Exodus 35:8 olive oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense;
The word "oil" is used in the bible 191 times. People used a lot of different oils for a lot of different things. They used them for everything from healing and wound care, to cleaning, cooking, and anointing. They used olive oils, plant oils, and the most expensive ones were given as gifts at the birth of Jesus.
I will do several postings on different oils in future articles to come, but today I am going to talk about oil used for cleansing skin. Your face, specifically, is what this article is about. Get ready..your skin is going to walk up to me on Sunday and thank me :D I have told several of you about this and have mentioned this on my personal blog before. This is a healthy, cheap, and natural way of skin cleansing.
Did you know that your skin is your biggest organ? It does matter what you put on it. It absorbs everything. It is very important to cut chemicals out here too! This method is cheap and my skin has never felt better!!
The Oil Cleansing Method
Oil cleansing your face is the most natural form of skin cleansing and is good for your face regardless of age or skin condition. It works wonders for oily skin, acne, wrinkles, dry skin, combination skin...whatever it is..this is the answer. It is using natural oils to cleanse your skin. My family likes to call it "B's concoction".
How does it work?
Turn off the faucet, throw out the soaps and cleansers and astringents and get ready for a revolution in your skin!! Skin secretes oil for a number of reasons..that's how your skin takes care of itself. So here is a chemistry lesson.. like dissolves like.. So, you are dissolving yucky dirty oil and wiping away make-up and clogged pores by replacing with clean nourishing oil. Sounds crazy, I know, but it works wonders. There is no soap, no suds, no chemicals!! This is the key. If you use these kind of products it strips your skin of it's oils so it over produces oil to try to help. So...then you get pimples, black heads and white heads and irritation ..yucky skin. (as my face was dry and peeling with pimples..I decided this might be true).
What to Use:
Two oils are used for oil cleansing. One main constant is Castor oil. Castor oil is very cheap and has an array of health benefits. Castor oil is derived from the Castor bean plant. Castor oil contains an extremely high amount of a rare and unusual fatty acid called ricinoleic acid. Ricinoleic acid is an unsaturated fatty acid.
Castor oil exhibits strong pain-killing, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory, and anti-wrinkle properties due to its high content of this acid. Castor oil is found is most stores in the medicine aisle alongside of laxatives...yep true.
You also need a carrier oil for the Castor oil..there are several to list, but personally I have been using Sunflower oil..most people have the best results with this combination..you may also use these:
Good Oil Cleansing Varieties
- Jojoba (all skin types, but very desirable for acne-prone skin)
- Sweet almond (all skin types, especially oily)
- Grapeseed (all skin types, especially oily)
- Avocado (dry and aging skin)
Sunflower Seed (all skin types) - Olive (all skin types)
- Apricot Kernel (dry, aging, and normal skin)
- Argan (all skin types, especially aging skin … very pricey)
- Tamanu (all skin types … very pricey)
Here is your recipe:
- Oily skin: Use 2/3 Castor oil to 1/3 carrier oil. (Or measure out 2 tsp Castor oil and 1 tsp carrier oil.)
- Normal skin: Use equal parts Castor oil and carrier oil. (Measuring out 1-1/2 tsp Castor oil and 1-1/2 tsp carrier oil.)
- Dry skin: Use 1/3 Castor oil and 2/3 carrier oil. (Again, 2 tsp carrier oil and 1 tsp Castor oil.)
I personally do a 1/3 Castor oil and 2/3 sunflower oil in a little bottle that I mix up myself and keep in the bath tub. I also sometimes add a few drops of Orange Essential Oil (found at Ingles and Mac's locally). I use it for the vitamin c effects.
Here is how to do it :
1. Prepare your solution in advance and keep at the sink, tub, or shower where you wash your face at night, with a washcloth nearby. I keep mine in a little bottle from the dollar aisle of travel things you can buy.
2. Massage about a quarter size amount (or more) onto your face, paying attention to rub in a few seconds on each area of your face. Pretend you are at the spa and massage away.
3. Get your washcloth and wet with hot water (as hot as you can stand it). With the oil all massaged in, place the wash cloth on your face and let it steam out your pores until the washcloth is cool. I do this step 3 times. Lay back, relax, and pretend you are at the spa..minus people yelling, fighting, and screaming outside the door. Take the washcloth the last time and gently wipe the oil off your face (not scrubbing, just wiping). Pat your skin dry and apply moisturizer if needed.
Tips to take note of:
- Do not use other cleansing products when you switch, you will confuse the daylights out of your skin.
- Only do this once a day at night..I just rinse my face with warm water in the morning.
- I still apply my moisturizer (I use YES to Carrots Body Cream on my face)..recommended by my dermatologist...and YES to blueberries eye cream..along with ROC at night
- you can add essential oils like tea tree oil or lavender essential oil (if your face is oily or acne-prone) or carrot seed oil or rose hip oil for normal/dry skin or even some rose essential oil or myrrh essential oil if your skin is aging. In all cases, just use 2-3 drops of each oil in your mixture.
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| My products..so cheap to do!! That first bottle is just an empty bottle that I rinsed out and reused for this. Three ingredients here are Castor oil, sunflower oil, and orange oil. |
Brandy Kisner
Health & Wellness Coordinator
