I’ve been using oils as my cleanser and moisturiser for years. I used to be afraid of them, convinced that any type of oil was going to break me out. But then I learned that some oils don’t clog your pores, and some oils even help to clear out clogged up skin. I’ve been a convert ever since!
Why hemp seed and jojoba oils are my favourites
Hemp seed oil
Hemp seed oil is my new number one favourite oil. It has a comedogenic rating of 0 which means it is safe to use on acne prone skin and will not clog your pores. In fact, it will actually help to balance out your excess sebum.
When linoleic acid is not available in the skin the sebaceous glands produce sebum with oleic acid, which is is drier and firmer than healthy sebum. This dry and firm sebum can then easily become stuck and form blackheads and whiteheads. Hemp seed oil contains a perfect ratio of EFA’s and therefore providing our skin with the much needed linoleic acid if it is lacking. In fact, hemp seed oil contains 57% of linoleic acid which is a lot!
Jojoba oil
Jojoba is technically not an oil, it’s a liquid wax with a funny name. But it looks like an oil and feels like an oil on the skin. Sebum is composed primarily of gycerides, free fatty acids, wax esters and squalenes. Jojoba oil is composed primarily of wax esters and fatty acids which is why many say that is the oil that most closely resembles human sebum. Check out this diagram of jojoba wax esters molecular structure compared to our own wax esters to show just how similar they are:
Image source: The Jojoba Company
Because of this similarity when used as a cleanser and moisturiser it can actually help to reduce sebum production. However, if you have a lot of clogged pores then it can begin the process of purging them out which can be a bit of a difficult process for some. I have found that jojoba oil is best suited for those that do not have a lot of comedonal acne.
Jojoba oil is also naturally anti-bacterial so it can help to prevent new acne from forming. But remember, it is very unlikely for any external treatment to successfully work at curing our skin – it’s important to work internally too.
How to use these oils for cleansing & moisturising
Using these oils is actually the easiest thing in the world. I don’t do the Oil Cleansing Method (OCM) because I found it to be too aggressive on my skin. My philosophy is gentle and simple and it seems to be working well for me.
First, rinse your face and neck with warm water. Then pour a generous amount of the oil into the palm of your hand. You apply it as you would any other cleanser or soap. You don not need to spend time massaging or rubbing it in unless you love how it feels!
Next, simply rinse the oil off with warm water. You’ll find that a lot of the oil will remain on your skin and that’s okay. If you wish to exfoliate, now is the time to do that. Note that I often cleanse again with the oil after I’ve exfoliated.
Pat your face and neck with a towel to dry. Most of the oil residue will come off with the towel. If your skin is feeling in any way dry or tight, then apply more of the oil. I find that I use a lot more hemp seed oil than I do jojoba (I actually use quite a generous amount of hemp seed oil as my moisturiser!!). The hemp seed oil seems to have a way of soaking beautifully into the skin after five minutes or so. But the jojoba oil can remain on the top and become a bit too oily if applied too heavily.
Remember, you may not necessarily need to use a moisturiser. Here in the Andes in Peru it’s very dry so I need a lot. When I’m in Australia in the summer or Bali, then I don’t apply any moisturiser because the weather is so hot and humid. Just see how your skin feels – you’re looking for any feelings of dry or tightness.
How often do you cleanse this way?
Cleanse and moisturise as often or as little as you need – there are no rules. Peronsally I cleanse every and moisturise every time I take a shower and don’t worry about it in between unless I need to wash my face.
What about removing makeup?
If you wear just a little bit of mineral foundation then you may find this method is enough to get your makeup off. If however you feel that it doesn’t, or you’re wearing a good amount of makeup, then either cleanse twice and/or use a natural face wash cloth with the oil to properly get the makeup off. I keep a stack of face cloths so that I can just machine wash them after use.
You can get hemp seed oil, jojoba oil and hemp/organic cotton face wash cloths in the High on Clear skin online store.
