Beautif-oil!

After more than a year of playing hide-n-seek with the candida rashes on my face and acne worthy of the blackest of teen angst, I received the most wonderful compliment today.  A friend asked if I wear makeup, as my skin looks quite lovely.  (I’m paraphrasing, but she really did like my skin.)

Hallelujah!  Happyhappyjoyjoy!

After all the store-bought creams, washes, moisturizers…it was oil that gave me my face back.  That’s right.  I wash my face with oil.  Actually, a mixture of several oils.  Twice a day.  My skin is smoother than my toddler’s rear end.

So, since I totally believe that caring is sharing and because I really want to keep my auras shiny and bright, I’m about to divulge my daily routine.  You may want to jot this down, but you won’t need to.  It’s that simple.

First off, here are the oils I combine (and don’t ask for exact measurements, because I wing it every time):

• Jojoba
• Tea tree
• Sweet almond
• Young Living Purification Blend
• Olive
• Sometimes rosehip and/or argan

It all depends on what my skin is thirsty for.  Here is why I use each of the oils listed above.

I add in jojoba because it is easily absorbed by my skin and doesn’t leave my face feeling or looking like an oil slick.  As time goes by and I continue use, it will shrink my pores and firm my skin even more (it’s already noticeable to me, but I look at myself a lot).  It also acts as a wrinkle reducer (not that I’d need that, but…I do and it’s working).

Next, I pour in a little tea tree oil.  I go lighter on this one, partly because the smell is reminiscent of hospitals and I prefer non-Nurse Ratched scents, and partly because its main use here is as acne-fixer-upper.  Yes, I break out like a 14-year-old boy with fistfuls of Reese’s cups and a Mountain Dew addiction.  But I can keep it in check, I’ve found, with tea tree oil.  Ya only need a bit.

Sweet almond.  Ah, my favorite oil of them all (after coconut oil, but that’s not what we’re discussing today).  I love the slight scent (despite it not smelling one bit like almonds) and I love the way it makes my skin feel incredibly soft and smooth.  I will often use this oil straight up as a moisturizer.  Unlike some oils, this one is suited to pretty much any skin type.  It is known for soothing irritated and inflamed and itchy skin, as well as all the benefits I listed for jojoba.

I chose Young Living Purification Blend because it battles itchiness and acne with one punch.  When skeeter season rolls back around, we will be using it on our bites as well.  You can get some here.

I’m betting many of you are already aware of the many wonders of olive oil.  It’s versatility is outmatched only by that WonderWoman of oils, coconut.  But in this case, I’m solely interested in its moisturizing properties, which are outstanding.  As with the tea tree oil, just a bit of olive oil is necessary, as it doesn’t absorb quite as well as the jojoba and almond oils.

Rosehip and argan oils are typically my go-to moisturizer, especially at night.  They, like almond, olive, and coconut oils, are incredible moisturizer (though I am not a fan of using coconut oil on my face).  Rosehip especially is coming into its own and getting recognition for its incredible ability to rejuvenate skin.  Read more about that here.  Or just trust me on this one.

Now that you know why I’ve picked the oils I have, here is what I do:  I mix ’em all up in an itty bitty Ball jar.  For the record, some people only combine two or three oils and some mix in other essentials for the scent.  But this is really working for me, so that’s what I’m writing about.

Anyway – mix those oils all together.  Dip your fingertips in and begin massaging the mix onto your face, avoiding your eyeball area (oils are great for your skin, not your eyeballs).  Pay special attention to any dry/wrinkly/broken out areas.  Massage for a good two minutes.  Enjoy this time.  Lock the bathroom door.  Disregard any little fingers or paws desperately reaching beneath the door and massage on.

While I’m massaging, I have my washcloth sitting under running hot water.  As hot as I can stand it (which is pretty f&*!in’ hot).  When I’m ready, I wring out my washcloth and drape it over my well-oiled and well-massaged face, pressing gently for about 10-15 seconds.  I repeat this process 1-2 times before wiping any excess oil from my skin.

Voila.  I’ve cleansed my face with oil.  I’ve relaxed myself to boot.  And my skin is increasingly amazing.  Because it is working so well for my face, I plan on applying this technique to the candida rash on the rest of me.  I will report back on my findings.

Fingers crossed I show up to the pool this summer without my leopard spots.