Misadventures in Domesticity: GRAY HAIR AND PIMPLES PART DEUX

Six weeks ago I blogged about how unfair it is to still have acne at my age. I talked a little about this amazing thing called the Oil Cleansing Method. If you are, like me, still trying to cope with oily skin and pimples then the concept of washing with oil sounds very counter-intuitive. I honestly thought it had to be a bunch of crap, but after seeing it pinned over and over on Pinterest I decided it was worth a shot. And guess what......

CHICKEN BUTT!!!

No, sorry, in out house we just can't let a "Guess What?" go by without that answer. Actually... I am totally hooked on oil cleansing now.

First of all I want to tell you that I researched this method on many sites and I felt the best post on this was on the Crunchy Betty website (linked above). I will do my best to do it justice here but I urge you to take a look at that page as well to get even more information. This is something you ultimately formulate for yourself so the more you know, the better.

The way I see it there are 2 major problems with all over the counter skin cleansers, even the most expensive. (And you should know I have worked for 3 major skin care companies in the past and know a lot about this.)

1. Skin care costs a fortune. And the worst part is that when things don't work you just buy something else so you end up with half empty bottles of $20 face wash that goes unused.

2. Most of the ingredients in these are crap. There are fragrance, dyes and preservatives in even the most "all natural" or "organic" skin care lines. And this can cause more damage than we are really aware.

So, why use oil? It seems logical if you have dry skin, but I don't. I have been extremely oil since my early teens and usually even pass up moisturizer. Well, the thing about oil is that there are so many kinds and they have so many beneficial properties, including helping with acne and controlling excess oil.

HOW TO DO IT:

It doesn't take much oil to do this. Just take a few drops and coat your skin, even around eyes, thoroughly, but not too heavily. If your mixture is on the thick side it helps to have the face slightly damp already. Take a wash cloth (this is also a great way to add a little exfoliation) and get it wet with water as hot as you can stand. The hotter is the better, but don't burn yourself. Put the hot cloth over your face. I read that 30 seconds to a minute is recommended. I am too impatient for this and found that 15 seconds is enough. Then begin wiping the oil off.

Do this only at the end of the day to get the dirt and makeup off. In the morning just wash with hot water alone. You will find you have less oil in the morning anyway and you don't want to over dry your skin with too much cleansing.

Rather than put the cloth over your whole face I do the cheeks and chin, then forehead and eyes, then nose. It works better for me and helps me get all the oil off. When you are removing the oil be sure to get under the jawline and in the corners of your eyes and bridge of your nose well. At first I thought I had it all off there, but started breaking out in those areas. The eyebrows are an important area to focus on too.

On days I don't wear makeup or don't even leave the house I will sometimes just use hot water only at night too. Or if I feel a little dirty but not too bad I use witch hazel and then rinse with hot water.

WHAT OILS TO USE:

The main type of oil you need for this is Castor oil. This is actually a very cleansing oil. In fact, it is so cleansing you MUST add other oils or it can be too DRYING. Castor oil can break down all the dirt, oil and makeup you encounter all day (including mascara) and make it just wipe right off. It is also anti-bacterial. It's actually pretty amazing.

Next you add the other oils depending on what your personal needs are. Here are some of the oils you can use and their properties:

Avocado (dry /aging skin)
Apricot Kernel (dry, aging, and normal skin)
Coconut Oil (dry/aging skin)
Grape seed (all skin types, especially oily)
Jojoba (all skin types, great for acne-prone skin)
Lavender Oil *(all skin types, especially acne prone/anti-fungal, anti-biotic)
Olive (all skin types)
Sunflower Seed (all skin types)
Sweet almond (all skin types, especially oily)
Tea Tree Oil* (all skin types, especially acne prone/anti-fungal, anti-biotic)
Vitamin E Oil (dry, aging, and normal skin)
*read farther down about essential oils

There are a lot of other oils you can use, but they are more rare and/or pricey so you can research more if you want to get into that. Also, be care to buy organic, cold pressed oil. These are the best for your skin and you can depend on getting what you pay for without any additives.

HOW TO MIX IT UP:

As you decide how to formulate your oil the following rule of thumb helps (but is not a strict rule):

For Oily skin use 2/3 Castor oil for your mix

For Normal skin do about half Castor oil

For Dry skin do about 1/3 Castor oil

You will have to play around with this so make a small batch to begin.

ESSENTIAL OILS:

Lavender and Tea Tree oils are amazing for your skin, but beware. They are extremely potent and many people are very sensitive to them. I cannot use lavender oil because I am allergic to the plant. It makes my nose run when I use it near my face. Either of these oils can be over drying, as well. Neither should be used directly on skin and should always be used with a carrier oil. To test them on your skin mix with a little olive oil and dab on to see how you react. Be very careful around the eyes as well. If you use a lot of either oil in your mixture you might want to make a small batch with no essential oils in it for around your eyes.

I can use tea tree directly on blemishes from time to time because I am not sensitive at all to it. The mixture I am currently using is very strong in tea tree oil and probably too strong for most people. I can even use it around my eyes, but I do not recommend this.

When I started this I used the following recipe:

3 parts Castor oil, 1 part jojoba oil, 1 part sweet almond oil, 1 part olive oil, 5 drops tea tree oil

I found that this was not quite cleansing enough. It took the makeup off like you wouldn't believe. Even water proof mascara wiped right off. I felt like I was still too oily, though.

Four weeks ago I reformulated to this:

6 parts Castor oil, 2 parts jojoba oil, 2 parts sweet almond oil, 1 part olive oil, 25 drops of tea tree oil

This has more Castor oil and less olive oil in the mix. The extra tea tree does a great job on my skin as well. I now have so much less oil. I still get break outs, but I am seeing a huge difference in my skin. This added with a natural mask I am using (another blog post to come) are making my skin much clearer and softer. I also use an a natural acne spot treatment and this Miracle Oil on blemishes. On the occasion I get a dry spot I will put the Miracle Oil all over my face. It is not too heavy and is truly amazing. It also helps cuts and burns.

My last post about this (link at the beginning of this entry) showed the state of my skin. I was shocked to review this post today and see the difference.

Before: