A few years ago I read the benefits of washing your face with extra virgin olive oil on the highly-addictive beauty review website Makeup Alley.  After reading about 20 raving testimonials, I ran to the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of oil and embarked on a journey of creating the worst skin ever within a few days!  I didn’t know what I was doing and sort of massaged by face with oil and wiped it off with tissues.  It was an epic natural beauty fail… until I learned how oil cleansing worked and fell in love with it!

The first thing you should know is that oil cleansing is actually best for oily skin.  Oil removes oil, as antithetical as it seems.  If you have dry skin and you try oil cleansing every day, you will not be pleased.  As I am a bit on the dry skin side, I use this oil concoction once or twice a week as a mini-facial to really clean deeply.  It is genius in my experience for clogged pores, refining skin texture and really refreshing your face.

Now, for the oil mix.  It is very simple, but may require a bit of experimentation on your part.  Some people use half castor oil and half extra virgin olive oil.  Some use all castor oil.  I always have castor oil on hand because I love castor oil packs (more on castor oil packs HERE) but you may need to grab some unrefined and pure at a health food store.  Don’t get a refined, lesser-grade castor oil; it is not the same and you will not be happy.

I do well with half castor oil and half light olive oil.It is simple and the ingredients are easy to come by, it’s not too “heavy” and it works likea charm for me.  That said, if you want to go wild with experiementation, and even add in some aromatherapy, THIS troublehooting oil-cleaning blend post by Crunchy Betty will give you guidelines to your perfect mix journey.

You can mix things up in a squeeze bottle or a glass jar.  Just make sure it is clean & dry before adding the oil.  Remember that oils do actually turn rancid so don’t store it in your bathroom that gets boiling hot from the shower and avoid mixing giant batches that may take a while to use.  Fresh is best!

To do the oil cleansing:  

Step 1: Pour a bit of the oil blend in your palms and rub it all over your face.  I massage it a bit and if I’m wearing makeup I really concentrate on the areas that need deeper cleaning.  I let the oil sit for bit as I set up step 2.

Step 2: Take a clean washcloth and run it under pretty hot water- as hot as you can comfortably handle.  Soak the washcloth and then wring it out so it is very hot and damp.

Step 3: Lay that hot cloth over your oil-covered face and kick back for another minute or two to steam your face.  If it gets cold, refresh the cloth by repeating the hot water/wring out cycle.  Once you are done steaming, wipe your face clean with the cloth.  I also splash more water on, but that’s just me.

I’m an oil junkie so I might put pure argan oil, an aromatherapy blend of oils or straight, potent vitamin E on afterward, depending on the day.  Most of you won’t feel the need to moisurize, but I always do.

If your skin responds well to the oil blend you pick, you will see a difference immediately!  Just scale back if you start to get overzealous and see flaky, dry skin or clogged pores; overdoing it is not a good thing.  Moderation is the key to everything, even DIY natural beauty stuff!

Do you oil cleanse?  Do you have a favorite blend? I would love to hear about it! I’m always ready to tweak & customize! xoxo Dana

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