A new challenge: remove makeup with olive oil

Yes, I'm calling this a challenge because I have to admit that this ritual has been very challenging and I'm still trying to master the best tricks for my skin after over a month now.

Removing makeup with Extra Virgin Olive Oil is a well-known natural recipe for skin care. The claimed benefits are awesome: harmless and natural without drying skin, give your skin the moisture and nourishment it needs, remove makeup completely, clean effectively to avoid blemishes, inexpensive, etc. The logic is also very simple and it sounds promising (to me at least) - like
washes like, in other words, oil removes oil.

Let me share with you my interesting experience with EVOO so far: I did a bit of research and found that the best to use on face is Extra Virgin Olive Oil that is cold pressed. I'm not an expert about oil
production so I just looked for the one with words like "Extra Virgin" and "Cold" on packaging. It did not cost much anyways.

It was a fascinating moment when I pressed a handful of oil on my face for the first time. Trying to smooth it out my entire face in an upward direction, leave it on for 2 minutes or so. Then I press a hot damp towel on my face for the steaming action. This is supposed to push the oil or any dirt out of your pores. After a few gentle wipes, then I pat dry. DONE!

This was repeated for about a month and I only use it at night as it removes my makeup. Ok, here's the pros and cons for me.

Pros - my skin feels less dry, if you have read some of my other posts, I have dry sensitive skin.

Cons - can't completely remove my under-eye concealer, I had to wash again; wiping with hot towel did not treat my skin well, I noticed slightly bigger pores.

So far I guess my experience with EVOO was not impressive. I told myself not to give it up easily as I know it takes time for the skin to adapt and function well. Having said that I've also been looking for alternative ways to may be tweak this method a bit to make it work for me. I'm staying faithful!

Deep cleansing series #2: 4 types of deep cleansing products in market

Deep cleansing to me is simply to cleanse skin more than daily regular cleansing. Your daily cleansing should remove dirt and makeup residues for a good housekeeping. Deep cleansing should be able to remove dull surface debris and sebum accumulated in pores. Again if your have a good housekeeping for your skin, your skin would not be too congested or sluggish that makes deep cleansing too difficult.


In general there are 4 types of products in market that are designed for this purpose:


1. Scrubs
Generally scrubs are made of many different kinds of beads, natural or sythetic, big or small, soft or hard. There is no absolute answer to say which one is better than the other. However scrub generally is considered harsh to skin because its idea is to physically remove dull surface debris with motion of your fingers. To me I don't use scrub as I just don't like how it feels on my skin (little too harsh and irritating) and most importantly I don't find my skin much cleaner after scrubbing.


2. Peeling gel
This transparent gel gets very popular lately. Most advertisements show photos of dull debris sloughs off immediately. Many are convinced by the immediate visible results but the truth is this type of peeling gel is usually a strong alkaline formula which when in contact with our skin (naturally mild acidic) will form residues that look like dull debris due to chemical reaction. Experts say using strong alkaline in a long term actually hurts your skin more than any other scrubs. So I don't recommend this type of product and I would never use it either!


3. Clay
Usually in mask forms to cleanse pores. Clay in nature has detoxifying and purify properties that help draw out impurities from pores. This is an excellent natural way of deep cleansing esp. for T-zone but it might be a bit too dry for cheeks (at least for me). I suggest not to leave it on for more than 10 mins, longer than that might be too drying. If you have very dry skin, you may not want to use clay. Enzyme powder would be a nice option.


4. Enzyme-based
Usually in powder form, when mixed with water, the powder forms dense and creamy foam that dissolves excess sebum and dull surface debris mildly.


I hope this post helps you find the right product for your deep cleansing routine. I'd also love to hear from you if you have ever tried any good products that are not on my list!

Enjoy the clean refreshed pores :)
 

Deep cleansing series #1: keep skin clean so deep cleansing is more effective

Taking an example of cleaning your house, you need good cleaning tools of course and may be you want to pick a good time to clean like a sunny morning or afternoon. If you have lots of stubborn stains or dirt deeply in the corner or between gaps, you need more time effort and usually stronger tools to get rid of it. Having said that, there is still hard-to-reach dust that would be left there "forever".

Back to skin cleansing, I believe the same concept applies. You need to keep your skin as clean and clear as you can so your whatever scrubs or masks could do their jobs effectively. To me keeping my skin clean is the most important step in the skincare ritual.

1. Cleanse your face daily in right ways (more details in my previous posts "the right ways of cleansing face") to wash away all sorts of dirts and residues including residues from your makeup remover that many of us are not aware of! This closes the door for the hateful blemishes and acnes resulted from acculumated residues and clogged pores, a good housekeeping!

2. Pick your cleansing products according to your moon cycle (more details in "how to take care of your skin in moon cycle" post)

I use my regular cleanser during my phase 1 of moon cycle. When I say regular cleanser I mean something you use most often which your skin feels most comfortable and not dry after use. Usually non foaming formula is less dry.

Entering phase 2, I use special cleanser every other day. I use Fresh Umbrian Clay Treatment (use it as cleanser) and Kanebo Suisai Beauty Clear Powder. Suisai is a soy-based enzyme cleanser with enzymes and silk powder. When mixed with water the powder forms dense and creamy foam that dissolves excess sebum and dull surface debris mildly. Skin feels clear and supple instantly. This also helps to prevent my blackheads buildup!

Entering phase 3 (the last phase), I use Vichy Normaderm deep cleansing gel. This is important to minimize breakouts during this phase as it controls sebum secretion.

I will talk more about products and ways for deep cleansing in next coupld of posts, stay tuned ;) 

The right ways to wash your face #3: removing your makeup means washing your face?

This is interesting since I'm not sure how many of us are actually doing BOTH in the daily regimen. I know some of us thought removing our makeup with makeup remover already equals to cleansing face. To me it's not quite true because most makeup remover, no matter oil or cream based, would leave residues even after several rinse of running water. Your face won't be clean enough and the residues will eventually clog your pores and cause blemishes. So I always cleanse my face with gentle facial wash once after removing my makeup, yes once is enough as more than that will be too harsh for your skin as you don't want to wash off your healthy skin cell on the surface.   

Remember cleansing your face properly is essential because most skin problems start from there. Your expensive cream won't get through and chemical or color residues stay on your skin and eventually cause problems in the long run.

If you worry about over-drying, pick a cleanser that is free of soap and foaming agent (means no foam), that helps retain your skin natural moisture while washing. Have fun cleansing!

  

The right ways to wash your face #2: never scrub before cleansing your face

Personally I'm not a fan of scrub. I almost never scrub my face as to me even the smallest or mildest scrub is too harsh for my skin (I don't like my skin feel during or after the process). And after all I don't really see the need when a good deep cleansing can be done easily and gently with all sorts of clay masks and facial wash.

For those who find scrubbing necessary a good piece of advice is never scrub before cleansing your face. I guess this makes sense because we don't want to scrub with dirt and oil. Experts also say the pores are opened while scrubbing and it's a bad idea to let the dirt and oil penetrate through the pores into the skin layers. Doing so for a long term will cause blemishes and frequent breakout (cuz the dirt are stuck in the pores!)

With this in mind, I would suggest a cleansing routine like this:

remove makeup -> cleanse (I will talk more about this in the next few posts) -> scrub (if necessary) or deep cleansing mask

Although washing your face sounds so simple but I think there is a lot of knowledge behind a good face washing habit. What is your daily habit of washing your face? Do you think you are doing it the way your skin loves?

The right ways to wash your face #1: do not steam before removing your makeup

Today this topic pops up in my mind I'd like to write about the right ways to washing face as to me this is the first and most important step in the whole skincare routine. Having said that, many people I know are not doing it right! and that is the root cause of many skin problems - blemish or acne from makeup residue, yellowish skin from accumulated dead skin cells. I believe how well you wash your face is likely to be the reason of how good your skin looks. 

Some may think steaming is good when washing your face as it opens the pores. Um....it's only partly true! My suggestion is not to steam with your makeup still on as the heat may cause chemical reaction (with your makeup) which is harmful to your skin. It's always important to remove the makeup and any dirt on the skin surface before opening the pores which is supposed to be the step for deep cleansing. So I never do makeup removal and deep cleansing in one step, that has to come in order.

Expert also says that active agents in many makeup removers are likely to dissolve in the heat and easily penetrate through pores. That sounds even more scary to me. And for the same reason I also learnt that I should never massage my face with any makeup remover and the products no matter if it's oil or water I should not let them stay on my face for more than 40 seconds. This has been my washing habit for over 10 years now and I have to say this is so so valuable and true!

Will talk more about the proper ways of washing face in the next couple of posts, happy washing!

First trial on Apivita 3-in-1 cleanser, so far so good!

After seeing how my makeup remover eroded my bathroom door, I know I have to switch! My recent discovery is Apivita 3-in-1 cleanser, claimed to cleanse, tone and remove makeup in one go!

It feels smooth when applying on dry skin to massage away makeup, I even tried it on my eye areas too and it feels ok, very mild. Out of my expectation the creamy texture removes makeup quite effectively (shadow I tested in the photo is Jane Iredale cream eyeshadow). With only a few gentle rubs all the color seems to dissolve and fade away. Love how it smells and how it makes my skin feel after the wash - refreshing but moisturized. Most importantly it removes makeup very well, there is no residue. I'll just have to use it for a few days in a row to see the true results on my skin. Overall, love it!

My makeup remover ERODED my door

It's such a shock to me when I accidentally splashed my makeup remover oil on my bathroom door and after about 15mins without wiping it off my door which is made of wood was eroded! I tried to rub it off with wet cloth or alochol but the damage didn't go away. It seemed that the lacquer finish was eroded! This is terrible because I've been using this same product for over 5 years and imagine the chemical reaction happened on the door I seriously consider to stop using this anymore. It's time for me to look for another product that is absolutely safe and natural, no more harsh chemical on my skin! How about you? :)