These days, many people are so concerned with moisturizing their face that another critical part of skin care is often overlooked: facial cleansing. It’s not enough to simply take a wet rag or wipe to take off makeup or remove dirt. Properly cleansing your face is critical to healthy, glowing skin.
How do you choose a cleansing product that will clean your face well without causing other issues? At first glance, using oil may seem surprising. Along with makeup, dirt, and other environmental buildup, you need to clean oil from your skin. Adding more oil does not seem like it will help at all. However, many high-quality plant oils actually bind to the oil that your skin produces along with makeup and environmental build up. Read on to learn which oils are best for your skin type and what benefits these oils have for your skin.
How Often Should I Wash My Face
The simplest answer is you should wash your face once a day. If you wear makeup, you will have to clean your face at the end of the day, before going to bed. It is very unhealthy to leave makeup on as you sleep. Moreover, even if you do not wear makeup, but you do spend time exposed to different environments, you still need to thoroughly cleanse your face at night.
Facial cleansers should be used daily. Whether you wear makeup or not, cleansers should be a skin care routine fixture, not just an option.
Who Needs Facial Cleansing Oils?
Everyone will benefit from using cleansing oils, especially those who wear makeup every day. Those who are regularly exposed to harsh environmental factors like dust and smoke are also advised to use oils for cleansing the face.
No matter what your skin type is, cleansing oils can benefit you. However, those with dry skin will benefit more from using it regularly.
Most cleansing oils are made for adults, but there are now various skin care companies that manufacture those that are made specifically for the sensitive skin of teens and children.
What Is a Cleansing Oil?
Facial cleansing oils work with the concept that “oil dissolves oil.” The skin naturally produces oil called sebum. When used as a facial cleanser, plant oils dissolve sebum, unclogging pores and clearing blackheads and whiteheads. Facial cleansing oils push away the bad oils. Whether you have oily or dry skin, oil cleansers can do the job for you.
Facial cleansing oils are massaged into the skin. These cleanser oils attach themselves to the surface dirt. However, since these oils do not go deep into your pores, they do not clog your pores but do remove all the dirt on your skin. The dirt and oils are washed off without drying out your skin or clogging your pores.
You can use a variety of plant-based oils as cleansing oils. Because cleansing oils are so effective for healthy skin, many cleansing products on the market already use a mix of oils.
If you would like to mix your own oils, you can experiment to find what works best for your skin. However, there are a few things you should look for. Use only high-quality products. Rather than simply using kitchen-grade products, look for oils that are cold-pressed. Most people use either olive oil or castor oil to make up half of the cleansing oil and mix in another oil that fits their skin type.
Benefits of Oil Cleansers
Not only are cleansing oils great for cleaning your face, they also provide many different benefits for your skin.
- Research shows that cleansing oils clear away both oil-based and water-based makeup. They also lift away dirt and pollutants that accumulate on your skin as you move about your day.
- Moreover, while most cleansing products strip your skin of everything, cleansing oils leave your natural pH balance of your skin untouched.
- Regular cleansers often dry out your skin, leading either to dry, flaky patches or overproduction of oil and breakouts. Cleansing oils will not do this.
- Similarly, cleansing oils leave behind beneficial bacteria that keep your skin’s microbiome healthy, while most other cleansers will destroy the good with the bad.
- Oil cleansers cannot and will not cause you to develop blackheads, whiteheads, and pimples. In fact, facial oil cleansers have antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties and are made from essential oils that are naturally antibacterial.
- While the type of oil you use influences what other benefits you can expect, most plant-based oils speed wound healing, support a healthy skin barrier, ease inflammation, protect against ultraviolet rays, and support your skin’s job of protecting your body from infection and disease.
Skin Types and Cleansing Oils
Choosing the best oils for face cleansing means determining which type or variety is best for your skin type.
If you have normal to dry skin, look for oils high in oleic acid. The ideal base oil is olive oil. To that you can add another oil, like argan oil or peanut oil which both offer hydration without making your face feel greasy.
People with oily skin should go for oils high in linoleic acid. Try peppermint oil or a small amount of tea tree oil. Peppermint and tea tree oils are rich in astringent properties that are essential for proper oily skin care. Rosehip oil and sunflower oil are also helpful for people with oily skin, helping fight inflammation that can cause acne. Use any of these oils with castor oil as the base for the best results.
If you have sensitive skin, you should be careful of using either castor oil or tea tree oil. Both of these oils cause irritation more frequently in sensitive skin types.
Whatever your skin type, test your skin’s reaction to the oil before using it over your whole face. Dab a small amount along your jaw line or another inconspicuous location. Leave it there for several hours or even a day to see how your skin reacts to the oils.
While your skin adjusts to the new routine, you may experience more breakouts in areas of your face that typically break out. This may happen as your skin clears out all the dirt and oil that have built up over time. However, redness, itchiness, or a rash of any kind indicates that your skin doesn’t tolerate that type of oil. Try another mixture.
How to Use Cleansing Oils
You need a warm, wet washcloth and your chosen cleansing oils. Massage the oil into your face without getting your face wet first. Continue working the oil into your skin for about 30 seconds. This will allow the oil to lift away any excess sebum, dirt, makeup, and dead skin. Then, use the washcloth to wipe away the oil. Most people do not need to use a moisturizer after cleansing with oil. Some people prefer to use a gentle, water-based cleanser after the oil cleanser to keep their skin from becoming oily. Experiment with what works best for your skin. Remember that your skin may need a short time to adjust to your new routine. However, you will find that an oil cleanser leaves your face cleaner, healthier, and more glowing.
References:
https://www.webmd.com/beauty/deep-oil-cleansing-what-to-know
https://www.healthline.com/health/oil-cleansing-method#benefits
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