle will work, or if the stuff is too viscous.  

[Aila-al-Jehan]

What would you reccommend for those with acne-prone skin or constantly oily skin? I't sounds like an awesome treatment, but I'm afraid I'll break out. D:  

[Annalixa]

I am not a dermatologist. biggrin

But the two things that worked best for my acne were (in no particular order):

1. Going on birth control (acne is related to hormones).

2. ProActiv...but that can be pricey and how well it works seems to be pretty dicey. This is what the guy who runs acne.org has to say about it. He's not a doctor but he's read a lot about acne/dermatology etc:

Quote:

Proactiv is on the right track, but some major flaws seem to prevent it from delivering on its promises to many people. In my opinion, the cleanser they include is overly irritating. Furthermore, they tell you to wash for one to two minutes which adds to the irritation. The benzoyl peroxide they provide is 2.5% which is a good call. However, they recommend a "thin layer". For dramatic clearing, one needs to use a generous amount of benzoyl peroxide after a few weeks of slowly ramping up the dosage. When you do use a generous amount of Proactiv's benzoyl peroxide lotion, its scent will tend to nauseate.

It will prove cheaper and more beneficial to buy an over-the-counter gentle cleanser, an unscented 2.5% benzoyl peroxide medication, and an oil-free moisturizer. However, if you currently own Proactiv Solution products, don't throw out the benzoyl peroxide lotion. If you can handle the smell, it should work fine. Just be generous with it. I would not recommend using their cleanser. The toner they include is probably fine to use, but is unnecessary.

As for oil cleansing, I can't say how well this will work for acne. I imagine it might make acne worse for a while, or take a long time to clear things up. On the other hand, it's probably not as harsh as most acne treatments, though, which is better in the long run. I also don't condition every day, but only when I notice my face feeling dry and icky. I'm not really getting any breakouts. Just the odd pimple or two that clears up after a couple of days. I'm eager to try the castor oil mixture, just to see what "comes out."  

[Aila-al-Jehan]

No, I figured you weren't. I just meant could you reccommend something like an oil treatment that doesnt make skin break out, like your skin didnt break out right? Its because of the proactiv?

I mooch off my brother's proactiv, and I'm on the pill. Proactive helped, pill... notso much. It did, but not enough for any real results.  

[Annalixa]

Heh, just making a bit of a joke.

I don't know if oil will make you break out any less or more, honestly. The EVOO won't, I don't think. The castor oil might, in the process of cleaning out your pores, bring some nasty stuff to the surface in the form of zits. If that's your worry, you can skip the castor oil and just use EVOO + something like almond oil...do skin softening and the like, instead of skin cleaning and cleansing. I don't think that would make breakouts any more worse/frequent.  

[Burning Sosobra]

<3 castor oil.

The thing about castor oil is that it's mean to prevent skin irritations. Putting it on skin that is already broken could cause further irritation.

Just use caution. If you feel that your face is doing pretty okay, then go for it. If you're more acne prone....urhmm.....seek a second opinion..?? I don't know much about almond oil, but that might be an option to check out.