Experimentation = Oil Cleansing!

What am I cleaning you ask? My face! With oil? Yes! Before you call me crazy, feel free to read this very informative article that sums it up perfectly. My skin is kind of weird and I have battled with it for years. I'm not going to be dramatic and say I "struggle" with acne because I don't. I do however have annoying blemishes, dry spots, and a very oily T-zone that an almost-30-year-old should not have.

For a long time I used astringent to clean my face at night but was still getting occasional break outs and dry/oily skin. Nick got me a different kind of face cleaner for Christmas and it seemed to help a bit but still had the same old problems. It just ran out yesterday so I decided to take the plunge and try out the oil cleansing method!

I started out simple with a mixture of 2/3 castor oil and 1/3 EVOO. I also added a few drops of Tea Tree oil (Nick calls it my marinade). It took just a pinch to cover my face and I rubbed it around for about a minute, then gently cleaned it off with a hot wet washcloth. These pictures are after the cleaning (and will be my "before" pics if it turns out well):

 

It doesn't look too bad in the pics, but I do have some discolorations, small blemishes, blackheads, and old scarring (pay no attention to the red spot under my left eye--it is dilated capillaries that I've had for many years). I have read several accounts of people who have used this method and it has reversed much of the old scarring and marks on their face.

I usually have super dry skin after a shower, but this time I did not. I didn't use any lotion or spot treatment before bed. In the morning my face did not seem oily at all, and I did not notice any new bumps. In fact it almost seemed more clear than the day before! I also noticed during my day at work that my face did not get oily in the afternoon like it normally would. Yay!

I am going to do this each night as my face cleansing method for at least one month. I will take pics again after one month and tell you about pros/cons at the end.

PS My son got a spot in our local primary school! We officially enrolled him and got the afternoon class that we wanted. Now we are all set and will meet his teacher in August.