One of my favorite discoveries for soft skin is oil. Yup, oil is my favorite go-to when it comes to soft skin, clear skin, radiant skin, or calm skin. My detoxing period lasted an unbearably long time during my transition and the evidence was right on my face. I have played with many different remedies but I always find myself returning to oil.
I rotate my oils, generally going back and forth between pure Olive Oil and pure Coconut Oil. Coconut Oil has
antibacterial benefits, as well, because of the natural presence of Lauric Acid. So though it seems counter-intuitive to rub oil on your breakouts, it can actually calm your skin and combat the detox symptoms gently.
Olive oil is just one of my favorite feelings in the world when it comes to skin. It is fairly thick so I don’t use it as often, but when I do,
oh baby is it good. I wrote about how I use it
here so check it out for ideas. Another great idea for olive oil is to use it in the shower with salt (my own little concoction) as a scrub, then let the water rinse it off. It leaves your skin soft and moisturized but doesn’t leave it sticky.
I also use an olive oil moisturizer from DHC, a beauty company. The
virgin olive oil is prepared in a way that is perfect for skincare, so there’s no experimentation in the kitchen needed. Because such high quality oils are pricey (see prices below, too) I can thank my momma for this oil as a Christmas gift …
Natural Health Mag has a
quick and dirty blurb about why oil is in fact one of the better options for your skin:
Natural Health Mag Beauty Blunders
MISTAKE NO. 4 Over-cleansing and exfoliating
WHY EXPERTS ARE FROWNING You’re stripping your skin of the oils it needs to function properly. Over-cleansing skin leads to premature wrinkles, says Mirran Raphaely, CEO of Dr. Hauschka Skin Care, who explains it this way: “Using harsh exfoliators and heavy cleansers on your skin every day creates an unhealthy dependency—your skin forgets how to take care of its own moisture needs.” We remove oil thinking that it’s the problem. In reality, the more oil you remove, the more your skin works to replace it—creating more oiliness. “Like cures like, so a little bit of a healthy, plant-based oil on the skin helps the skin stay balanced,” Raphaely says. “It may sound counterintuitive, but once you try this method, you’ll never go back,” she adds. So, exfoliate just twice a week, and choose the right product for your skin type. Young, healthy skin will respond to any type of scrub; if you’ve got thinner, mature skin, opt for a fruit enzyme, which gently sloughs off dead cells.
Try: Bobbi Brown Cleansing Oil ($38; bobbibrown.com) dissolves makeup and leaves skin super smooth without stripping skin. /Lancome Crème Douceur Cream-to-Oil Massage Cleanser ($25; lancome-usa.com) is applied like a moisturizer, then is transformed into oil.
