Oil Cleansing

Who doesn't want healthy, clear skin? Not a single person I know... I've been struggling with acne for a while now and I feel like I've tried every product and acne line on the market, minus a few. I was getting so frustrated with how bad my skin was looking. I wash my face before bed, when I wake up, after working out, I clean my makeup brushes... you name it, I do it. But nothing seemed to be making it better. I finally got to the point where I made an appointment to see my dermatologist. I've been several times before and it usually ends with me leaving with an expensive face wash or cream that works okay, but still doesn't give me the results I'm looking for.

About a week before my appointment, my mom told me some ladies she works with actually use oils to cleanse their face and that maybe I should look into it. I'm not going to lie... I was extremely skeptical, although I had heard of this before and I never gave it a second thought. Not only was my acne really bad, but I naturally have very oily skin and the thought of adding more oil to that was making me want to not even consider it, but I thought about it a little and decided to do a little research before completely tossing the idea. That night I was at Whole Foods buying oils...

I learned that all of those harsh chemicals we are smearing into our pores aren't actually as effective as we think they are. All the dirt and sweat and gross stuff sitting on our faces can actually get pushed further into our pores, making acne even worse. The oils used to clean your face help bring up the bad oils and dirt and stop them from soaking deeper into your pores, and the cleaning oils help moisturize your skin... unlike most acne products which dry your skin out, and in turn your body overcompensates and produces even more oil. The oils used to cleanse your face also help prevent your skin from making so much oil during the day, so it's less oily! 

Depending on your skin type and the results you are trying to achieve, there are different types of oils to use. I use a mixture of avocado oil and hazel nut oil. I have the two mixed in a jar and I use that at night time, followed by applying apple cider vinegar as a toner. After that dries, I apply tea tree oil on red spots... It helps with inflammation and redness. If I don't apply tea tree oil, I apply coco butter as a moisturizer. 

In the morning, I cleanse my face with raw honey. It's antibacterial properties help prevent breakouts, and I follow that with the apple cider vinegar as well. I still noticed that I had some bumps that were still bothering me and I needed to get rid of them, so I used a homemade oatmeal mask... So much better than a store-bought jar of chemicals! Not to mention is was super easy to make.. I just cooked a half cup of oatmeal, let it cool, mixed in a tablespoon of raw honey, and applied to my face for 20 minutes. I seriously don't remember the last time my skin looked this healthy!! 

My skin is still not exactly where I want to it to be, but I've only been doing this for about a month. Things like this take a little time, but I've already seen major improvements. Another thing I've been doing is drinking Kombucha a couple times a week. It helps keep my gut clean and balanced... Along with eating clean and healthy, of course! This just goes to show that food is medicine! There is absolutely no need to fill our bodies with harsh chemicals that aren't even doing anything for us.