A number of years ago, I read a book called The Beauty Experiment. In the book, the author writes about her experience of going without make-up, hair dying appointments, and completely simplifying her skin regimen. The part of the book that struck a cord with me was about the abundance of beauty products out there and usually they don't work. I started to pay more attention to the products that I was using and started purging and simplifying.
One night I was doing research on how to get rid of pesky breakouts that hurt under the skin's surface and I came across this idea of oil pulling. It sounded great and I only had to buy one product which was only $5.99, and it was a product that had multiple uses. I gave it a try and was hooked.
There are various ways to cleanse with oil. The concept is that other face cleansers strip your face of the naturally occurring oil, which causes your skin to overproduce oil, which then causes the breakouts. In addition, applying oil to your skin, breaks down the barrier of dead skin cells that blocks your pores from being cleansed.
Many people use a carrier oil (base oil) such as castor oil and then mix in coconut oil, jojoba oil, or sunflower seed oil. I have done this and it works great but I usually go back to just using coconut oil because it yields great results and is simpler.
Coconut oil has a lot of vitamin E oil in it which helps with scaring. It also has a lot of anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties which help tremendously with cystic acne. It also offers a little bit of protection from UV rays, although you definitely still need your sunscreen.
Keep in mind that in the cooler temperatures, coconut oil solidifies. In the warm temperatures it is a liquid. If it is in a solid state, it will melt as soon as you put it in your hands. Just wet your face, and pour a little coconut oil onto your hands and massage it into your face. Then use a hot or warm washcloth to gently steam your face so that the oil can penetrate into your skin. Lastly, gently wipe off any residual coconut oil.
I find that by cleansing with coconut oil, I have:
1. Removed all the make-up from my face
2. Cleaned my skin
3. Moisturized it to the point where I don't need to put on moisturizer
4. Overall better complexion and more even skin tones
Sometimes, I feel like I should put on moisturizer because that is what the beauty industry is telling me to do, but honestly, I usually breakout a little bit when I do.
If you are looking for a natural toner to use after cleansing, apple cider vinegar is a great option. It keeps the pH level of your skin where it should be, at around 5. Just mix a 1 part apple cider vinegar with 4 parts water. The apple cider vinegar helps lighten sun spots and acne scars too. Just an added bonus.
I have been washing my face with coconut oil now for probably about three or four years now and I absolutely love it. I often recommend it to my friends and since it seems a little different, they usually give it a try. I have had a few friends who are totally converted now.
During those three or four years, I have swayed occasionally and tried other face washes that sucked me in because of pretty packaging, but I always dry out or break out and happily return back to my coconut oil. I have also found that coconut oil is a great make-up remover and is the one thing that actually cleans out my pores. Many of the face washes that I have used seem to clean the surface of my skin but fail at cleaning out the pores.
Coconut oil has a number of uses. I keep a container in my bathroom and can use it to wash my face, shave my legs, add it to my hair to make it shiny (just a tiny bit), or use it to replace mouthwash (this boasts great oral health benefits). I also keep a jar in the kitchen to cook with or add into smoothies.
Better 7 is all about trying out experiments to see what small changes you can make to enhance your life. If there is any one thing I would recommend trying, it would be to wash your face with coconut oil for at least one week. I love it and I hope it works for you.
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