Oil: It’s not just for cooking anymore

Have you looked at all the ingredients in the commercial face cleanser or moisturizer that you buy?

Do you find propylene glycol, butylene glycol, sodium lauryl sulfate, triethanolamine, butylene glycol, EDTA, methylparaben, propylparaben, diazolidinyl urea?  Doesn’t sound particularly healthy, does it?  Searching for a more wholesome alternative for cleansing and moisturizing my face and body was one of my goals when I started this project 11 months ago.

Since I work in the cosmetic industry, I know that cleansers are just oil and water emulsions.  Emulsion is a fancy word for saying oil and water that are intricately mixed and not “separate”.  To achieve this, you need “emulsifiers” or ingredients which either allow water to float in an oil solution or the reverse.  Note that the oil often present in products is not actually oil but silicone.  As you can imagine, silicone is not a naturally occurring ingredient and not good for our health.  Emulsifiers are typically chemicals that allow the “oil” and water droplets to comingle so that you do not end up with two separate phases.  Cleansers and moisturizers are also mostly water (more than 50%) so consider this when you buy expensive products.  You are basically paying for water and fancy packaging.

I have been reading on line a lot about DIY cleansers and I found that it is almost impossible to make oil and water based cleansers and moisturizers without chemical emulsifiers.  During my research, I discovered that several people were simply use oil to clean their faces and to moisturize.  Skeptical, but willing to try anything once, I decided to give the oil cleansing method a try.  For optimal results, we want to use “non-comedogenic” oils.  This means oils that do not clog your pores (comedones).  Low comedogenicity oils include avocado, jojoba, sweet almond oil and olive oil.

In the past weeks, I tried these 4 oils with varying levels of success.   Some people mix the oils but for my initial experiments, I decided to try them individually.

Left to Right: Sweet Almond Oil, Avocado Oil, Jojoba Oil and Olive Oil

My first experiment was with sweet almond oil.  After spilling a significant amount in the shower,  I put a some almond oil on my face, rubbed and massaged it in.  Unfortunately. I had too much and ended up with quite an oily face.  For me, this oil was too greasy.  I then read on line that you have to apply a warm washcloth to your face to remove the excess oil.  Who knew that there was a procedure to all of this?

I then tried olive oil.   It worked quite well but the odor was off-putting.  I felt like I should be adding spaghetti to my face.  I realized after that I should have added an essential oil like lavender to mask the odor.  The use of a masking fragrance is actually a technique used in the cosmetics industry to hide chemical odors in products.

My colleague Bridget told me that she uses jojoba oil.  Off I went to Bulk Barn to buy yet another oil.  Jojoba is similar to the oil in the sebum and is therefore an excellent option.  It worked better than all the options that I had tried to date.  It was pleasant to apply, was odorless and absorbed easily.   However, it didn’t quite feel rich enough and after a few hours, my skin felt very tight.

Finally, I tried avocado oil.  It was recommended for older women as it is very hydrating (I am not afraid to admit that I am an “older woman”).

It was definitely my preferred option.  Like the jojoba oil, it was easy to apply and absorbed easily into my skin though not as well as the jojoba oil.  It too was low odor.  Rich, moisturizing and thicker than the other oils that I tried, it left my skin feeling hydrated without being overly oily.  As I have combination skin, after cleansing, I add another drop of oil to my cheeks as they tend to dry out.  I have been using the avocado oil for a week and I really like it.  I have even successfully used it as a makeup remover.

Observations from using the Oil Cleansing and Moisturizing Method

• It takes some trial and error to find the oil or oil blend that works for your skin.   I plan to try blending the avocado and jojoba oil as I think this would be optimal blend.  I also understand from reading about other people’s experiences that your skin can change over time and sometimes changes are needed to the oil or oil blend used.
• Like my father in law who was a chemical engineer like me used to say, chemicals are used for a reason.  I have been used to commercial cleansers and moisturizers which are oil and water emulsions and the oil only approach takes some getting used to.  I think it is same process for transitioning  to natural DIY cleaners versus commercial cleaning products.  However, the health benefits are obvious and in my opinion, the change is definitely worthwhile.
• While adopting a zero waste lifestyle can add time consuming activities to your life, using a single oil is easy and makes your cleansing and moisturizing routine very simple and healthy.
• Using a oil cleanser is very cost effective.  The cost per use is minimal ($0.03-$0.10 per use) and is at least half of the cost of commercial cleansers and moisturizers.
• After this successful introduction, I plan to make more natural cleansers and moisturizers.

Challenge for the Week:  Have you tried using natural oils as cleansers?  How did it work for you?  If not, are you be interested in trying it out for a week?  Let me know how it works for you.