To remove makeup at the end of a long day, my makeup remover of choice is the cleansing oil. Ever since I was introduced to it, I have never looked back as it leaves my skin feeling clean and soft every time.
I was discussing the use of the cleansing oil with my regular facialist and she gave me some pointers on how to use cleansing oils effectively to remove makeup. These tips coupled with some I discovered through trial and error have helped in making my skin feel cleaner and make more effective use of the cleansing oils as well.
- Always start with dry hands and a dry face. The oils act to loosen the dirt from the ports of the skin and water emulsifies it to wash it out. If your hands or face are wet, it counteracts the use of the oil and that leaves your skin feeling oily and not clean.
- Use at least 2 pumps of oil. You need sufficient oil for the cleansing properties to work. If you try to save by using less oil then you may find that the layer of oil is too thin to clean the skin properly. My personal experience puts 2 pumps of oil as sufficient.
- Warm the cleansing oils in the palm of your hand before applying. I personally find that some cleansing oils are thicker than otheres. Warming them in the palms of my hand by rubbing my palms together gently helps make them more liquid, which also helps you spread it on the skin more evenly.
- Massage the cleansing oils into your skin. Unlike a foaming cleanser, which you apply, rub a little then rinse off, cleansing oils require a little more work. After spreading it all over your face, gently massage the oils into the skin with the tips of your fingers. You will feel the oily slowly becoming more liquid as they warm up on the skin. You will also feel little bits of grit on the skin start to form as you slowly massage the oils on the skin. With careful massage on congested areas of the skin, even blackheads and clogged pores can be cleared this way.
- Introduce water a little at a time. First, wet your hands and massage your skin, to emulsify the cleansing oils. You will find the oil dissolving under your fingers and turning a milky white. This is what removes the oily feeling on the skin. After a while, wet your hands again with a little more water and massage again. Repeat until all the oil is emulsified then rinse until clean. This way, you can ensure that there are no oils left on the skin. This is something not every sales person will tell you. Usually they stop at the introduction of water and I’ve heard a lot of people complaining about their skin feeling oily and congested after using cleansing oils which may be attributed to improper washing.
- Use warm water. I personally find that warm water helps wash the cleansing oil off better and leaves the skin feeling cleaner and smoother. You can use cold water after that if you like.
These are just some little tips which I practice. Using these tips, I’ve found that almost any brand of cleansing oils can work for me as effectively, except for some brands which I react to caused, I suspect by the ingredients. I’ll be doing a challenge write up about high end and low end cleansing oils in the near future so stay tuned!
Do you have any tips to share for using cleansing oils effectively?
Update: Read this post for more tips and all the cleansing oils I’ve ever used!
P/S Its a very special date today 08-08-08! 😀 How are you marking it? I will be watching the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics in Beijing. How exciting!
ParisB says
@cass: Not an expert la… just like them hehe… Anyway I wrote something about this a while ago – why do you need so many blushes. I’ll try to address your queries about skintone and blush colour too. Thanks for the input! 🙂
Tine says
Great tips! I use cleansing oils too. Great stuff. Although I’d suggest keeping the bottle of cleansing oil (especially if it has a pump) away from the shower as the steam can turn the oil cloudy after some time 🙂
Rid says
Hiyya, can I just ask, if we use the cleansing oil, do we still need to use normal cleanser afterwards? Correct me if I’m wrong, is cleansing oil the same as make up remover, or?
Thanks!
ParisB says
@Rid: Cleansing oil acts as makeup remover so you don’t have to use a separate makeup remover. Whether you use a cleanser afterwards depends on how you feel. I do and it is part of the double cleansing regime. If your skin feels clean then you don’t need to double cleanse. You can read about double cleansing at my previous post. https://www.mywomenstuff.com/2007/04/09/double-cleanse-your-skin/
Thanks.
? ? says
Hi, I wonder if I can share this tips? I will put credit for sure 😀
If no, it’s okay, I will just share this page’s link 🙂
Paris B says
Hi there, thank you for asking. I’d prefer if you just share the link – thank you 🙂
Wendy says
I have tried 2 cleansing oil: The Face Shop Pore Clean Cleansing Oil and Muji Cleansing Oil for Sensitive Skin. Both of them caused me to break out. TFS – serious breakout after about 5 times. Muji – less serious breakout but after just 2 times. Do you think I should try different cleansing oil or cleansing oil is just not for me 🙁 I really like the idea of cleansing oil and do all the steps including using cleanser afterwards to thoroughly clean. My skin type is dry combination and I heard cleansing oil is not ideal for dry skin because it removes all oil and it causes dry skin to be even drier (in fact I did experience skin drying when the breakout happened).
Paris B says
Hi Wendy, personally speaking, I’ve actually stopped using cleansing oil after my skin became normal-dry. I found it far too drying in general. Now, I use cleansing balms which I think are better for dry skin and makes my skin feel more comfortable. They do take a little more work, but I feel it is better. Give these a go! 🙂 You can also read this for some of my thoughts on cleansing oil vs balms.
Andrea says
If my skin is super sensitive, will just the oil cleansing enough, that I can avoid a double cleanse and will it rinse completely off so that I get no clogging.
Michael Pham says
Well yeah, but you should follow up with a low ph foaming cleanser. However, I have used just cleansing oil in the past to remove my makeup etc and it has worked quite well for my dry and sensitive skin. The cleansing oil that I am using is Cow Brand Non-Additive Makeup Cleansing Oil. It is a Japanese cleansing oil that is affordable (free shipping on Amazon!) and is super gentle and effective at removing impurities. This is my holy grail for my night time routine and I absolutely love it.
You should try this product because it leaves your skin feeling luxurious and soft after you rinse it off. No residue either!
Briggy Stum says
Hi there! Thank you for the great cleansing oil tips! Do you use another cleanser after using the cleansing oil to remove your SPF and makeup or is the cleansing oil and massage enough? I wear SPF and minimal makeup. Thank you!
Paris B says
Hi, the cleansing oil should remove makeup and sunscreen if used properly. I do follow up with a second cleanse, just to be sure I’ve gotten everything off properly. Hope this helps.