High Linoleic Oils & Microfiber Cloths - My Daily Skin Care
This post contains affiliate links from my favorite brand Mountain Rose Herbs. I love their high quality organic/fair trade products, and am blown away by their commitment to zero waste.
I've been getting a lot of questions about cleansing the face with oil and exactly how I do it. For starters I want to say that I don't just use any type of natural carrier oil. Once I learned about the chemical compositions of different carrier oils, and which ones benefit acne prone skin, I now only use oils that are very high in linoleic acid. You can read more about these carrier oils high in linoleic acid as well as a list of carrier oils high in oleic acid which cause acne in this article.
My History with Oil Cleansing
I had tried the oil cleansing method with olive oil and castor oil five years ago. It was then that I realized that skin care could be extremely simple, and didn't have to cost me over $100 every month and a half on the organic skin care brands I was using at the time. I could use only one product for my entire skin care regimen! That really excited me.
Sadly I didn't have a clue that olive oil was very high in oleic acid, and although my skin was soft with oil cleansing, I broke out miserably! It took me a few months to get my skin back in good shape, yet having clear skin was still very unpredictable. I would have clear skin for a little bit then another bad breakout, and I couldn't figure out why. It was beyond frustrating, and I had to rely on makeup to hide my flaws.
When our skin's sebum is high in oleic acid, our sebum becomes hard and clogs our pores. Literally feeding our skin natural carrier oils high in linoleic acid balances our sebum to also be higher in linoleic acid which keeps our skin clear and radiant.
Back To Simple Skin Care
Five months ago I started oil cleansing again. I wanted a simple skin care regimen that only used one product and didn't have me making a ton of DIY beauty products in my kitchen. This time I would be oil cleansing with only organic pumpkin seed oil. I had my fingers crossed that this would work and my skin care could be minimal and effective.
Organic pumpkin seed oil is very high in linoleic acid, rich in omega fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and also antioxidants which makes it a very stable carrier oil that does not need refrigeration although it is recommended. Organic pumpkin seed oil is perfect for skin as it won't disrupt the skins pH balance, and contains vitamins A, C, and zinc all incredible for maintaining clear blemish free skin while healing hyperpigmentation. It has been referred to as "green gold" because of its rich green color.
The Addition of the Microfiber Cleansing Cloth
I also began using a soft microfiber cleansing cloth instead of a regular wash cloth for this new skin care regimen. Using a microfiber cloth on its own will remove makeup with just water, yet using a microfiber cloth with other facial cleansers felt like I was over exfoliating my skin. Although using a microfiber cloth along with oil cleansing was perfection!
When I started using a soft microfiber cloth with organic pumpkin seed oil for facial cleansing, my skin started to THRIVE!
The microfiber cleansing cloth was critical to use because it removed all of the dirty makeup filled cleansing oil from skin which could have clogged my pores despite using a carrier oil high in linoleic acid. The microfiber cleansing cloth also aided in helping to unclog and minimize the size of my pores, as well as soften any hyperpigmentation from previous breakouts. My skin is clearer and smoother with every use.
Exactly How I Cleanse With Oil
I don't usually wear more than mascara for daily eye makeup, yet if this in one of those occasions where I have on the works, I will take a cotton pad saturated in organic pumpkin seed oil and gently wipe away my eye makeup. Then I take a teaspoon or more of the oil and massage it into my skin over my mineral makeup which I make myself if I am wearing it. I also massage the oil gently down my neck as well. If I need more oil I will add another layer of oil to my skin and massage gently.
I now run a microfiber cleansing cloth under warm water until it is saturated with water. I then turn the running water on its hottest setting to heat up the cloth. I gently wring out the cloth and place it over my face and neck. This allows my pores to open up while I steam my skin for about 30 seconds. I now wipe the oil away being extra gentle around the eye area. I run the microfiber cleansing cloth under water again to repeat the steaming and wiping portion of this cleansing process one last time. If I need extra moisture I will add a few drops of the organic pumpkin seed oil to my hands and pat into my clean skin. Lately I haven't felt the need to do this step at all.
I never thought that skin care could be this simple and inexpensive. A few times I tried cleansing my skin with some of my other favorite natural cleansers such as rhassoul clay and also oatmeal my skin responded poorly. I also tried misting my skin with rose water afterwards instead of using the oil as a moisturizer and my skin didn't like that much either. For me keeping things as simple as possible has proven to be the best way. My skin has always been finicky so I've learned to just listen to it and stick to what works. I now have consistent results oil cleansing this way even when my hormones vary once a month.
When I'm out of my organic pumpkin seed oil I'm curious to try another natural carrier oils high in linoleic acid which is also a very stable carrier oils such as organic rosehip seed oil . I may just stick with organic pumpkin seed oil though. Just so you know I have also tried organic grape seed oil for this cleansing method as well with success which definitely doesn't need refrigeration, yet love the results of organic pumpkin seed oil the best so far.
What has been your experience with oil cleansing?
Check out Organic Skin Care by Minimalist Beauty
Image by Dawn Michelle