Today, I’m excited to be giving over my blog reins to one of my favorite 20something bloggers, Fabulously Broke, who writes a blog called: Fabulously Broke in the City, which is a lifestyle blog with a focus on personal money management and debt. She is also the author of The Everyday Minimalist and Style on a String.
And if y’all are missing me (I know, I know), feel free to check out my post at Secret Society of List Addicts, where I’m the new Wednesday blogger!
NTKOG Guest Blogger: The kind of girl who would think olive oil would be something good to put on her combination skin, as a cleanser.
I am: Not shy when trying back to basic beauty recipes like washing my hair without shampoo, coating shea butter on my legs, or using baking soda as a cheap, very gentle and effective facial scrub.
I am not: Willing to let this method go even if it sounds weird, if it will be better on my skin in the long run, and taste pretty good if it runs into my mouth by accident.
The Scene: My apartment, the test bathroom for all of my crazy going green ideas. Luckily, I have a wonderful BF who is VERY low maintenance, and totally supports my going back to basic beauty experiments.
I scoured the internet using my trusty Google skills to read up more about it.
Why they say it works:
Basically, your skin produces oil. Everyone knows that.
If you cook, you know that putting water into a pan with oil is NOT a good idea (and yes, I have done it by accident a number of times). Since oil doesn’t mix with water and wash off, it’s why we use a facial cleanser that has something called surfactants in it.
These surfactants grab those little oil molecules and hugs them with their white foamy lather so that when you rinse the lather off, the oil molecule goes kicking and screaming down into the drain, in a tight head lock by those lathered suds.
At least, that’s how I imagine it works.
Now that your skin is stripped of all the oil (both good and bad) and you will have to put back some sort of water-based moisturizer so your skin doesn’t feel tight and start to over produce oil to make up for the dryness of your skin.
Now for the recipes I found.
Method #1
The recipe: Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Castor Oil. If you have dry skin, use more Olive Oil, and if you have oilier skin, use more Castor Oil.
The method: Take extra virgin olive oil, rub it into your face, and then using a warm wash cloth, gently rub and wash the skin, while slowly removing the oil. This is the decidedly messier option, as the oil may never completely rub off, they say.
Method #2
The recipe: Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
The method: Take extra virgin olive oil, rub it into your face to mix with the bad oil that produces pimples and clogs your pores. Gently rub it off with a warm wash cloth, and finish with a facial cleanser.
This last part never made much sense to me with the finish of the facial cleanser, but I suppose it’s like putting oil onto your skin FIRST, and then when you clean it off afterwards, the oil has somehow absorbed into your skin beforehand, and built up a little olive barrier?
Either way, I was finishing with a facial cleanser, and my whole goal was to NOT use a facial cleanser if this method worked.
The Verdict:
No go for me.
I broke out within the first week of trying method one. Pimples popped up on my cheeks, and on my forehead. No go.
Method two, felt the same as when I washed with a facial cleanser. Just with an extra, messy, oily step.
While it doesn’t work for me and my skin, I hear it does wonders for others. I guess my skin is just extra sensitive to oils, and olive oil is just too heavy for it to handle.
I think I will stick to what I have been doing before — if I don’t wear makeup, I’ll just wash my face with just plain ol’ water and dabbing it try.
If I wear makeup that day, I’ll just use a good facial cleanser with some baking soda mixed in it to get everything off my skin.
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I think it’s so fascinating how everyone’s skin is so different. I didn’t wash my face (except for with water) EVER until about a year ago. Now I just use a simple face wash, and it seems to do the job. I don’t think my face would work well with any kind of oil. Even moisturizer seems to be too much.
Great guest post!!
Maybe in method 2 the oil is supposed to even out the combination skin so its all oily when you apply the cleanser. Who knows? At least that is one home beauty tip I know I can skip…gotta try that baking soda bit though.
I’ve tried this, I didn’t break out, but I also didn’t feel like it cleaned. DHC sells a version of the “deep cleansing oil” that I’ve tried. It seems to have some kind of additive that makes it wash away cleanly. Then again, they want $25 for 6.7oz. of the stuff.
I’ve used Mario Badusco, and liked the products. They’re also very liberal with freebies to try. But in the end, I always come back to Cetaphil cleanser (occasionally mixed with crushed aspirin as a salicylic acid scrub), retin-A and coconut oil.
Glad someone else tried this one! I’m a warm water only girl for washing my face with a little Noxema about once a week. Since I’ve ditched the heavy cleansers I haven’t experienced but an occasional zit. Everyone is dubious that just water keeps my skin so clear, but that’s all I do.
I am, and forever will be the kind of girl who will wash only with water if I didn’t wear makeup that day.
If not, a light cleanser does it.
My skin couldn’t take the oil, and just broke out like a mofo!
As for cleaning only with water, I find it works because your fingers rubbing your face, and then dabbing with a towel after, is more than enough to lift the oil and dirt off.
I also mix in some baking soda + water on occasion, and it definitely gets rid of the oil, because the scrubby granules soak it up and rub it off.
I’d never try the olive oil myself because I’ve made it my life’s mission never to have oil on my skin–ever. I tend towards the oily. I don’t use a lot on my skin–just cetaphil twice a day. And I moisturize before I put on my foundation. I use the occasional stridex pad when it’s super humid out, and…that’s about it. I’m a little OCD about cleaning, though, so I don’t think I could go down to just water (normal routine for me is showering twice a day…).
I find oil awesome to make my skin smooth. Especially a mix of oil AND sugar used as a face scrub. Utterly fab.
I’m a very light facial cleanser girl, every morning in the shower. Otherwise, water does just fine.
Bit dubious about putting extra oil on your face though, it doesn’t sound like a pleasant experience at all.
These are some great tips, my friend. I’ve heard of this before, but have never tried it, mainly b/c I fear the BREAKOUTS! I’ve tried so many “natural” methods, but I’m still convinced a little chemical action is necessary. Although, I do find tea tree oil to make a great astringent.
Love that you experimented for us and that you posted in TKOG fashion. Fun, right?
Hahaha I’m laughing at the oil-water cooking analogy. Can’t imagine that happening on my face! But yeah… some people’s skin can deal with only water to cleanse. I guess it’s fine as long as they don’t use a ton of makeup.
The breakouts are the skin’s purification process, they subside after 2-3 weeks, and are worththe wait.
I’d suggest a mix of castor oil and jojoba for cleansing. Castor is cleansing, and jojoba is way lighter than olive oil. Make it 30% castor and the rest jojoba.
Haha, your methods sound a little complicated! I’m the same as you when it comes to experimenting with Green alternatives to makeup and makeup removal. When it comes to oils and makeup removal, I only use 100% Virgin Olive Oil to remove eye makeup. I keep a little stash of it in my bathroom, and dip a Q-tip in it, rubbing off excess oil onto the little tub I keep it in, and then gentling rubbing it over my eyes (taking care never to open the eye while it’s on because it burns!)
You need very, very little oil on the swab otherwise it is a mess. But a little definitely goes a long way. Then I have a paper towel half-damped with water in my other hand, and immediately pat down/gently wipe the eye area of oil/makeup stuff sitting on my eye. It works for me =) but agreed, for my face I just use a mix of Facial cleansers and whatnot, too.
A cotton tip dipped in Vasoline can also remove your make up but it’s a bit heavier and requires more harsh rubbing, so I don’t prefer it.
Aly