A year and a half ago, I ditched traditional skin care products (cleanser, toner, moisturizer, scrub, mask) for the oil cleansing method.  All this time later, I’m still loving the simplicity of this approach.  I massage the oil mixture into my face during my daily shower, and gently remove it with a hot wash cloth.  Done!  And sometimes I skip a day when I’m not wearing makeup. 

If you don’t know what in the world I’m talking about, read my post Cleaning your face with… OIL for simple directions. 

Besides simplifying my life, the oil cleansing method is definitely saving me money.  That first bottle of sunflower oil lasted for a year.  I’m still using the original bottle of castor oil.  As such, this facial skin care regime costs me about $15 a year… a YEAR!  As a bonus, I know exactly what I’m putting on my skin (no chemicals here!) and I’m eliminating the waste typically generated by multiple little plastic bottles of a multi-part skin care solution. 

So, how’s it working?  My skin has always been blemish-prone.  I’ve noticed no worsening breakouts and a slight improvement during certain times of the month over and above my old Kiss My Face products.  During the moist, humid summer, my face requires no moisturizer at all with the oil cleansing method.  Since I’m not stripping my skin with a chemical or soap-based cleanser, my natural oil production is balanced (hurray!!!) and sufficient.  This is a HUGE improvement, since I’ve always had combination skin that’s oily and flaky.  During the winter, I apply a tiny bit of 100% sunflower oil or Weleda’s Lavender Oil (for a treat!) to my skin post-cleansing when needed.  I still like to use a scrub about once a week just because it feels good.  After I used up my store-bought scrub, I switched to baking soda – wonderful, versatile baking soda.  I keep both the baking soda and the oil cleansing solution (25% castor oil/75% sunflower oil) in little glass spice jars in the shower.  So simple.  So pure.  So cheap!

Related posts:

1. Today's Green Mama
2. The Best Clothesline Ever
3. Cleaning your face with… OIL!
4. Just Chill, Mama
5. 20% off at ReusableBags.com!

Tags: eco-friendly, in real life, oil cleansing method, skin care

This entry was posted on Friday, January 29th, 2010 at 9:20 am and is filed under Eco-Friendly Living. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.