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Tuesday, September 29, 2009

cleansing oil

my post about coconut oil last week brought up some good questions both here and in person. one question was if the oil makes you break out. from my experience, no, it doesn't. but if you've been using conventional products, your skin may have a period of breakout to get used to the natural oil and kick the synthetic out. skin blemishes are often a by-product of the diet, although some are prone to the body 'letting off steam' through acne than others. for instance, when eating poorly, i'm more likely to get intestinal problems than skin problems. the same can go for what you put on your body. if the pores are used to being stripped and then clogged with synthetic chemicals, they may freak out when they are left to their own accord, causing a breakout before they balance out again. does that make sense?

i'm no skin expert, but i have skin, and that has led me to make some observations. when using products meant to take the natural oils off of the skin, i am more likely to have an oil imbalance. this is because my body works extra hard to restore the proper oil ratio for me. this is what led me to using coconut oil on my skin. but then it led me a step further, into using cleansing oil on my skin in place of a face soap. i make a cleansing oil that i use once a day. the rest of the day i use water only. during the summer i rarely have to use coconut oil on my face, but in the winter, i tend to dry out more, thus causing me to use the cleansing oil followed by the coconut oil for moisture.


making the oil is easy. i use a base of castor oil, which has cleansing properties. because i have drier skin, i use one part castor oil. if you have oilier skin, you would want to use more. to this i add some sort of carrier oil. this time i used 3 parts sunflower oil, which is high in vitamin e. i usually use a mix of grapeseed oil and sunflower oil, but i was out of the grapeseed. to this i add about a 1/2 part of neroli oil. neroli is fantastic for your skin(helps regenerate skin cells, reduce scarring, etc)! but it is pretty expensive, hence the stinginess. then i add a couple of drops of sweet orange essential oil for a nice smell.




when i'm ready to wash my face, i use the dropper and put about 5 drops in my hand. i massage it into my face and then rinse off. then i pat dry with a towel. if i feel like it is too oily, i'll use a wet wash rag and gently wipe it off.

i've been using this off and on for about a year now. i based it on a super fancy oil my sister bought from her super fancy facial lady. i just bought all the ingredients, added some castor to the mix and experimented with the measurements. the bottle i use is a leftover tincture bottle that i washed and peeled off the label.

if you decide to make your own (and i hope you do) experiment with different oils until you find the mix that is right for you!

10 comments:

Rachel said...

Thank you for this! I have read about using a cleansing oil before, but I was too scared to try it.

Anne said...

I also use coconut oil for my body 'lotion' after a shower. It is very moisturizing and soothing for my dry skin. I have noticed it takes a little bit to truly soak in. I wouldn't recommend using it after a shower if you're in a hurry. Anyone else have this problem?

Also, just bought some Bronner's soap to try out... How do you use yours?

mandi said...

hi anne!
yeah- i think it's best to have a thorough soaking in time with the coconut oil as well.
i use my bronners for lots. mainly we use it as soap, but i also use it to clean dishes, i use the bar variety in my laundry detergent, and i mix some in with baking soda to make a shower cleaner. when we go camping i use it for shampoo too.

Mandy said...

that sounds incredible. i've been looking for a new cleanser.
yes - gideon will be there friday...smelling very tropical. :)

Anne said...

Thanks for the Bronners tips!

cally said...

oh my gosh. It's too much. You are so cool I can't take it.

I only use Dove soap on my face once a day. But I use a zit cream, which I hate, because it dries out just my chin. The rest of my face is kinda oily, so I don't moisturize because it just makes it more oily. But my chin is zitty and dry, and I can't find a happy balance.

So, if I buy oils this will all even out? You are now my official beauty/healthy lifestyle consultant. I'm not a pig, but I can use some guidance.

Thanks Mandi. You're the best.

Nicola said...

thank you for this. i might try this. it sounds perfect for my sensitive skin. but we've been battling staph infections, for which soap is a must. sigh...
nicola
http://whichname.blogspot.com

Lily Boot said...

thanks for the inspiration! A couple of months ago we began using baking soda and apple cider vinegar for our hair - and after a couple of weeks of glug, we are now cruising beautifully! We only have to wash our hair. Then last week, I used a beautiful home made steam cleanser, french clay and egg white mask and a few drops of olive oil for moisture. My skin has never looked better. It's so wonderful to find so many thoughtful women on the web who share this information - the little things just keep adding up and making our lives so much more simple and yet richer. thanks!

Wendy said...

I've been cleansing with oil for a couple of years now. Even my 14 year old daughter does it. It works so beautifully.

Just FYI, though, you might want to skip the sweet orange as it's phototoxic, meaning that it makes your skin more sensitive to the sun. Fine if you only cleanse at night, not so good during the day. I know you wipe it off, but still.

mandi said...

Thank you Wendy! I do only use it at night, but it's good for other readers to know. I no longer use the Sweet Orange. I've learned a lot in the past 4 years since posting! Thanks again!