I never thought I would become a person who had a skin care routine. My teenage and college years were spent trying out the highest percentage of benzoyl peroxide topical treatments I could find. My skin has always been oily, so my natural response was to keep it from getting oily — no oil, no breakouts! Dermatologists and other skin care professionals would be horrified at the amount of rubbing alcohol I used to clean my face. I never put lotion on my face sure that it would only clog my pores and cause more embarrassment. The tighter my skin felt, the healthier I thought it was!
Thankfully the raging hormones of youth calmed down a bit, but pregnancy and postpartum wasn’t very kind to me either. How embarrassing to be a mom with dark eyes, spit up and zits! I finally buckled down and decided it was time to try to fix my face, which means I walked into a perfect situation to be at the mercy of anyone who could sell me something claiming it’d work magic in 60 days or less. Thankfully for my bank account’s sake, nothing seemed to work on my crazy skin. I could honestly give a bad review on any regimen I tried, and my face was proof enough.
I had just about given up hope and decided to remain with my teenage skin forever (but now with wrinkles!) when I stumbled upon oil cleansing.
“There is no way I am putting oil on my already too oily skin,” I thought. It was ludicrous! Alcohol, not moisturizer, was my friend and standby. But it was only an investment of a few bucks’ worth of ingredients, so I figured I should try it. Plus, I wasn’t buying anything from someone, so it wouldn’t be an embarrassment when my skin failed another “cure.”
Happily for me, I have spent the last two years cleaning my face with oil — regular old, low grade oil from the supermarket — and my skin is now so happy! I no longer have the up and down rhythms of oily/dry skin and my pores are finally clean instead of hoarding precious moisture from my daily and drastic alcohol cleanings. The best part is that it costs me less than $10 a year and no one is studying my face to make sure I am going to keep them in business.
Here is the shopping list:
Pack of white washcloths (to keep separate from dishcloths or other washcloths in the house)
Olive oil
Castor Oil (found in medicinal aisle)
Small flip top bottle (travel size bottles work best!)
Mix 1:1 parts of the oils together in the bottle and stick in your shower. When you shower, dampen your face well and rub a dime sized amount on your face and neck. Fill the washcloth with warm water and let it steam on your face for a minute or so, and then gently rub the oil off. I wait until the end of my shower so that not all of the oil is washed off. And boom! You are done!
Usually, this is enough to moisturize my skin without needing anything else, but lately, the winter weather and my pregnancy have left my skin much drier than normal. I started adding in this all natural and cost efficient face cream, and it has made my skin even more clear and bright, without messing with the oiliness at all.
