Oil face

My newest OBSESSION!

Well, it’s not that new.

I got obsessed a few months ago.

But didn’t blog about it.

So, it’s more like My Many Months Old Obsession!

As you know, I like eco-friendly things. And I like home remedies. And I like CHEAP stuff.  So, when these three things collide I fall in love (hello, vinegar). And such is the story with CASTOR OIL. I (not so) recently read up on using oil as a part of one’s beauty routine and all the benefits therein.  I realize as Americans the idea of using oil on one’s FACE sounds like pure torture, especially considering all the time and money we spend trying to RID our skin of it.  But think about it, why would we want to completely obliterate something that naturally occurs in our body? Couldn’t it have positive use and a reason for happening? Skin produces oil, we know that, and sometimes it feels like your face was rubbed in a plate of greasy fries, and all you want to do is de-grease your face.  Oil (in our minds) equals zits equals utter shame and embarrassment (or just a little).  Have you ever had a breakout, and washed your face multiple times a day trying to dry them buggers out, only to have more breakouts happen?  When your skin is stripped of its natural oils it goes into OVERDRIVE trying to replace what’s missing, hence making your skin a million times more oily (slight exaggeration).  Your skin needs oils in order to stay fresh and healthy.  It helps push out gross stuff, and keeps your skin resilient and moist from within.

Using oil to cleanse your face is really very cool.  I won’t attempt to speak as though I am a face oil scientist (FOS) but I can say in my research I understood this simple fact: certain oils will actually dissolve other oils and will gently remove them without drying out your skin. Pure magic. 

So, what oil are we rubbing so happily on our faces?

Here enters our new friend, Castor Oil.

Castor oil has been used for ages as a homeopathic cure for constipation.  Which, makes it a bit funny when you go the pharmacy and say “Hello Dr. Pharamacist, I need some castor oil FOR MY FACE!” Look in the laxative section and you will see it.  It’s cheap, which will make you love it more.  And has multiple uses!

It is an anti-inflammatory oil, which is one of the reasons it helps with breakouts.  It works its way into the pores, dissolves the excess oil, and helps to calm the skin. Or, as the FOS would tell you, castor oil “penetrates deep into the skin due to its molecular mass, which is low enough to penetrate into the stratum corneum. Castor isostearate succinate is a polymeric mixture of esters with isostearic acid and succinic acid”. Yeah.

 It’s also a good idea to mix in a bit of a secondary oil, like sunflower oil (make sure it is a pure, cold pressed oil).  Since castor oil is so thick, it helps to thin it out a bit. Plus, one like sunflower has fatty acids and is packed with vitamins and nutrients that are also great for your skin.  The mixture is sort of up to you, the oilier your skin, the more castor oil you can add.  It might take a few tries to figure out what you like best.

Ok. Now how is this magical concoction actually used?

I like to do my ‘oil facial’ after a shower.  The hot water and steam help open up your pores so the oil can really get in there and do its work.  Have a washcloth handy.  Pour some of your oil in your hand, and start rubbing it all over your face.  Massage massage massage.  (And OH! It totally removes all makeup -including eye makeup- so there’s ANOTHER bonus!) Focus on problem areas.

After you’ve rubbed it in for a while, take your washcloth and soak it in hot hot water.  Squeeze it out and just lay it on your face. Let the steam help pull shit out of your face and then lightly wipe with the washcloth.  There should still be oil on your face.  Keep massaging it, and repeat the steamy washcloth step until there isn’t really enough oil to repeat the process.  Be sure you don’t SCRUB your face with the cloth, a gentle once over each time is all you’ll need.  Keep in mind your facial skin is very delicate and really should never be treated harshly! Pat dry with a towel and you’re done!

If your skin feels dry after this, you can take a small dab of the castor oil and rub it in and leave it.  The next morning when you wake up, you won’t need to use face wash, simply splashing your face with water will do the trick!

This is not something you should do every day, but a few times a week is perfect.  The first few times you do it, you might say “my skin still feels overly oily” but this is only because you’ve cleared out a lot of junk and plugs in the pores and it takes a while for them to get back in proper working condition. But give it a few tries, eventually your skin will be back in working order the way it should be!

Ok, are you ready for YET ANOTHER WONDERFUL BENEFIT from this magical oil? It’s age fighting! It’s an anti-wrinkle oil! So, if we keep this up ladies, we’ll look like we’re in our twenties FOREVER!

I’ve also used castor to help work out splinters and I rub it on my cuticles at night… it’s magical.

I used the word “oil” 36 times in this post. BOO YA!