Friday, May 1, 2009

you wash your face with what?!

A few days ago, I read an archived post at Balancing Everything. In it she talks about washing her face with extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). I'd read mention of this in several discussions about personal care routines over at The Babywearer but hadn't given it much thought.

(On a side note, I've just realized that I read a lot of blogs written by Mormon mommy bloggers. But I'm not Mormon. And please, I have nothing but love for Mormons. There are some great blogs with great writers, many of whom seem to be Mormon. Is that weird? Is it just a strange coincidence or is there a disproportionately high number of Mormons who like to blog?? )

Then I began to think about the 4L of extra virgin coconut oil (EVCO) I currently have in my cupboards. And I began to take a closer look at my face... the enlarged pores, the fine lines and wrinkles. Clearly I don't have much to lose.

So I tried it.

I'm only on day two so don't have much to say yet. The process, however, is easy and quite relaxing.
- pour a small amount of oil into your palm (about a quarter's worth)
- rub your hands together to warm up the oil
- massage it into your skin, focussing on any trouble areas
- let it sit and sink it
- wet a soft washcloth in HOT water and wring out
- hold the washcloth to your face to let it steam (sit back and relax while it cools)
- repeat 3-4 times
- gently wipe away any remaining oil
- air dry
- rub a few drops of oil into your skin to moisturize

While it might seem CRAZY totally counter-productive to rub oil onto your face, the premise is that oil (in this case good extra virgin oil) attracts and disolves the bad oil, dirt, impurities, dead cells, bacteria and other impurities.

If you want to read more about the Oil Cleansing Method there's a brief introduction HERE. There's also a forum HERE.

I've read stories of great results using this method and, since it requires me to buy nothing new (ie, no spending out of pocket), I'm game to try it. I hoping to see some noticeable results within a few more days or a week. The other benefit to using the coconut oil is that it has a natural SPF of at least 5 (could be as high as SPF 15), so I'm protecting my skin as well as cleaning it.

Now I'm just wishing I had a sweet macro lens for my Nikon D40 DSLR (sorry, just trying to get rid of the ant, formula and toilet ads). If I did, you know I'd be taking close-ups of my nose and chin for you all to examine. Before and after shots would be fun.

9 comments:

  1. I've heard of this before. I tried it for a little while but never really pursued it. We do use coconut oil, especially in the summer time.

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  2. You forgot to mention the most important part of the article. You need to use Castor Oil. It's the Castor oil that absorbs the impurities. If you have oily skin the mixture should be 30% Castor oil (primary oil) to 70% Sunflower Oil or EVOO (secondary oil). Just thought I would point this out. Great article, I might try it.

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  3. hmmm, yes, I have trouble with the putting oil on my face part but I am very intrigued! It could save me a LOT of money since I buy Arbonne facial products right now. Keep us posted!

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  4. That DOES sound counterproductive... so let me know how it works for you! I'll maybe try it when I hear your results. :)

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  5. Okay Amy, before and after pictures are a must! Love ya, Dianne

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  6. Hmmm..I've never heard of this before, and I'm not too sure about slathering oil on my face :)
    But hey, if it works, I'm willing to give it a go...especially because of the cost!

    I'm excited to see how you find it.

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  7. You know I'm a big fan of EVCO, right? I love using it on my skin, feels much better than O, IMHO. It gets absorbed much faster and doesn't leave your skin feeling slimy and oily. I don't remember to use it regularly, but I see great difference when I do use it.

    funny observation about mormon blogs :)

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  8. It totally works. I started using the Castor oil on Saturday and I can't believe the difference! Why has it taken 33 years to find out about this miracle? My skin is soft, smooth (no bumps anywhere) and free of blemishes. Thank you Amy for sharing a great article.

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  9. Ooh, I may have to try this!

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