The Benefits of Cleansing With Oils

For years, cosmetic companies have been selling us the feeling of “clean” skin – free from every trace of product, pollution and natural oils by a variety of cleansing products. But has our facial cleansing routine actually been over-stripping our skin?

Dermatologists are increasingly voicing their skin concerns of over-cleansing and exfoliating too much, which can leave skin with breakouts and even fine lines and wrinkles over time. If you’ve tried everything that the big beauty brands recommend to give you perfect skin and there’s still room for improvement, cleansing oils have the potential to rock your skincare regime, giving you smooth, flawless skin and that sought-after glow.

The Cleansing Trap

We all want spotless skin upon which to layer our products, from skincare to make-up. But the skin on your face isn’t like the surface of your dressing table or mirror. It was never designed to be stripped, disinfected and de-oiled. Skin responds to having all of its oil stripped away by trying to re-balance its natural barrier. For some people this means breakouts; others may experience alternating dry and oily patches and this can be a psoriasis and rosacea trigger for sensitive skin. Eventually your skin might get used to the cleansing/re-balancing cycle, leading to breakouts or dry patches - even if you don’t religiously cleanse it in exactly the same way every day.

While this skincare routine might sell a lot of foaming cleansers and special sponges, it’s not necessarily the best thing for your delicate facial skin.

Oil cleansing benefits in a nutshell

From the most dry to the most oily skin, oil cleansing tends to have a balancing effect on all skin types. Dry skin benefits from the surge of extra moisture, without being stripped by harsh cleansers. For both oily and dry skins, the old oils that have lain on the surface of the skin and in the pores can be gently dissolved and moved off the face, without disturbing the skin’s natural barrier. The less disturbance you cause your skin, the more it will repay you by being well behaved, including keeping down the amount of dry patches, breakouts, itches and bumps and turning up the natural glow.

Skin science vs marketing

Although we’re conditioned, particularly in our teenage years, to believe that oil is the enemy, the correct facial oils actually bind to dirt and bacteria, allowing them to be easily removed from the pores. Oil is excellent for removing make-up, dissolving and thinning everything from the lightest BB cream to waterproof mascara - again without disrupting the skin’s natural barrier. Perhaps the most surprising aspect of oil cleansing is that it can really help with acne. If you think back to the acne product campaigns of your teenage years, oil cleansing goes completely against the message of these ad campaigns, which often heavily promoted the idea of blasting all oil from the face to prevent spots. For many people, that approach unfortunately doesn’t work.

Botanical oils contain antioxidants, which help to neutralise the damaging free radicals that cause premature ageing. By using a plant-based oil rather than commercial skincare products such as a foaming gel, we’re bombarding the skin with helpful rather than irritating or drying ingredients, even at the cleansing stage. The skin never needs to start reacting to harsh chemicals or sudden temperature changes, or the drying effects of water and there is little disruption to deal with.

Not only does oil cleansing act as a perfect make-up remover, but it also replaces the harsh stripping effect of commercial cleansers with a nurturing, balancing cleansing experience. This supports the skin’s natural defences and promotes healthy, happy skin. Say hello to natural cleansing oils and you may even banish your skin woes for good! Plus, all our cleansing oils are organic and vegan products! For a full range of our vegan beauty products, including women's, baby and men's skincare ranges, visit our online shop.

Try our oil-based organic cleansers and save 15% when you enter PURECLEANSE15 at check-out before 31 March 2019.

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