2 months in!

I wanted to post an update of my personal experience using only oils for all my skin care needs. It has been two months of using the oil cleansing method and I am still hooked. So what have I noticed?

• My skin is softer with better color. This is the first thing that I noticed when I started and it continues to be true.
• I still break out. This has not cured me of acne. However, I do not break out ANY more often, or worse. For me, that is a big fat win. I can use OIL on my face, no chemicals or commercial facial products, and my acne doesn’t get worse? Basically, just proof that all the sh*t I used to spend a lot of money on wasn’t doing anything. What does make a difference in breakouts? Diet and stress. I can predict a breakout based on my meal choices for the day. Alcohol, sugary, greasy, dairy? Likely gonna wake up with a few little bumps. Clean diet? Clean face. What else treats breakouts? Acupuncture!
• The breakouts I do experience aren’t leaving marks like they used to. This method has faded any red spots or scars on my face.
• My fine lines have softened. After only two months I absolutely notice plumper looking skin at my smile lines and between my brows, with less noticeable fine lines around my eyes. For other ways to fade fine lines, try acupuncture. Cosmetic acupuncture targets wrinkles and boosts collagen production.
• My eyelashes are still long. Confession: I have used Latisse in the past (which works), but I decided if I was really going all natural I needed to ditch it, so I stopped about 2.5 months ago. I was worried my eyelashes would fall out and go back to their normal non-Disney princess length. I lost a few, but for the most part, I haven’t really noticed any difference. The only thing I can attribute that too is the oil cleansing. The conditioning that the oil gives my lashes keep them long and strong and I am a happy woman!
• My lips are less chapped. I usually experience very chapped lips in the winter and the last couple months they’ve been in better shape than usual. This is probably due to a number of factors, but rubbing oil on them nightly has likely helped. I wake up and they feel plump and smooth and luscious!
• I have to wear a headband to keep my little baby hairs around my face from getting greasy when I oil cleanse. Occasionally they get greasy anyways and this is kind of a pain the butt. The oil spreads to my hair while I sleep and it just means washing or baking soda to absorb the oil the next day. It’s avoidable but I get lazy and don’t wear headbands every time I wash and then notice the next day my hair looks a little oily. The upside: great conditioning for your hair.

Other tips for oil cleansing:

For the most part, my routine has stayed exactly the same as described in The Oil Cleansing Method 101.

I use tea tree oil to spot treat breakouts and it works like a charm. I use rose hip oil on my neck, chest, and occasionally around my eyes to help keep wrinkles away. I love my soft organic cotton washcloths and the whole thing is still an enjoyable before-bed ritual. I don’t use anything on my face in the mornings.

I am probably never going to give up my Bare Minerals powder, Tarte mascara, and other more natural/less-toxic makeup products, but I absolutely LOVE simplifying my life by allowing my skin and hair to be as natural as possible. I put far fewer toxic chemicals into my system, spend less money, and less time. I highly recommend you take steps to detoxify your products, simplify your beauty routines, and go natural!

Want to detoxify your products but not ready to go full-blown granola on the face wash and shampooing like me? I always use Environmental Working Groups Skin Deep cosmetic database to get a safety rating on all my products. It is a great resource!

More information on the top 10 toxic beauty ingredients here: Toxic Beauty Product Ingredients.

So what’s up next? I’m in my first week of the no ‘poo method. Not what you think… No shampooing. Basically, a similar approach as the Oil Cleansing Method. You remove all commercial products and allow your hair and scalp to go back to their natural healthy state, using only baking soda and apple cider vinegar to cleanse and some oils to condition. Posts on that to come.