The 3 Biggest Mistakes People Make Oil Cleansing
If you’re one of my clients then you know that I am constantly banging on about oil cleansing. In my opinion it’s necessary.
It thoroughly cleanses the day off of your skin; makeup, sunscreen and pollution.
It gently exfoliates
It reduces blackheads and congestion
And that’s the bare minimum. IF you’re doing it properly. Many people aren’t and it’s because of the directions on many of the Oil Cleansers on the market. Here are the 3 biggest mistakes I see when I ask a few questions to those who say that they’ve tried it and either didn’t like it or experienced disaterly results.
Not massaging for long enough
You need to massage the skin for 2-5 minutes when oil cleansing. This is because you need to create friction and heat to make the oils job easier. Massaging will also stimulate lymphatic function, increase circulation and relax you so in itself, it’s a great skincare tool that costs nothing. In science we learn that like attracts like - the oils is going to behave that way on your face. It’s going to help to liquify the edges of your blackheads - you literally feel them rolling out of your pores during longer oil cleansing sessions. It’s going to remove excess oil (sebum), it’s going to break down the oils in your products and it’s going to breakdown greasy pollution.
Not removing the oil correctly
You need to remove the oil thoroughly, this is best done with a hot washcloth. You want it to be hot, the steam is going to help melt the oil off - it cools down very quickly. This is basically the method that we use in the treatment room. Drape the washcloth over your upturned face, then softly press into your skin until it cools, then wipe thoroughly but gently. I use soft terry cloth in dark colors that are bleach safe so that I can clean them in hot water with bleach to remove bacteria completely. You can use muslin if you choose to but that’s simply preference in my opinion.
Not cleansing the skin afterwards
You oil cleanse is your first cleanse, a prep for your actual cleansing - it takes the day off. You then need to cleanse your skin with a gentle cleanser afterwards to actually cleanse your skin now that all the makeup, sunscreen, pollution and excess oil have been removed.
And that’s it! If you want to learn more about oil cleansing, you can schedule a virtual consultation with me or you can check out this video that I made on oil cleansing.