A couple of weeks ago, I came across a blog entry about cleansing your face with oil. I thought it sounded crazy, but I'd been looking for a way to incorporate carrot seed essential oil into my facial products, and this seemed perfect. I had previous read that carrot seed essential oil was a powerful tool to help with aging skin, but that it had a distinct smell. I got the oil, and it does indeed have a strong, distinct smell. Not necessarily unpleasant, but one that would probably make others look at you a bit strangely, so I wanted to use it at night. I read about the Oil Cleansing Method on wellnessmama.com. She describes the various proportions and details on how she uses this method in detail on her site. I will just share my method and results here.
What I used:
A couple teaspoons Castor Oil
A couple teaspoons Olive Oil
Several drops Carrot Seed Essential Oil
Castor oil is an astringent oil, so it is great for cleaning deeply, and may help with oily skin.
Olive oil is nourishing, and moisturizes. The carrot seed essential oil is rich in Vitamin A and help the skin to rejuvenate. I just put these together in a small jar I had saved from some previous skin care products. It worked perfectly.
The Procedure:
Using a foam wedge (normally used for applying foundation), I dip it into the oil and spread it across my face and neck. I go over my face a couple of times with the foam, then use my fingers to massage it in for a bit longer, maybe a minute or two. I let the oil sit for just a bit longer, depending on how much time I have. After that, I soak a wash rag in hot water, and gently wipe the oil off my face, being careful not to rub too hard. I have, at times, rubbed enough that my face actually felt dried out after the procedure, which is not what I want. I use this method at night, so I can have the carrot seed oil on my face all night, without worrying about the scent.
The Results/Verdict:
The first week or so of using this, my face felt pretty tingly, almost a bit warm for sometime afterwards. I'm not sure if that was from the carrot seed oil, the astringent affect of the castor oil, or an unrelated factor, but that no longer occurs. I first noticed that my face felt very soft and moisturized. It was lovely. However, that great revelation and benefit came after a week or so. I noticed that the hyper-pigmentation I had on my face, which was particularly bad after a summer of long bike rides and weeding in the garden, has faded dramatically, and is in fact almost completely gone. I am amazed. I have used various methods in the past to get rid of those spots, and none have worked nearly as well, and certainly not as fast as this method. I think it is the carrot seed oil that is mostly responsible. In any case, this is a method I definitely recommend, and will continue to use.
One Additional Note:
The big concern, I think, with putting oil directly on your face is going to be that it will clog your pores and cause breakouts. The theory behind this method is that (as we learn in chemistry), like attracts like, so the oil will pull the oils that have accumulated on our face and in our pores out and off our face. In practice, I have not seen an increase in breakouts or clogged pores since using this method, with two small notes. For a couple of days, I had a few blackheads, but I was hiking and camping during that time, which generally leads to blackheads anyway. Second, I had a few spots the day after using a clay mask, which in my experience generally leads to a small break out as the clay pulls things to the surface.
Overall, very pleased, even delighted with the effectiveness of this method. I used Castor Oil and Olive oil, but other oils could be sunflower, avocado, hazelnut, and coconut oils. I'm going to look into other essential oils that might help with anti-aging as well.
What I used:
A couple teaspoons Castor Oil
A couple teaspoons Olive Oil
Several drops Carrot Seed Essential Oil
Castor oil is an astringent oil, so it is great for cleaning deeply, and may help with oily skin.
Olive oil is nourishing, and moisturizes. The carrot seed essential oil is rich in Vitamin A and help the skin to rejuvenate. I just put these together in a small jar I had saved from some previous skin care products. It worked perfectly.
The Procedure:
Using a foam wedge (normally used for applying foundation), I dip it into the oil and spread it across my face and neck. I go over my face a couple of times with the foam, then use my fingers to massage it in for a bit longer, maybe a minute or two. I let the oil sit for just a bit longer, depending on how much time I have. After that, I soak a wash rag in hot water, and gently wipe the oil off my face, being careful not to rub too hard. I have, at times, rubbed enough that my face actually felt dried out after the procedure, which is not what I want. I use this method at night, so I can have the carrot seed oil on my face all night, without worrying about the scent.
The Results/Verdict:
The first week or so of using this, my face felt pretty tingly, almost a bit warm for sometime afterwards. I'm not sure if that was from the carrot seed oil, the astringent affect of the castor oil, or an unrelated factor, but that no longer occurs. I first noticed that my face felt very soft and moisturized. It was lovely. However, that great revelation and benefit came after a week or so. I noticed that the hyper-pigmentation I had on my face, which was particularly bad after a summer of long bike rides and weeding in the garden, has faded dramatically, and is in fact almost completely gone. I am amazed. I have used various methods in the past to get rid of those spots, and none have worked nearly as well, and certainly not as fast as this method. I think it is the carrot seed oil that is mostly responsible. In any case, this is a method I definitely recommend, and will continue to use.
One Additional Note:
The big concern, I think, with putting oil directly on your face is going to be that it will clog your pores and cause breakouts. The theory behind this method is that (as we learn in chemistry), like attracts like, so the oil will pull the oils that have accumulated on our face and in our pores out and off our face. In practice, I have not seen an increase in breakouts or clogged pores since using this method, with two small notes. For a couple of days, I had a few blackheads, but I was hiking and camping during that time, which generally leads to blackheads anyway. Second, I had a few spots the day after using a clay mask, which in my experience generally leads to a small break out as the clay pulls things to the surface.
Overall, very pleased, even delighted with the effectiveness of this method. I used Castor Oil and Olive oil, but other oils could be sunflower, avocado, hazelnut, and coconut oils. I'm going to look into other essential oils that might help with anti-aging as well.
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