Is Oil Cleansing Safe For Acne-Prone Skin?
With the K-beauty phenomenon a couple years ago, oil cleansing became a thing again. Of course, there are many cultures around the world and throughout history who have used oil as a cleansing method. And for good reason - there are a list of benefit to your skin with oil cleansing!
But that doesn’t mean it’s right for everyone.
As much as I personally love oil cleansing and have noticed a major difference in the health of my skin with using this technique, that doesn’t mean that the technique is right for everyone.
So let me explain a few things…
What Oil Cleansing Is Good For
Oil cleansing is excellent for helping to dissolve and remove debris from the skin. It’s probably the best technique for removing make-up as it’s super gentle on the skin, won’t strip the skin barrier like many common cleansers will, and dissolves even the most stubborn of mascaras.
Oils are also what we call “occlusive” to the skin, meaning they can form a thin layer on your skin which can have the potential to block/clog pores (that’s where that word “comedogenic” comes in…it’s basically a loose translation of the occlusivity of a product). This can become problematic for those struggling with acne-prone, rosacea-prone and inflammatory skin.
Where there can be problems for acne-prone skin
Acne is classically characterized by a condition called “retentive hyperkeratosis”, meaning your skin cells are sloughing at a higher than usual rate, but they’re sticking within the pore and not actually completely sloughing off. Acne-prone or inflammatory skin types also have lower levels of Linoleic Acid, meaning the lipid matrix is likely to be pro-inflammatory and stickier. Couple that with oil cleansing (especially with more occlusive oils) and you’ve got yourself a recipe for a bit of a disaster.
The solution
To fix this, we’ve got to improve the skin barrier and lipid matrix, which can take a little time before your skin is more accepting of oils for oil cleansing.
If you’re really wanting to try out oil cleansing and fit the skin type described above, here’s what I suggest you do:
Start with oil to milk, or jelly cleansers. These products are oil-based but contain surfactants which will help to ensure the oil and debris is actually being removed from your skin.
Make sure the oils in your cleanser are high Linoleic Acid (ex. Hemp seed oil, Watermelon seed oil, Grapeseed oil, etc.) or skin-identical (like Squalane or Jojoba oil)
Double cleanse. Even if you’re using and oil to milk or jelly cleanser, I suggest doubling cleansing, especially in the beginning. You can double cleanse either with the same product, or follow up your first cleanse with a gentle foaming cleanser.
Focus on repairing the skin barrier and improving the lipid matrix internally using anti-inflammatories like curcumin, IGF-1 and insulin-balancing berberine and a quality omega complex.
Be patient with your skin when you’re making overhaul changes to your skincare routine like this. Oftentimes it takes a bit of time, anywhere from 3 days to 4 weeks, for your skin to acclimate to a new regimen.
