Singer and actor Jennifer Lopez reminds us that, “Your power is in your individuality, in being exactly who you are.” This sentiment is behind 2017’s Enhanced Natural beauty trend. The celebration of the individual, the celebration of each person’s unique look, unique style, and unique voice is expressing itself in bare skin with a pop of color, and a minimalist approach to beauty. “Let me be me” is the siren call. Adding a cleansing oil to your beauty routine will help you bring out the best in your skin, and it gives you a few minutes every day to appreciate your own face, pamper your skin, and let the beauty within shine.
How Cleansing Oils Work
Cleansing oils have been around for centuries. Before soap was readily available through industrial production in the 19th century, many cultures used oil to cleanse the face and body. Ancient Romans rubbed olive oil into their skin and removed both the oil and any dirt with a blade-like tool and a hot plunge in the baths. Cleansing Oils removes make-up, dirt, and excess sebum without disturbing the natural barrier of your skin, for a moist, radiant, and glowing complexion.
Despite decades of marketing that says oil is bad for your face, the truth is that natural, plant based oils are really good for your skin. Your skin needs to be hydrated and nourished and oils go a long way in providing skin with vital nourishment. Oils like cranberry, olive, and baobab, are rich in anti-oxidants, and help nourish, revive, and soothe your skin. During the day your face builds up a surface layer of impurities as sebum (skin’s natural oil) mixes with makeup and other skin care products, as well as environmental dirt and sweat. One of the basic rules of science is “like dissolves like” so when cleansing oil is applied to your face, it dissolves the sebum mixed with makeup, facial products, dirt, and sweat. These are simply washed away, leaving your skin clean and nourished, but never dry or dull.
Revealing your Natural Beauty
Adding a cleansing oil to your beauty routine is easy, and will only add a minute or so to your schedule. Start with a mix of oils pleasing to you, and that have the properties you’re looking for. Antioxidants, vitamins, fatty acids, and so forth. We don’t recommend adding essential oils to your cleaning oil; just let the gorgeous oils stand on their own. Create your own blend by mixing two or more oils together. You may want to experiment with a few variations before committing to a single recipe. And you may want to think about changing your blend seasonally, to help support your skin during harsh cold weather or long days at the beach.
Some of our favorites for cleansing oil include:
- Avocado Oil – rich in essential unsaturated fatty acids and vitamins, proteins, beta-carotene, lecithin, and potassium. Has a superior moisturizing effect on the upper layer of the skin.
- Babassu Oil – high in lauric acid, a saturated fatty acid that soothes and moisturizes skin. Found in coconut and palm, babassu oil is a sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative to palm oil.
- Baobab Oil – loaded with vitamins and sterols, it absorbs quickly and is well balanced in oleic and linoleic acids making it perfect for dry skin.
- Evening Primrose Oil – high gamma linoleic acid, which is an essential polyunsaturated fatty acid. Because evening primrose oil has an extremely high gamma linolenic acid (GLA) content it helps make skin feel softer and smoother.
- Hemp Seed Oil – contains proteins and high-quality fatty acids. It is high in omega-3 and gamma-linolenic acid making it a wonderful oil for dry or mature skin.
- Marula Oil -with a high mono-unsaturated fatty acid profile similar to olive oil, it is also rich in antioxidants. It is highly nourishing, naturally softening and revitalizing to the skin.
- Pomegranate Seed Oil – a natural triglyceride oil with high levels of antioxidants. It is also is one of the few oils to contain the essential fatty acid Punicic, a conjugated linolenic acid.
- Organic Olive Oil – containing oleic, palmitic, linoleic, linolenic and stearic fatty acids, olive oil is hydrating and soothing and is a perfect oil for dry and mature skin.
Select your primary oil and then add in small amounts of the supporting oils. We like strawberry seed oil, sea buckthorn berry oil, prickly pear, pumpkin, and kukui nut oil as additions to your main carrier oil.
How to use a Cleansing Oil
- After washing your hands, pour a small amount of cleansing oil into your palms.
- Do not wet your face. Begin gentling massaging the cleansing oil into your skin, with upward, circular strokes.
- Massage for one to two minutes, concentrating on the pleasure of the oil on your skin.
- Wet a clean facial cloth with hot (but not too hot) water and wring out excess water.
- Place the facial cloth over your face and let it ‘steam’ for about 30-45 seconds, or until the cloth cools
- Gently wipe off the oil and pat dry.
Follow with a small amount of facial oil — like our cranberry, pumpkin, and pomegranate seed facial oil, or use a bit of your cleansing oil and gently blend into your skin.
If you want to make your own cleansing oil, check out this Fresh Batch Recipe or watch this video from Kitchen Chemistry Host, Teeneke Barresi.
Let it shine!
As you find ways to bring your natural beauty forward this year, don’t forget to find ways to let your personal style, your voice, and your unique you-ness shine, too.
Do you have a favorite way to bring out your natural beauty? Do you have a favorite cleansing oil? Please share!
