Well, it's been a while. I considered giving up the blog world, yet here I am with wisdom to share.
I've posted about skin care and facial cleansing before, but I was in Denver then. It occurred to me upon moving back to Florida (and my face continuously breaking out like a 13 year old going through puberty) that what they say is true, it really is all about location, location, location.
Who was I to think that my regimen was universal? Particularly considering the extreme lack of overlap between the climate I'd adjusted to for the last year, and that which I had known my entire life?! So, I started my research...and I really shouldn't be surprised that I was taken back to my humble science-based educational roots. It's pretty simple:
LIKES DISSOLVE LIKES.
Oh, so you're tired of my rambling? Me too. I'll get to the point.
This website is a good starting point. There are so many different oils and combinations you can use. I recommend extending your research and testing out different options to figure out what's best for you based on your skin type & needs. I'll share my own findings with you. In just a minute. Be patient :-)
On the topic of patience: that is what you'll need with this method. It's pretty scary to think of CLEANING your face with oil. Our whole lives we've been brainwashed to think we need to scrub all that oil away with commercial chemical cleansers - nay nay! We are doing more harm than good! When we remove all the oils from our skin, it compensates with increased sebum production (an all-out oil slick) which leads to trapping of dirt and bacteria, clogged pores, pizza face...whole nine yards. And here I thought I had it all figured out. I'll share my regimen first and then get to the positive feedback (per moi of course...) feel free to add your own!
You have two options, the long road, or the short road. Both are good, however I recommend doing the long at least once every 1-2 weeks.
Long:
Put together a steam bath (I do mine in a big pot on the stove) with very hot water. I add peppermint & rosemary. Peppermint has a cooling effect, nourishes dull skin, and helps to improve oily skin. Rosemary actually has antibacterial properties. I believe fresh is a necessity in this case. I used pure peppermint extract and I felt it worked very well. Peppermint oil would probably be best if you can't get it straight from the source (i.e. the plant).
It's a run of the mill steaming process - 10-15 minutes with a towel over your head to trap in the steam. Worth it. BE PATIENT! Oh and be careful, steam is very hot. Like burn your face and eyes hot. Use common sense!
Then your oil. If you're mixing, you should do so ahead of time. I use castor oil & olive oil. Again, do your research to see what is best for you. I've found that my ideal ratio is 3:1 --> 3/4 tsps olive oil to 1/4 tsp castor oil. Be careful with the castor oil as it has very strong drying effects on your skin. I will say, I started out with a 50/50 ratio on my combination skin and I was just fine, but I think over time it would get very dry which entirely defeats the purpose of using this method in the first place!! You want to balance your oil production.
Ok - so rub that mixture into your skin for about a minute or two, really let it bond. It's cozying up, keeping your worst enemy close to do its job. THEN! You get to blast it with steam. That oil is like a flying ace - serving your skin with extreme patronage.
Get a washcloth wet with hot water, as hot as you can stand, and lay it over your face. Leave it there till it cools. But make sure you can breathe. The first time I kept breathing the washcloth into my mouth and nose. Not worth it, breathing is important.
Once it cools, repeat! You're going back in for round two - these guys are sneaky & tricky - they think they can outsmart your trusty COOO pilots (oh, that's castor oil olive oil for short, clever right?!)
We are still talking about cleaning your face, I promise!
I limit this at two times usually because by then most of the oil has been steamed away. Sometimes I'll do a little scrubby scrub with the cloth, but it's really unnecessary. At this point you can A) splash your face with cold water, and massage any remaining bits of oil into your skin as a moisturizer or B) soldier onto the next step which is the MASK!!!
I LOOOOVE masks. And they're so simple. I just use plain greek yogurt and honey. I will throw some sea salt in there too if I need exfoliation. Just spread it over your skin and let it dry, wash it off with warm water (and I mean all of it! If you leave any of those sugars on your skin, that's just FOOD for yucky icky acne causing bacteria) and then splash with cold water to seal your pores. Follow with moisturizer! If your mask is too watery, strain in through some cheesecloth before you plan on using it so that it's thicker. Wonderful.
Short:
NOW, if you don't have have time or effort for all that - let's face it, that's a lot of steps! - then just steam out your face with the washcloth a couple times, massage your oil mixture in, and then steam out, followed by cool water. Voila! Do this at night and you'll be on your way to beautiful skin. I just rinse with water in the mornings, allowing the steam from my shower to do its work. No need for additional cleansing. DEAD SERIOUS!
Also, mix small amounts of oil at a time, just enough to last for a day or two so it stays fresh and clean. Only use what you need.
Success moment: I had some beautiful hormonal volcanoes on my face a few days ago, and I just couldn't help myself. I had to do something about them. So they got "extracted" while I was in the middle of my oil rubbing step. Not the brightest idea. BUT - when I finished my steaming, they weren't raised anymore, they weren't all red, they actually looked like they were healing. When I woke up in the morning, I could barely tell they had ever been there at all. Maybe I just got lucky, but I've NEVER had an experience like that before! Remember, your skin does most of its healing and rejuvenating at night. So be nice to it :-)
Let me know if you try it and how this process works for you! In all honesty, reading other people's successes, improvements, questions, and suggestions made all the difference in my willingness to try this method. Oh - p.s. - castor oil is traditionally used as a laxative...so that adds to all the fun when you go to the store to buy it ;-)
XO
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