“Chique” Tip: Nurture your Skin with Oil

When it comes to taking care of my skin, I would say I am a bit neurotic. You can ask some of my college roommates, I never went to bed at night without washing my face. In fact, it became a source of entertainment that even after a few too many beers, I still managed to perform my evening ritual.

Well, those college days are surely over but one tradition still holds strong; I never go to bed without cleansing and moisturizing. I am a self proclaimed cosmetic junkie.  But unfortunately, I have champagne taste on a beer budget. If I could afford to bathe in Creme de la Mer, I would. Realistically, I am only getting a few deluxe samples from my loyal friends at Saks.

As the years went by I wondered how I could still be getting pimples as an adult?  I would obsessively scrub and exfoliate hoping to rid my complexion of its imperfections, until one day someone told me I was striping away the natural oils.  I never considered myself lucky for inheriting oily skin but I guess I should thank my Italian Father for that trait.  But it must also be that Sicilian gene that gave me skin that could so easily tan.  Oh well, you can’t have it both ways.  I am trying to embrace my skin type hoping it means less wrinkles in the long run. P.S. Don’t tell my dermatologist about the sun tanning habit?!

Well, after trying countless products, I was still breaking out, so my trusty Aesthetician told me to use oil on my face. It may seem contradictory to apply oil to oily skin but in fact, oil dissolves oil. The cleansers I was using were over drying  my skin and as a result my oil glands were producing more.  I started using Sonia Dakar repair complex but eventually transitioned to moisturizing with pure organic Vitamin E oil.  I must say, my skin feels great and it has been ages since I have had a pimple!

So after many months of using oil to moisturize my skin, I started researching the “Oil Cleansing Method”, which is exactly what is sounds like, using oil to clean your face. The theory makes perfect sense, so after much research, I decided to mix my own cleanser. In today’s market there are so many natural, organic products that making your own cosmetics is easier than ever before.  Don’t worry, the OCM is not just for people with oily skin. You can adjust the recipe for your skin type. I found this great website, the Oil Cleansing Method to help guide me through the process.

One of the more popular combinations is to mix Castor Oil and Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Castor Oil is an odorless, tasteless emollient that helps draw out the impurities. While EVOO is a soothing moisturizer which nourishes and heals the skin. Who would have guessed that my newest beauty secret would be in my kitchen cupboard? Now, I have been treating myself to an oil cleansing massage each night and my skin feels so soft & supple.  In the morning my skin is still glowing and moist. So therapeutic and oh, so “Chique”.