smartskin101

If you’ve read my previous blogs, you’ve learned that I believe oil is one of the best ingredients for skin care products.  I have been arguing this case to friends and family for years, but it has been met with strong resistance.  When trying to convince people to actually put oil on their faces, you can just imagine the looks I receive.  You would honestly believe that I’ve said something ridiculously absurd, or even offensive.  But I promise I do know what I’m talking about.  If you’re daring enough to try oil out, you may just turn out to be a converter.

Years ago I began flipping through a catalog my roommate had received from DHC, a direct mail skincare company from Japan. DHC advertised their Deep Oil Cleanser as a “world-wide bestseller” and customer favorite out of their entire line of products.  I was curious enough to order the smaller of the two sizes they offer, and I can honestly say this one product had singlehandedly changed the way I view oil and skin care – in the best way possible.

Oil, as it happens, will actually give your skin the deepest cleanse without stripping your face of its own natural oils.  Topical makeup and dirt seem to melt off effortlessly.  And while you massage the oil into your skin, it begins to break up the trapped dirt and oil in your pores that cause whiteheads, blackheads and pimples.  Some of you may be shaking your heads, thinking  that I must be crazy and this is a clear recipe for a breakout.  Well, five years ago I may have agreed with you.  Today, however, I know that whether you have oily, combination or dry skin, oil cleansers will not clog your pores or make your face more oily.  In fact, I had a terrible slick on my face for years (an ex actually asked me why my face was so shiny once – yeah didn’t last long) and when I began using this cleanser, in time, I was no longer going to the office bathroom halfway through the morning, using the toilet seat covers to blot all the extra oil on my face.  (What? It’s the exact same paper they sell to you at Sephora for $15!) The reason for this change in my skin’s behavior was due to the fact that I no longer was stripping my own natural oils from my skin, which prevented it from over-producing sebum to compensate.

My DHC discovery was nearly 5 years ago, and I have been using oil cleansers ever since.  And while I’ve tried many different products, DHC’s Deep Oil Cleanser is probably the best one for all skin types, and definitely is the best product for oil cleansing newbies. So if you’re new to the concept of cleansing your face with oil, I strongly recommend starting with this cleanser.  Any pore-clogging properties have been extracted from the cleanser and it is water-soluble, meaning it’ll rinse completely off without any trace of a greasy residue (even when you rinse with cold water – which I recommend, particularly for drier skin types). In future posts, I’ll talk about other good and not-so-good oil cleansers.  Happy converting!