There are about a million products out there that make your face less dirty, but I am here to say that you can throw everything else away (OK, maybe not) and give your life over to one product: cleansing oil.
If you’re a human that wears makeup, you may be weary about the prospect of using oil on your face, and a lot of us have many makeup products that prevent just that. But, I swear: This is good.
Cleansing oils are a blend of “good oils” that emulsify your makeup, clean your face and take away the “bad oils” on your face. When massaged into your face, it can also lift away impurities and show more healthy skin underneath. In other words, it takes away all of the sweat, dirt and makeup that have built up on your face each day and replaces it with the face-skin of the angels.
While this may sound complicated, it was actually super easy to put in my super lazy skincare routine. It basically takes the place of your nightly cleanser and makeup removal. You can certainly cleanse after and just use it as a makeup remover, but why? It’s got what you need.
The way that I use it is pump a generous amount into my hand, massage it on a wet face, focusing on your eyes at first to remove all of the goop that I pile on them daily and then work it into the rest of my face. Upside, you’ll look like a terrifying swamp monster if you wear even a stitch of black makeup, which is a great way to scare partners, roommates, family. Then you rinse it off and pat dry with a towel.
While this seems like a relatively high end product and there are certainly many expensive versions, I’ve found some amazing drugstore cleansing oils. The three that I think are worth trying are Neutrogena Ultra-Light Cleansing Oil ($8.99), Garnier Clean+ Nourishing Cleansing Oil For Dry Skin, ($8.21), and Burt’s Bees Facial Cleansing Oil ($15.99).
I started with Neutrogena and it was by far the thickest, which is funny considering the name. It was easy to work with, relatively scent-free and was my gateway drug. The Garnier is what I am currently using and what I will probably buy again. It is much thinner, has a scent and is much more moisturizing. The Burt’s Bees I have not tried, but seems to be better for oily skin-types, has gotten rave reviews from both my friends and the online beauty community.
There are also tons of online recipes which use a combination of different oils and infusions if you really want to save some cash. I’ve heard awesome things about this recipe and it can even be tweaked based on your skin type. Once you get really good at it, you can make it totally customized.
If you’re interested at all in starting using a cleansing oil, Winter is a seriously great time to try as your skin is probably dry and in need of some serious moisture. If all else fails, it’s a great way to feel like you’re some fancy makeup guru ahead of the next trend.