Oil Cleansing Progress - with Coconut Oil

Remember the other day when I talked about oil cleansing? Well, I took the plunge and tried it using pure coconut oil. I've been doing it for about 3 days now, and (gasp) I think I actually like it!

My greatest fear with trying the oil cleansing method was that my cystic acne would come back.  I've been acne-free for years now (since using coconut oil based soap and mineral makeup), but I still have extremely sensitive facial skin. I think the only thing that motivated me beyond my fear is the fact that I know my skin likes coconut oil in soap.

I have not yet noticed any breakouts that I feel are related to the coconut oil. What I mean by this is, I wake up with the occasional white head, and that happened yesterday morning, but, since this is "normal" for me, I don't feel it's a result of the coconut oil cleansing.    

I've had some blemishes that I've had trouble clearing for a while, and, since oil cleansing, one of them has miraculously gone away already!  The perpetual microscopic blackheads on my nose and chin are diminishing in appearance, and my pores seem to be shrinking.  I can't say for sure if these results will be lasting, as I've only been doing it for a very short time, but so far, my face is less oily to the touch than it has ever been in my adult life. My face is also softer than I ever remember it being without a moisturizer, and I don't have any flaky, dry skin anymore!

This is really amazing stuff.  Time will tell if this will be successful long term, but judging by the results lately, I have really high hopes!

Here's what I did:

I scooped some coconut oil into a small storage container to take up to the bathroom. While in the shower, I scooped out about 1/2 tsp with my finger and rubbed it all over my face, neck, and ears. I rubbed it in for a while, until I felt nice and smooth.

After that, I stood with my face in the hot water stream for a few seconds (to steam my pores open). Then I massaged my face and rinsed again. Then I stuck my head out of the shower and patted the excess oil off with my towel. Then I finished the rest of my shower routine, massaged and rinsed my face once more, then turned off the shower and dried off. 

Just a note...my shower floor was not slick AT ALL doing this in the shower using coconut oil. 

My face is not the least bit oily when I'm finished. I simply cannot believe the results.


If you are interested in trying this at the sink (instead of in the shower), there's a really great tutorial on that over at mommypotamus, which is where I originally stumbled upon this idea.  She includes a list of various oils, and their benefits, and also some oil "recipes."

There's also a really great article about oil cleansing at Wellness Mama.  I absolutely love her site, by the way.  There is a ton of great alternative health info over there!