Tuesday, October 4, 2011

On Face Washing...

Wash Your Face art print
by Lot No.2


My skin has decided that 30 is the new 13. I have not been happy about it. In fact, we have had words, but you know what 13-year-olds are like - impossible to reason with.

So. I found a link on Pinterest (the love of my life, by the way) about the Oil-Cleansing Method, where you basically slather your face in oil (castor and extra-virgin olive) and cross your fingers and hope for the best.

I know. It sounds terrifying.

But you guys!! I tried it and my skin is very happy indeed! Like, insanely happy. It seems to think I've been spending my days relaxing at the spa - which I can assure you I have not.

I'm one of those lazy people who cringes at the idea of a 3-step skin regimen, because seriously, who has time to wash your face in 3 steps? This cleansing method has 2 steps - 1.) slather face and 2.) stick a warm cloth on face until it cools down (about a minute) which sounded very high maintenance, but has turned out to be fairly low maintenance. Also, I haven't needed moisturizer after washing my face for the first time since I was 13 - AND my skin isn't covered in an oily residue. Sweet.

Will it stay all shiny and fresh and cleansed with clear pores for all eternity? Only time will tell. But so far things are looking good.

How about you, folks? Does your skin hate you more and more the older you get, too? And if so, what do you do about it?

*Update - a couple months later, my skin is still very happy, although I have had to add extra olive oil around my forehead and eyes after washing, because winter dries my skin out.

xoxo,

14 comments:

SewSweetStitches said...

Ahhhh yessss this is SO me! I never had serious problems until I turned 25, then I started getting these horrible.... THINGS on my face. They're not even really zits, they're like way under the surface and they just stay there and get really red and swollen. It's awful.

I tried the Peter Thomas Roth regimen and it works well but is ridiculously expensive and really harsh. Lately I've been using something from etsy that's basically dirt and ground oats or something, but it exfloiates wonderfully without drying, and then there's an oil that you apply afterwards that feels sooo good. I was afraid to put oil on my face at first but I think the concept is that if you DONT oil your skin, it gets dry and goes into oil-producing-mega-mode. Anyway sorry I just wrote a whole book in your blog comments :/

ps. cutting out chocolate did wonders too. Except you don't get any chocolate :(

pps. here's the link to that stuff i use http://www.etsy.com/listing/76148680/clear-skin-trio-for-acne-or-oily-skin

ppps. I'm going to try the method you mentioned though because it sounds cheaper, thanks!

pppps. Ok i'm done now I swear I'm shutting up

Carry Grace said...

I have read about this, tried it, and my face really liked it. I was so excited, then I started reading more and starting seeing about bacteria growing on the cloths because all of the oil doesn't come out in the washing machine. That kind of freaked me out and I quit. I'm sure I probably should have continued to research, but I didn't.

Any ideas?

Shelley (EvenAndy) said...

I have not heard about the oil mask but it sounds interesting. My skin goes through faces but it has actually improved over the years. I think I might try the oil mask especially with the weather change.

Unknown said...

Melissa - EW. I get those, too. What the heck is up with that??? Yes, this one is definitely budget friendly!!

Nikki - Gross, I'm not a bacteria fan. But that seems weird as castor oil is a bacteria killer on skin... why would the washcloth fill with bacteria even after washing? Idk, but maybe I'll recycle my facecloths more frequently to be on the safer side. :)

Shelley - good luck! I'm curious to see how my skin handles the weather change, too!

Anonymous said...

Yes it seems that my skin needs more oil/moisturizer applied to it to look good. And if I give it oil it won't overproduce it's own oil.

Weird this aging thing.

Meeling said...

Thankfully I've always had pretty good skin. A bit on the oily side, but thankfully not many breakouts to go with it and I think so far it's keeping the wrinkles away nicely! ;-)

I'm a bar of soap gal...I like to feel squeaky clean. Then I do use moisturizer (that's new in the last 10 years or so) before that nothing.

I use either the charcoal soap from an etsy shop called Belle Terre or Clinique soap. Then moisturizer usually Clinique or Olay...those both "like" my skin.

DancingMooney said...

I use tea tree olive oil soap on my face and it seems to keep things in good shape for me. I can still tell when I've eaten too much chocolate though... a pimple always comes, never fails. ;)

DancingMooney said...

p.s. about the above comments that oil doesn't always wash out of wash cloths in the laundry... try putting some baking soda in with your laundry soap... {or you can try oxy clean, but I think the baking soda more or less does the same thing...}

Unknown said...

Thanks for the washing tip, Janell!!

Here's a homemade oxyclean recipe using baking soda, hydrogen peroxide and water - http://www.creativelydomestic.com/2009/06/homemade-oxyclean.html

I haven't tried it but I've heard good things. :)

Kelly Warren said...

Hmmm...interesting. I'm, um, 15 (choke) years older than you, and I STILL occasionally have little devils pop up but they are pretty rare. I've always been a Neutrogena girl, soap and moisturizer, but I'm now finding as I get older that I can't find the right Neutro for aging skin. Funny I read this today because I woke up this morning looking like a prize fighter, eyes very swollen. I tried a new moisturizer last night that apparently did not agree with my skin! I'm at the point where I don't often have breakouts, but I'm getting those old crows feet around the eyes. Not sure it's a good idea to put castor oil and EVOO around my eyes but it sounds great for the rest of my face.

Natalie C Parker said...

I'm definitely going to try this. I always starting mixing in rose oil with my moisturizer in the winter, but this method sounds great. I'll let you know how it goes!

Anonymous said...

I'm so excited to hear you talking about this! Most people look at me like I'm crazy when I say I clean my face with oil. But I've been doing it for a year and the most noticeable benefit has been the complete disappearance of those eyebrow lines you get when you're always frowning and scornful. GONE. So I can still make faces, but no more lines to call me out!

(and I have switched to jojoba oil as the carrier oil, though I can't remember why...it's supposed to mimic our own face oils the closest, I think. But there are all sorts of oils that will work with the castor oil--almond, avocado, others that I can't think of off the top of my head...and I put tea tree oil in mine, too. It's supposed to help with the breakouts.)

Kelly Polark said...

Oh, man. I'd be scared to put oil on my face!!! (but I'm glad for your sake it is working out!)
I sometimes forget to wash my face before bedtime. Terrible habit. But now that I am at an age that is much more than 30 :), my friend has convinced me I need a better regimen. So yes, I've done a 4 stepper tonight. I hope I can keep it up and my face will thank me. :)

Laura Pauling said...

I'd be nervous to put oil on my face too but maybe i'll try it...

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