SUMMARY: We attribute the alchemy of oil cleansing to the principle "Like Dissolves Like".
Oil, applied to our skin, dissolves accumulated dirt, sunscreen, pollution and makeup so it can be wiped and rinsed away without stripping the skin of natural moisturizing factors and skin oils.
Those with mature skin, which is not prone to breakouts or acne, get the best results. Those of us who breakout or have acne, please proceed with caution ….
IN THIS ARTICLE:
WHO BENEFITS FROM OIL CLEANSING
INTRODUCTION TO OIL CLEANSING
DO YOU HAVE VERY SENSITIVE SKIN OR MORE SEVERE ACNE?
FACTORS IN ACNE
WHAT MAKES MY APPROACH TO OIL CLEANSING A LITTLE DIFFERENT?
A DEEPER LOOK INTO LONG TERM BENEFITS
IS YOUR TAP WATER (probably) DAMAGING YOUR SKIN?!
FURTHER READING AND LINKS TO MORE LEARNING
INTRODUCTION
If you are familiar with "Oil Pulling" for a healthy mouth and clean teeth then you already know the basic idea of how oils are used to cleanse the skin.
Oils are the most effective way to completely remove heavy makeup and mineral sunscreens.
Gentle, effective and nourishing - done properly, with the right oils, and the right skin type, it will not cause acne, make you greasy, oily or breakout.
If it does, there’s something not quite with some aspect of the method.
Getting to the bottom it can be tricky and take time to figure out. Many will tell you it is worth the effort.
READY TO TRY OIL CLEANSING - PLEASE READ THIS FIRST!
Those with normal to dry skin or mature skin, and no major skin problems can easily start cleansing with oils and can do so "cold turkey". I won't promise you'll never get another pimple, bump, clogged pore, or comedone, or look ten years younger but oil cleansing does help support healthy skin functions and skin microbiome, balance skin oil production, leading to cleaner, healthier, stronger skin.
A few new bumps and outbreaks are not unheard of when you start but you should not see a significant worsening of conditions.
- - - - -
** BEFORE MAKING ANY CHANGE TO YOUR ROUTINE **
There is a natural appeal to Oil Cleansing. But many people abandon it when they do not get the immediate results they had hoped for. Confusion and frustration can arise when you first get started, but problems can develop later, after initial success! You might be wondering why that happened. These are the factors involved in how our skin responds to oil cleansing,
The chosen oil
The method of application and how we remove the oils.
Length of time the oil is allowed to soak in.
“Second cleansing” why & how
Your tap water
Age and skin type (dry, oily, normal)
Skin condition (dehydrated, parched, tight)
Climate (hot, cold, dry, humid)
Known or unknown issues impacting skin health (medications, hormonal status,
VERY SENSITIVE, REACTIVE SKIN OR SEVERE ACNE?
please proceed with caution
- - - - -
I’m going to state this right out front: Oil Cleansing is not for you right now. Once these issues are reduced or resolved you can give it a go with caution.
- - - - -
If your skin is inflamed, blemished, irritated, or highly sensitive great caution is advised when making any changes to your routine. Proceed slowly and with caution, armed with knowledge, sound advice, and rational expectations.
Oils can irritate your skin and can easily make problems worse: Please stop oil cleansing if you experience any increase in skin issues so you’re skin can calm down, and you can make changes to your routine, oils, method of cleansing, etc.
- - - - -
The safest way to proceed with OCM is to choose and use just ONE gentle, high linoleic oil such as Safflower oil, Hemp seed oil, unrefined grape seed oil, Rosehip, or Camellia.
Acne feeds on oil. So if you suffer from any acne outbreaks, jojoba is the best option because it’s a liquid wax, not an oil, so it is not a food source for acne-causing bacteria to consume.
Do not use Castor Oil. It is known to cause dryness.
Apply the oils with dry skin to dry fingers - massage into the skin, then remove immediately by wiping with a soft dry cloth (or viva signature cloth) then rinse repeatedly with warm water, never hot. Perform a final wipe with a warm wet washcloth, and pat dry.
If, after a few weeks, your skin is responding well to OCM you can try increasing the amount of time the oils are left to soak in for deeper conditioning of the skin. You can now experiment with using different single oils, and blends, and adding essential oils. The key is taking things slowly, and stopping if your skin reacts negatively.
BENEFITS OF OIL CLEANSING
Some benefits of oil cleansing and OCM can come quickly. Others take longer to manifest. They will depend on a variety of factors, including the state of your skin when you adopt this method, genetics, diet, age, and more. Factors involved in the healing and restoration of skin function are outlined below. along with an introduction to the skin benefits possible with the Oil Cleansing Method.
For the vast majority of people, oil cleansing and the OCM are absolutely worth the time, effort, experimentation and learning required to get good long-term results.
Reach out to any time for consultation - don't hesitate! I am happy to offer my time and free advice.
THE BASICS OF HOW TO OIL CLEANSE
There is no book on The Oil Cleansing Method - all steps in the process are open to interpretation. My approach to Oil Cleansing and OCM varies a bit from what others recommend. I hope you'll glean some information which will help you in your quest to adopt oil cleansing.
The steps of "oil cleansing" are simple with some variation: astringent "cleansing oils" are rubbed into dry skin with dry fingers, allowed some time to soak into pores and hair follicles. The oil is then wiped away and then rinsed away, along with the day's grime. A second cleanse is usually performed either with more oils or a different cleanser.
There is no "one size fits all" to getting good results and there is a learning curve when you get started. You'll need to embrace some trial and err such as how you cleanse and the oils you are using. Skin changes over time, and you may need to make adjustments to your routine or your oils as time goes on. Regular, gentle exfoliation will speed this process along.
SKIN CELL TURNOVER RATES: It takes between around 20-40+ days for the turnover to be complete. Age is a primary factor in estimating the time it takes for all the skin cells in the epidermis to replace themselves. Skin health, genetics etc also play a role. Sloughing off the uppermost layers is happening continually night and day.
No matter what you change in your skin care routine, or at what age, until all of the cells have been replaced, you can't evaluate the long term benefits of any change in routine or product.
This does not mean that you must suffer if you begin to experience problems. Outbreaks, dry skin, new blemishes and/or bumps, itch, you need to slow down, reevaluate, make changes or switch to different cleansing method.
My approach to oil cleanings: why is my approach different
NO CASTOR OIL
LET THE OIL SOAK IN
NEVER EVER USE STEAMING HOT WATER (how did that become a thing anyway!)
CASTOR OIL?
Castor oil is well known to cause problems, especially at the onset of oil cleansing.
Castor oil is very astringent. Never use it alone! Even at low levels in a blend, it is very common to see unexpected issues arise including dryness, itch, irritation, outbreaks, and bumps.
Since we have so many amazing oils to choose from, and we get good results without it I just don’t recommend it for most people.
When to consider adding castor oil:
I only recommend including castor oil in a blend for those with very oily skin who never breakout.
AND, for those who have been oil cleansing for a few months without issues AND, you wear heavy makeup and/or heavy sunscreen.
Before adding castor oil please wait about 2 months. If you’re getting good results without it (NO BLEMISHES, IRRITATION, or DRYNESS), start with about 2-5% in a blend, and work up to 10-20% (max) over a month or 2. If you experience any adverse effects, remove the castor oil.
LET IT ALL SOAK IN - the second cleanse
This is only for those who do not have sensitive, reactive skin.
An oil molecule is quite large when compared to a water molecule. So oils don’t absorb as well into our skin, or as deeply as water (and skin becomes less able to absorb oils as time goes by).
So how do we get a deep, penetrating cleanse with oils AND the fatty acid nourishment our skin craves? With time.
So, if you have a day's worth of grime, heavy sunscreen and/or makeup, your cleansing oils need time to soak in. Otherwise, you aren’t getting a deep cleanse, you're just removing the surface debris.
** A quick oil cleanse is appropriate on days you don't wear much or any makeup or sunscreen.
Oils are natural solvents! They are very good at this task. But not very fast at it … oils need some time to perform the job of dissolving makeup, sunscreen and other debris.
A good contrast would be soap and alcohol which both quickly dissolve oils.
One of the benefits of including oils in our skincare routine is to nourish our skin cells. Our skin can directly absorb and incorporate fatty acids from oils applied topically. Allowing the oils time to soak in so they can penetrate the skin where they bathe skin cells in the nourishment needed to maintain healthy, resilient skin that is soft and supple.
HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR PERFECT CLEANSING OILS: SINGLE OILS? OR A BLEND?
Crack open any seed from any plant and inside you’ll find oils which can be extracted for various purposes.
The fatty acid composition of the seed oil varies from plant to plant - using fatty acids as our guide we can choose oils best suited to our skin care purposes.
Oils best suited for cleansing are “astringent oils” - those with a high percentage of Linoleic Acid, a fatty acid which plays a crucial role in the maintenance of healthy skin tissue and resiliency due to environment stress and the effects of aging on skin structure. They are light oils, able to penetrate relatively quickly.
There are thousands to choose from, my suggested list is hardly comprehensive and your favorite cleansing oil might not be here. These are just the ones that are easy to find and affordable.
I also offer cleansing oil blends. These options I infuse with medicinal plants I grow or collect from the forest.
CLEANSING OILS: single oils to consider
CLEANSING OIL BLENDS: my wildcrafted infused cleansing oil blends HERE and HERE
A DEEPER LOOK INTO LONG TERM BENEFITS
Return to a natural state
Maintain a healthy skin pH
Restore the lipid barrier
Nourish the skin microbiome
The healing process is different for everyone and the time needed to heal the skin varies from person to person. Results will vary, we are all on a personal journey.
With regular use of oil cleansing and reducing or eliminating the use of soaps, foaming cleansers, harsh chemical treatments, not over cleansing, and given time to heal and normalize, your skin will become better nourished, stronger, and more resilient.
Those who experience occasional outbreaks and clogged pores experience a reduction in these episodes and may notice improvements such as blemishes not becoming as large as frequently, blemishes are less inflamed and painful, and they tend to heal faster.
As skin becomes stronger it will be better able to withstand UV exposure, environmental stress, and pollution, and to heal and repair itself from injury.
In the long run, many people who include oil cleansing in their routine report a reduction in the appearance of pores and fine lines, healing of scars, softer more supple skin, and more balanced sebum production.
RESTORING SKIN FUNCTION & SKIN pH
Indications that your skin is not functioning optimally are are, outbreaks, bumps, clogged pores, itchiness, tight, flaky dry skin, redness, inflammation, premature aging, sun damage, or irritated, sensitive inflamed reactive skin. Skin which is deficient, or out of balance in certain essential fatty acids (EFA) is especially vulnerable to acne.
Acne is an indication of impaired skin functions. Subsequently, we turned to chemical treatments, over-cleansing with synthetic foaming cleansers and soap, the overuse of emulsified facial products, over "treating" the skin ... these things can force the skin into a state of stress, or "dis-ease" making it vulnerable to penetration by acne-causing bacteria.
80% - 90% of all homes in America have hard water.
In some cities the amount of dissolved minerals in the drinking water can shoot the pH up as high as 9. That is quite alkaline for our skin. The dissolved minerals make the water itself less able to rinse away soaps and cleansers, making matters worse by leaving behind residue on our skin which causes irritations, redness, itching, outbreaks and bumps. It will also contribute to premature aging and transdermal water loss leading to chronic dry skin.
MAINTAIN A HEALTHY SKIN PH. Maintaining the proper pH of our skin is of vital importance. Simply over washing with any soap or detergent can disrupt the pH of the skin's acid mantle, a slightly acidic secretion that forms a thin layer on the very surface of our skin. Constantly disrupting the pH is very undesirable and can lead to skin disorders, acne, rosacea, eczema, dry skin and other serious issues.
Those with skin issues should make a concerted effort to maintain a healthy skin pH.
Tap water will disrupt the pH of the Acid Mantle for a period of time after bathing regardless of what you cleanse with. Foaming cleansers containing Sodium Lauryl Sulfates do more lasting damage to the acid mantle and should be avoided.
The good news? The acid mantle can recover! But it takes up to 4 -24 hours to do that. The time it takes depends on skin health, age, and other factors. Oil cleansing followed with an application of a slightly acidic toner free of drying alcohol (or better yet pure steamed distilled hydrosol water) will quickly restore a healthy pH.
RESTORING & NOURISHING YOUR SKIN'S MICROBIOME. Your skin flora is a vital, and until recently, an unknown component of a healthy immune system. Our skin is literally teeming with a vast universe of microbial life that scientists are just beginning to understand! The benefits of a healthy skin biome depends in part on the slightly acidic secretion called the Acid Mantle. Our microbiome works to prevent pathogenic organisms from colonizing the skin surface, either by competing for nutrients, secreting chemicals against them, or stimulating the skin's immune system. Finding ways to nourish, maintain and replenish a healthy biome by supporting the host of microbes that abound on our skin will not only revolutionize the way we live, it will probably impact our overall health and longevity.
No matter what you are using to clean your face, I recommend pure hydrosol water to tone the skin after contact with tap water.
A deeper look at pH and the skin, and the benefits of pure plant hydrosol waters can be found in my blog post HYDROSOL WATERS - AN ANCIENT SKINCARE TRADITION
A deeper look at our skin microbiome can be found in my blog post NOURISHING THE SKIN'S MICROBIOME
DO YOU HAVE VERY SENSITIVE SKIN? or inflammatory skin issues?
Those with sensitive skin take note! It’s especially important that you’re very gentle on your skin, understand and appreciate the topic of skin pH, and take steps to nourish and restore the health of your acid mantle. The size of a molecule of oil is large, in and of itself, this will cause irritation.
Sadly! Oil Cleansing likely NOT a good choice. Anyone with atopic dermatitis, eczema, Rosacea or other inflammatory skin issue (also acne) should rely on something else for cleansing and conditioning the skin.
I strongly encourage you to STOP WEARING MAKEUP for one month, use only a very light application of a simple, mineral sunscreen (try to avoid the sun altogether or as much as possible). And resist the urge to oil cleanse.
The challenge is how do you cleanse and condition the skin without causing further irritation, since just touching sensitive skin can cause it to react, and topical applications are likely to cause some level of irritation. I strongly suggest instead, to incorporate honey into your skin care routine to cleanse and spot treat.
FACTORS IN ACNE: OCM might not be for you!
Are you here looking for ways to solve your acne problems? I understand! I suffered from mild acne well into my 40s and still get occasional outbreaks and blemishes!
Acne is an inflammatory skin condition. We live in an inflammatory world. No surprise that acne is on the rise in both men and women.
Studies show that acne is associated with an imbalance in the ratio of lipids and fatty acids. Low linoleic acid levels in the skin impairs the skin's primary barrier, the stratum corneum. Barrier functions of the skin are dependent on sufficient amounts of linoleic acid to perform. Low linoleic acid also causes other skin oils to be overproduced, oils that have a higher percentage of oleic acid can build up, clogging pores and hair follicles with harder sebum. Applied topically linoleic acid can help restore function.
Palmitic acid deficiency has also been shown to be a factor in acne. Palmitic acid helps calm and balance the skin, hold moisture deep in skin layers, protect, soothe, and heal outer skin layers. High consumption of oleic acid-rich oils, found in monounsaturated fats like olive oil & avocado oil can also make acne worse. Use topically they can do the same. For those with acne issues your cleansing blends must be rich in linoleic Acid, and low in oleic acid to get good results.
Those with skin that rarely breaks out or gets clogged have a much wider variety of oils to choose from and will be less likely to experience anything but satisfactory results with OCM. More complex oil blends of cleansing oils with more oleic acid can be enjoyed also,