May 19, 2014

My Skincare Routine Featuring Olive Oil (The Super Oil)

My skin has never been perfect. As mentioned in my Bio Beauté review, I struggled with acne from a young age. Like most consumers who have suffered from acne, I have tried countless products. Some products worked better than others; however, I still had my acne and was insecure about my skin. I used Cetaphi for years and it worked great for me. Cetaphil was very gentle on my skin, unlike other cleansers which simply stripped my skin of its natural oils. It was my holy grail cleanser for years, but I needed something better.

Last summer, I found my skin was going through a change; my skin was no longer was dry to normal, even in the warmer months. Based off my observations, my skin was more combination - oily - a skin type I was not familiar with. My "T - Zone" was extremely oily and I had more acne, throughout that portion of my face. I was embarrassed and became insecure about my skin's appearance. Prior to these breakouts, I was no longer able to purchase my acne gel, which was another holy grail acne product of mine. I had purchased another acne gel for my skin, which somewhat worked, but my acne never went away completely. I was in desperate need of an acne solution.

After I realized that these acne creams were not helping my skin, I began to do my own research on natural skin care; I had read all about natural skincare benefits associated with these types of products many months before. I stumbled upon an article and it was about different oils used for cleansing the skin. Based off what I read, Olive Oil was the best for most skin types and I had an abundance of it at home - a perfect match. Once I started using this method to cleanse my skin, I noticed a huge difference in both how my skin felt and appeared. A couple weeks later, I came across a YouTube channel called CloudyApples. Kassie (CloudyApples) was truly a breath of fresh air. She had a similar "acne story" to mine and had lots of videos about natural skincare. Her video, Oil cleanse for Blackheads & Pimples," taught me a lot and further validated what I had learned through my own research.

*We both use similar oil cleansing methods; however, I believe she now uses different types of oils within her routine. I will provide links/ embed some of her videos within this blogpost. Please check her out and support her channel. I like to support local talent, like Kassie, and believe more people should watch her videos. She is very helpful and knowledgeable about natural products! I do owe a lot of this method to Kassie and believe she deserves a great deal of recognition.*

My Skincare Routine:

1. Wipe face with facial toilettes - this removes the first layer of makeup
- I like the Kirkland Brand from Costco
- they are great for sensitive skin
- inexpensive
- actually remove a lot of makeup

*If I have no makeup on my skin, I start with step 2*

2. Apply oil to face - massage olive oil all over skin with slow circular motions
- be sure to apply olive oil to the eyes to remove makeup
- inexpensive and gentle eye makeup remover
- great eyelash growth serum due to the vitamin E (very nourishing)

3. Apply cleanser to face - massage cleanser all over the skin with slow circular motions
- make sure to not sip off the oil prior to applying the cleanser
- when the cleanser and olive oil mix tougher, they create this creamy solution which further cleanses the skin
- I use my Cetaphil cleanser for sensitive dry to normal skin type
- avoid foaming cleansers because they dry out and alkaline the skin (perfect for acne - do not want!)

4. Apply a warm facecloth to the skin
- make sure when steaming the skin, the water is not too hot
- if water is too hot, this will cause the skin to dry out and the acne will get worse
- this "facial" method opens the pores and will pull out the skin's impurities
- leave cloth on skin till it cools down

5. Gently remove facecloth and splash face with cold water
- the cold water helps close the pores
- helps to de - puff skin and eyes

6. Gently pat skin down with a clean facecloth, do not rub!
- apply moisturizer (lightweight preferably)
- do not over moisturize the skin
- some people find the olive oil moisturizing enough that they do not need to apply a moisturizer after cleansing
- I use my Bio Beauté moisturizer if I do choose to moisturize after my skin cleansing

My skin feels and looks better than it has ever before. My acne scars are significantly diminished because of the Vitamin E in the oil. Vitamin E is great for acne as it is gentle, lightens the spots pigmentation and has antimicrobial properties within it.

Here is Kassie's YouTube!

https://www.youtube.com/user/CloudyApples

These are some of my favorites for skincare. She does have more videos on similar subjects too!