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Oil cleansing?

Mander

(website)

Veteran

My skin has been really annoying me lately, and I've been thinking about trying oil cleansing. At the moment I don't really have a beauty routine to speak of, but I'd like to address my greasy face problems. I constantly feel like my face is oily and I'm taking medication that makes me sweat easily. Makeup seems to instantly melt off and it feels gross to me anyway.

I also seem to have mild rosacea and I tend to get blackheads on my nose. To me the skin on my face just looks generally yucky, although thankfully I haven't had much acne in the last few years.

Anyway, this is a long-winded way of asking whether anyone has any experience with oil cleansing. I've tried it in a half-hearted way but I haven't stuck with it. My oil selection was also very un-scientific and mainly consisted of things I had in the kitchen.

General

32 replies

Latest reply was from Kari

Hil

(website)

Veteran

I haven't but I would fascinated to hear more!!!

Caro in Oz

Veteran

I use oil but also use other cleansers too.

Have a look here:

http://www.theoilcleansingmethod.com/

Hil

(website)

Veteran

Oh how fascinating - I am so trying that!!! Thank you Caro!

pil

Veteran

Interesting, I've never heard of this. Thanks Mander and Caro.

texstyle

(website)

Veteran

Has anyone else read that rosacea is now suspected to actually be from a microscopic mite that lives on many people's skin but gets out of control on some people? From what I understand your diet is of importance along with what you put on it being also important of course.

I read this about Sea Buckthorn Oil:
"Sea buckthorn is a berry grown on shrubs, similar to raspberry or blueberry plants.

The oil, once applied to the skin can kill the parasite that causes acne and rosacea. Dr. Neal Bhatia, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at the UCSD, Sand Diego said patients have found the oil, used in both soap and skin cream, as a natural weapon against the parasite and therefore the disease."

here: http://www.prleap.com/pr/3917/

MNsara

Veteran

I think Kari had switched over to oil cleansing . . . I'll try to find the link

http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....skin-happy

I searched on jojoba oil and got quite a few hits.
http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....tle-nudge-
http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....ing-method

Maybe Kari will chime in (or you could PM her) and have an update.

. . . and Texstyle - I'm looking into that for my husband! He has been on a couple of Rx for many years to keep rosacea under control

pil

Veteran

And thank you too, Tex - I have mild rosacea.

amiable

Veteran

I've used the OIl Cleansing method that Caro linked to, and my only tip of advice is to make rather small batches. if it sets around too long the oil starts to go rancid and causes more problems than it fixes

Sally at AlreadyPretty also uses Oil Cleansing method. Here analysis is here.

Anonymous

I don't have rosacea, but have battled with acne throughout adulthood (not as a teen).

From what I have read, I think it has to do with the health of your gut. Recently I had a horrible outbreak and in my latest research found a lot of info about low stomach acid. Rosacea popped up a few times in my searches.

http://rosacea-support.org/com.....c.php?t=17

It does mention in there about a mite.

I don't do OCM right now because I forget, but you would think adding oil to your skin would be bad and it is not! When my acne was at its worst, I applied jojoba oil and it helped tremendously with redness.

I googled low stomach acid and rosacea and found a ton of info. I have to be really careful in what supplements I take because too much causes acne. Healing my gut has been a very slllllloooooow process! Now I eat mostly a primal or paleo diet and was previously a bread & carb addict. That helped a lot, but I needed supplements to actually heal my broken body.

Of course I want it fixed yesterday even though I ate garbage for 40 years.

Thistle

Veteran

I had never heard of oil cleansing. Interesting reads!

texstyle

(website)

Veteran

Getting your gut flora in check would be very helpful I'd guess. You can of course take refrigerated acidophilus or similar to help with this. Only organic yogurt will help -- non-organic is overly processed and kills the beneficial microbes from what I understand. Even the ones that "say" they have the beneficial ones - that just means they had them at one time.

No soda or carbonated drinks. Very little coffee or tea (better to give up caffeine if you are prone to inflammation) . Very little sugar (no white sugar) in your diet. No fried foods and only small amounts of meat and breads, etc. Use grapeseed oil, extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil when you do need oil.

I've found for me that Essential Orange Oil (I buy in small bottles online) dotted on a small breakout a couple of times a day seems to clear them up really quickly.

Bagaline

Mander, I know nothing about treating rosacea, I just want to witness to the benefits of oil cleansing. I have used it for more than a year and just LOVE it. For my age - 65 - I have fantastic skin and oil cleansing has helped a lot.

I do not mix oils though, I buy "cleansing oil" made in Korea from ebay. I have tried 3 different brands and was satisfied with them all. They have a very light consistency, no bad/funny smell.

I start by removing eye make up with an adhoc cleanser then apply the cleansing oil all over my face and massage gently. Then, I put on a little bit of warm water to emulsify. I remove oil/make up/dirt with a wet warm muslin - it has a very light exfoliating effect - just enough in fact for a sensitive skin.

Every second day, I follow with foam cleanser (all whipped into a foam with a bubble maker (available on ebay for peanuts, see here how to use it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LmD0bbTPIo ). I finish with a rinse of warm water and pat dry.If I had oily skin, I would probably use the foam cleanser every day.
Oh, and I use this routine only at night - in the morning, rinsing with warm water seems enough for me.

sarah

Veteran

Rae does this - she's got a post about it on her blog somewhere. I don't oil cleanse per se, but have switched to some facial cleansers from Burt's Bees that are essentially oils (oils are their first or second ingredient). I've been very happy with them.

Anonymous

A few more links I just remembered:

The following blog is awesome, a bit hard to read for me, but he no longer writes. Search for rosacea for more info.
http://coolinginflammation.blo.....ation.html

I can't get the next link to work. Go to google and type in:

Site:marksdailyapple.com low stomach acid Rosacea

Missey

Veteran

I love DHC olive oil cleanser. I have tried many of their products and all are winners! My favorite combo is the DHC cleansing oil followed by their Mild soap. Can't be beat!

rae

(website)

Veteran

I have used this method for years and love it! The only thing that seems to keep my cystic acne in check.

bj1111

Veteran

i've stopped washing with soap. i use a gel-like sunscreen remover that i think is related to micellar water. it's a korean brand ohui. i also use ohui spf 50+++ sunscreen and beblish pink bb cream. i massage the gel all over my face, rinse and moisturize.

i'm looking for a micellar water that is made by by a korean company that is not an arm and a leg. bagaline, what do you use?

i have eczema and mild rosacea and seborrheic dermatitis. i apply a thin film of selsun blue on my face to the scalp line every day for a couple of weeks, tapering to once a week. now i don't need it.

ymmv.

Arya

(website)

I adore oil cleansing! I blend my oil - a mixture of castor oil (very cleansing but can be drying) with jojoba (very nourishing and one of the best oils for skin). I add carrot seed oil and a variety of essential oils, too. I *highly recommend* the "Skintervention Guide" by nutritionist Liz Wolfe (http://skinterventionguide.com). Even if you don't go paleo, just the information about oil cleansing and general external care of the skin is excellent. If you're interested in addressing skin care from the inside, a.k.a. nutrition, there's a lot of great information in this e-book. This is the book that inspired me to switch to oil cleansing back in March.

I have friends who use coconut oil for their oil cleansing. I like my blend, but am happy to use coconut oil in a pinch. Generally, I use straight coconut oil as a moisturizer (face and body). It's excellent!

Here's what I do: massage about a quarter-sized pool of my oil blend all over my face. I do some lymphatic drainage facial massage while I'm at it, and give special attention to my tense jaw. Then I wet my washcloth with really hot water, wring it out, and lay it on my face (not so hot that it burns, but it should feel quite warm). I press it onto my skin, relax, and wait for it to cool (~ 30 seconds). Then I gently wipe my face. I rinse the washcloth and repeat the warming/wiping process at least two more times. THEN I use a toner - either a rose geranium hydrosol which I just spritz on or an apple cider vinegar + water blend that I make, which I wipe on with a cotton pad. The next step depends on how my skin feels. If I feel like it needs more moisture, I use a small amount of coconut oil, rubbed between my hands to melt it, and press that all over my face, throat, and décolleté. If I have "special needs" such as a blemish, a dry patch, or random redness, I might use a special oil like tamanu, or rosehip seed oil BEFORE the coconut oil. Lately I almost always use the tamanu because it helps fade hyperpigmentation from sun damage.

My skin has responded tremendously well to this routine. Granted, I changed to a primal/paleo diet almost a year ago, and that started my overall improved health.

I hope this helps! I'd be happy to try to answer any questions or offer more resources.

Mander

(website)

Veteran

Wow, tons of info! Thanks!

I had heard of the mites connection, although it was my understanding that not all cases were caused by them. But I hadn't heard of a relationship between low stomach acid and rosacea -- that is interesting, because sometimes I think I might have issues there.

The sea buckthorn thing is also interesting. It seems to be rather expensive to buy but that stuff grows rampantly all over the coast here, so I might have to do a little foraging this fall!

Claire John

(website)

Member

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.

Mary Beth (formerly LBD)

(website)

Veteran

Sorry in advance for the long post! I have 'mild' acne rosacea and a tendency towards cystic acne, but I seem to have it under better control these days - after years of misery and fighting it and feeling horrible about how I looked. I have (well, had) very oily skin, but there are a couple of things that really helped me recently:

1) The Acne Diet (book)
2) Actually reading the book and then following through with changes to my diet and eliminating known trigger foods: artificial sweeteners and colors, high-fat dairy, and aged hard cheeses. My skin is a lot cooler and calmer if I don't eat this stuff. (I eat lowfat cottage cheese and use a little whole milk in my coffee every day). Following through with a diet was very hard for me at first, but now having calmer skin makes the trade-off very worthwhile.
3) Clean & Clear with Benzoyl Peroxide (sp?) - WOW. My boyfriend bought it and it had a huge impact on a bad breakout for him, so I tried it, even though I am very sensitive to BP (my neck can get very red and hot and itchy from it), so I use this once a day or once every other day. I use a little bit of Weleda Skin Food after (from Target). I use Cetaphil for my alternate cleansing days. Best of all, C&C smells nice and doesn't make give me that "smells like teen spirit" smell.

I am very excited about the Oil Cleansing, because I need and want calming and moisturizing options in addition to the Clean & Clear. Cetaphil strips my hair color all around the hairline, which is maddening.

But I have to be honest, I would not have reached this point without a dermatologist that I really like, and who listened to me when I said allergy and diet seemed to trigger the bad breakouts.

Charmian

Veteran

I've used oil as a cleanser before, but not the full cleansing "method" (with the steaming). Your results will vary, but for me I didn't notice much of a difference between that and my Cetaphil.

After the experiment with oil, I then tried honey (yes, honey) and have been using it for over a year at this point. Cetaphil, plain water, oil, and honey all gave me the same cleanliness, moisture, and texture -- but honey was the only one that didn't leave my skin feeling tight afterwards.

Mary Beth (formerly LBD)

(website)

Veteran

Oooh, I am going to try honey for sure! Do you mix it with anything or water it down?

Charmian

Veteran

Nope, that's it. A tablespoon of honey + 3-5 drops of water; rub it together in my palms to warm up; apply, then rinse off.

As you might guess from the fact that even oil dries out my skin, I use plain honey. Some sites I've found advocate adding a squeeze of lemon or some baking soda to exfoliate, but I'm not messing with what works for my skin

http://nomoredirtylooks.com/20.....face-wash/
http://www.crunchybetty.com/honey-challenge

A pound of honey has lasted me about 10 months, and can be stored at room temperature.

Ornella

(website)

Veteran

I'll come back to read this thread in more detail. I just wanted to say that I have never heard of the term oil cleansing (it sounds so technical or science-y). I was obviously misinformed, as it seems like that's what I've been ding too, sort of at least.

I have been using simple jojoba oil (100%) for over a year now as my main skin care product and I am very happy with the condition of my skin. I do have some other products in rotation, but jojoba oil is the only one I use regularly. Gentle exfoiliating and oil, and voila. People have never complimented my skin more.

Worth saying that I have minimised my makeup and when I use anything, it's mineral based.

Raisin

Veteran

I don't know if it's considered oil cleansing but I use Josie Maran Argan oil cleanser. It works well. They say that you need to use oil to remove oil from your face, as oil only dissolves in oil, not water. Makes sense. I use it with my Clarisonic!

Ornella

(website)

Veteran

I just came across this link and remembered your thread. I hope it will be helpful:

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0.....h-oil.html

Nicole D

Veteran

I love the cleansing oil by ALoette. Just melts makeup away. There are other brands that have an oil cleanser, some are labelled as a "pre-cleanse".

Hil

(website)

Veteran

I just thought I would chime in and day that this thread inspired me to go out and buy some castor oil and give it a try. Three days in and I'm pretty happy. My skin feels great!!!

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