So I’ve been doing this for long enough (4-5 months) that I think it’s pretty solid now, and wanted to post about it to spread the word in a less frilly and convoluted way than most other sources. I’ve noticed that every soap/cleanser (no matter how natural) meant to strip dirt/oils actually makes my face more angry and more dry, plus I’m cheap. So after troubleshooting here’s my daily jam:
1. Oil cleanser
- I use about 3/4 grapeseed oil and 1/4 castor oil, just eyeball it. Grapeseed oil is light and one of the few non-comedogenic oils, so it won’t clog pores. This is the ‘carrier’ oil meant to cut the castor, which is what does the cleaning but is super thick and drying. You can also use more moisturizing carrier oils like jojoba or sweet almond, but grapeseed is a safe starter.
- Use more castor for oily skin, less for dry. I found that my skin was actually normal and that my face washes were what was causing it to be oilier than usual, due to stripping off my natural oil barrier and drying me out, so start with just 1/4 castor oil. If this is too drying or irritating, use even less (and remember to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated).
- Optionally, add any essential oils you want. I use tea tree for acne and lavender to soothe redness.
2. Toner
Pretty straight forward. Cut apple cider vinegar down to 1/3 or 1/4 in a bottle with water. ACV is antiseptic, antibacterial, balances pH, exfoliates, and seriously fades redness. It does smell when you first put it on, but it dissipates quickly and I kinda stopped caring haha. I add some tea tree to this too.
3. Moisturizer
After cleansing and toning, I just scoop a teeny pea-size ball of coconut oil and let it melt into my fingers and rub it in. It shouldn’t feel slick or oily at all, just comfortable. Too much can clog pores and attract yuckiness, as coconut oil is pretty comedogenic. Again, you could use something safer like jojoba for this.
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To wash, I squirt a quarter-sized pool of oil in my hands and massage it around my dry, unwashed face for a minute or two. This part feels gross. Then I rinse with warm water (using my hands) to separate the oil a little and emulsify the oil/water. This takes a good deal of oil off, which I wash off my hands with soap and repeat. Run a washcloth under steamy hot water, wring out, and lay over your face for 15-30 seconds (or until it goes cool). Use it to gently wipe any lasting oil off, then repeat a couple times as needed. When your face is wet it’ll feel like it still has some oil on it, but this is normal and just different from the drying, “squeaky clean” feel of facewash. If you wear makeup, you can do this whole part twice to make sure it’s all off.
!!! wash the washcloth after 2-3 uses, use a different one, or at least handwash it in the sink with soap to avoid oil build-up. If you don’t, you might end up just smearing oil around instead of wiping it off !!!
Then I do the toner, wait for it to dry, and use a tiny bit of coconut oil to moisturize. This all takes less time than it sounds, and I only do it at night. In the mornings I just rinse my face well with warm/hot water using my hands or a washcloth, then do toner and moisturizer.
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Ta daaa. The best part of this is that it lets your body do its own thing without being disturbed or irritated, only uses a handful of ingredients (all of which you have control over), and ultimately costs about ~$30 for over 4 months of products.
