The best way I have found to wash my face (Yet another use for coconut oil!)

I am pretty much obsessed with skin care and make up.  I’m like a kid in a candy store when I’m in Sephora or Ulta.  Over the years I have tried just about every line of skin care out there to take care of my acne-prone, combination, sensitive skin.  Ugh!  I have tried very high end stuff (Nicolas Perricone), middle of the road (Paula’s Choice), and drug store brands.  I am not knocking any of them…sometimes I would have great results at first, then they would taper off.  Even the really pricey ones that I bought at the dermatologists office didn’t always deliver everything they promised.  Also, as I became more and more particular about what I put into my body, I started to realize that I should think more about what I put on my body.  After all, our skin is our largest organ!

After years of every prescription drug in the book, including three rounds of accutane, I finally cleared my skin by discovering the foods that really worked best for me, which was a huge breakthrough.

I had heard of oil cleansing a number of times, but it seemed so counterintuitive.  Why would I put even more oil on my face when my skin was breaking out?  But the more I read, the more I was intrigued by the simplicity of the whole thing.  So, back in January of 2013, I decided to give it a try.  I am doing it to this day, and thrilled with the results.  I have never stuck with any other skin care regimen for such a long time.

I’m going to tell you the easiest way to do it.  There are plenty of things you can add in to enhance the whole process, which I’ll discuss in another post.

OK, here’s what I do every single night, whether I am home or traveling.  I take a washcloth and wet it with very warm (not scalding water) and go over my whole face to get as much makeup off as possible).  I buy cheap, dark washcloths at Target when they are selling back to college stuff.  That way they are not trashed by my Urban Decay mascara!

After I’ve done that, I take a blob (ok, guess I should be more precise…approximately a teaspoon) of coconut oil and rub it all over my face. My favorite brand is Nutiva, and I always buy the less refined kind.  It’s in better grocery stores, or you can find it in my Amazon store.  Since I am addicted to mascara (did I mention Urban Decay?  Oh yeah, I did)  I make sure to really rub it into my lashes.  Then I grab the washcloth, wet it with very warm water again, wring it out, and hold the other side up against my face.  I hold it there for a few moments, and then use the washcloth to get the coconut oil off.  I usually do this twice.

My skin feels awesome afterwards…smooth and clean.  Moisturized, but not oily.  Sometimes that is all that I do before bed.  My makeup is off and my skin feels great.  But lately I have been using a bit of toner (I am just using Thayer’s brand of witch hazel…will post in my Amazon shop…cheap and good) to make sure I got every little bit of mineral makeup off.  Then I might dab my face with some type of nourishing oil…argan, macadamia, rose hip.  But that’s the icing on the cake.  Just washing with the coconut oil has made a huge difference for my skin.

There are tons of variations on oil cleansing…you can use combinations of different oils, you can add a drop of an essential oil that has some healing properties, you can take longer to steam open your pores with the warm washcloth.  But even the most basic method can be very effective.

So, can oil cleansing help you feel happy, healthy, and hot?  I think so!  Finding an easy, inexpensive way to take care your skin should make you happy.   One or two pure ingredients sure sounds healthier for your skin than a long list of chemicals.  And having healthy, glowing skin is very hot!

Have you tried oil cleansing?  I’d love to hear about it!