I post a lot of recipes on here, but this one is a little different, more in DIY personal care category. It's a recipe for your face.
Your face!
I don't expect every one of my readers to care about this post. But I'm posting it anyway for those who appreciate simplicity and less overall fuss in their lives. This has been a recurring theme in my adult life; maybe it is in yours, too. That's why I'm happy to share how I've basically whittled my whole skincare routine down to two ingredients: jojoba oil and witch hazel.
Your face!
I don't expect every one of my readers to care about this post. But I'm posting it anyway for those who appreciate simplicity and less overall fuss in their lives. This has been a recurring theme in my adult life; maybe it is in yours, too. That's why I'm happy to share how I've basically whittled my whole skincare routine down to two ingredients: jojoba oil and witch hazel.
Sometime last year a friend of mine who is a champion for DIY personal care products told me that she "washes" her face with oil. Because she's in her 40s and has youthful skin, I figured it was worth a try. It's not much different from washing your face with other non-soap based products like cold cream, but people say the oil cleansing method is effective because oil attracts oil (though it is a common tendency to think oil will clog your pores), and you're still left with moisturized skin without all the chemicals.
The method is to pour a dime-size amount of oil (or a blend of oils) on your palm and massage it onto your face. No need for water just yet. And yes, you can rub around your eyes, and gently across your eyelashes to get your eye make-up off, too. After 20 seconds or so of giving your face a luxurious massage, get your water as hot as your hands can handle and soak a washcloth in it. Ring it out and place the steamy washcloth on your face for about 20 more seconds, until the washcloth is no longer hot. Do this once more and begin to gently wipe the oil from your face. Repeat a few more times as necessary. This is your daily facial and one of the loveliest ways to end a long day. Technically, you don't need to do anything else, unless you'd like to dab a little oil under your eyes and across any typically dry areas.
Since I began this routine, I've noticed I never get flaky skin with the change in seasons and I haven't broken out once. You can research this all over the internet and the majority of the reviews seem to say the same thing. I'll let you do that on your own if you're skeptical.
Witch hazel is my other go-to product for looking lively in the morning. I love Thayer's lavender- and rose-scented, alcohol-free varieties. I wipe it on my face after my morning shower to wake up my skin a little and, if necessary, I pat on a tiny amount of jojoba oil and let it absorb before putting on my make-up.
I choose jojoba oil because of what I've read about its similarities to natural skin oil, but many others seem to use olive, coconut, vitamin E, almond, avocado and/or castor oil (mix castor oil in if you have especially oily skin) with nice results.
Both jojoba and witch hazel are good remedies for a host of other things, too, acting as lip balm, scalp treatment, wrinkle reducer, neck moisturizer (jojoba); and as a pore reducer, puffy eye treatment, and skin softener (witch hazel).
A caveat: This isn't the most ideal system for traveling. Lately I've brought my own washcloths on trips so as not to oil up my hosts' supply of them. (Oh yeah, and you'll need a good supply of washcloths.) And you better make sure your bottle of oil is secure when you pack it. Most of the time I just suck it up and bring travel-size makeup wipes and have dry skin for a few days.
Overall, though, this couldn't be more simple. You feel like you're treating your skin every day. It's also inexpensive. I pay $13 every few months for good quality jojoba oil and $10 every few months for the Thayer's witch hazel.
Are you ready to try it? Have you already tried it? Let me know what you think.
The method is to pour a dime-size amount of oil (or a blend of oils) on your palm and massage it onto your face. No need for water just yet. And yes, you can rub around your eyes, and gently across your eyelashes to get your eye make-up off, too. After 20 seconds or so of giving your face a luxurious massage, get your water as hot as your hands can handle and soak a washcloth in it. Ring it out and place the steamy washcloth on your face for about 20 more seconds, until the washcloth is no longer hot. Do this once more and begin to gently wipe the oil from your face. Repeat a few more times as necessary. This is your daily facial and one of the loveliest ways to end a long day. Technically, you don't need to do anything else, unless you'd like to dab a little oil under your eyes and across any typically dry areas.
Since I began this routine, I've noticed I never get flaky skin with the change in seasons and I haven't broken out once. You can research this all over the internet and the majority of the reviews seem to say the same thing. I'll let you do that on your own if you're skeptical.
Witch hazel is my other go-to product for looking lively in the morning. I love Thayer's lavender- and rose-scented, alcohol-free varieties. I wipe it on my face after my morning shower to wake up my skin a little and, if necessary, I pat on a tiny amount of jojoba oil and let it absorb before putting on my make-up.
I choose jojoba oil because of what I've read about its similarities to natural skin oil, but many others seem to use olive, coconut, vitamin E, almond, avocado and/or castor oil (mix castor oil in if you have especially oily skin) with nice results.
Both jojoba and witch hazel are good remedies for a host of other things, too, acting as lip balm, scalp treatment, wrinkle reducer, neck moisturizer (jojoba); and as a pore reducer, puffy eye treatment, and skin softener (witch hazel).
A caveat: This isn't the most ideal system for traveling. Lately I've brought my own washcloths on trips so as not to oil up my hosts' supply of them. (Oh yeah, and you'll need a good supply of washcloths.) And you better make sure your bottle of oil is secure when you pack it. Most of the time I just suck it up and bring travel-size makeup wipes and have dry skin for a few days.
Overall, though, this couldn't be more simple. You feel like you're treating your skin every day. It's also inexpensive. I pay $13 every few months for good quality jojoba oil and $10 every few months for the Thayer's witch hazel.
Are you ready to try it? Have you already tried it? Let me know what you think.
I've been doing the oil wash too. It makes the blemishes melt off my skin, and the washcloth is a great way to exfoliate. I even like to use rosehip oil after a cleanse to help with skin rejuvenation. I hear you on the travel thing though! It's tough getting those bottles to not leak. I'm going to pick up a bottle of witch hazel and give that a go as well. Thanks for the education!
ReplyDeleteOooh, I'll have to try the rosehip oil.
DeleteI learned about oil cleansing through One Love Organics, which has a neat oil sort of stuff that you can use as a moisturizer or cleanser--it's really nice, but of course super expensive. After I ran out of that, I went back to makeup remover cloths but also have a jar of coconut oil in the bathroom that I use when I run out of cloths. I'm not really sure why I don't just use it all the time--maybe because I don't do the hot water/washcloth step; I usually just rub it off with either a tissue or toilet paper. Obviously, that doesn't sound nearly as nice. :) You have inspired me to go to the coconut oil again, and maybe use a better cloth. :)
ReplyDeleteI've been wondering if it's as effective without the steamy washcloth, because sometimes it takes too long to get the water hot. I've heard of others using oil just for eye make-up removal and using just a dry cotton pad, too. I think I have more experimenting to do!
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