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Photo Credit: pds209 (Featuring the eternally beautiful, Dorothy Dandridge!)[/caption]Hey Friends,Last week at had the pleasure of joining Dawn Yerger of Nappturalite Radio to co-host her show, Natural Skin Care Tips and Trends. When I agreed to go on the show, I honestly figured I wouldn't have much to offer concerning skin care and that I would just help her interview various guests who were knowledgeable in that area.I've never considered myself a skincare "guru" -- I've just always done what has worked for my skin. Well imagine my surprise when I actually did end up sharing skin care tips on the show! A question was asked about the Oil Cleansing Method for your oily skin and it turns out that I'm pretty knowledgeable after all!

First, A Little Background

Growing up, I had moderate acne like most teenagers but nothing super severe. I have oily skin, so to combat the greasy face and breakouts, I would experiment with cleaners like Noxema and Proactive, and I even used prescription Differin Gel for a while. None of those products did anything negative to my skin (well actually, Noxema dried my face out quite a bit!) but they really didn't help all that much either.The intensity of the breakouts eventually subsided on their own around age 19 and 20, but I still had to deal with mild scaring left on my face and my oily skin. I pretty much dealt with this by using lots of oil free makeup (foundation in particular) to cover any scaring. Up until maybe 2 or 3 years ago, I wore foundation almost everyday. I was also really inconsistent with cleaning and moisturizing; I used Dove soap to clean my face and I didn't use a moisturizer regularly.

The Turning Point: The Oil Cleansing Method

About 3 or so years ago, I began to get serious about my health and drastically changed my eating habits. After watching Food, Inc. and Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead, I got really conscious about not only what I put in my body (i.e. ate) but also about what I put on my body.The first three changes that I made in terms of skin care were:

1. I started using Nubian Heritage Black Soap to wash my face
2. I used 100% pure aloe vera gel as an oil free moisturizer on my face
3. I would put a light layer of shea butter on my face at night (after washing) before bed as a "night cream"

After these 3 changes, my skin really improved. Encouraged by how my face was responding, I started experimenting with the Oil Cleansing Method after stumbling on a video from Youtuber African Export where she explains it:Basically, the Oil Cleansing Method is just that - you clean your face with oil. Typically, you choose a mix of castor oil and another oil in whatever ratio works for you. When I first tried the oil cleansing method, I mixed 50% castor oil with 50% olive oil in a little bottle and used that mix to clean my face. Olive oil did not agree with my skin - my pores got clogged and I began breaking out really bad.Not to be discouraged, I kept researching and found that grapeseed oil was a "non-comedogenic" oil, meaning it won't clog your pores. I then started cleaning my face with 50% castor oil and 50% grapeseed oil. The castor oil is great because it will not clog your pores at all and even has a slightly drying quality to it that draws stuff out of your skin. You can tell this just by feeling castor oil - it's mildly sticky. The grapeseed oil is great because its light and moisturizing . The 50/50 ratio ended up working AMAZINGLY well for me. Here's how I cleaned my face:

1. Rub the oil mix all over your dirty face, even if you have makeup on. (It's really good for removing eye makeup, too.)
2. Take a clean wash cloth and soak it under really hot (but not scalding) water.
3. Ring the wash cloth out and lay it over your face, pressing the cloth into your skin.
4. Let the cloth sit on you face for several seconds so that it steams all the oil.
5. Wipe your face with the wash cloth and repeat at many times as necessary
6. When you are done, wipe all the oil away with the hot, wet wash cloth

I really began notice the changes when others around me started commenting on it. Everyone from the waitress at a restaurant to the salesperson at the MAC makeup counter would just out of the blue make a comment like, "You have really clear skin."Even though my skin had gotten a lot smoother and I almost never had breakouts, I was still really surprised when others said I had nice skin because I still had some acne marks on my face. Nevertheless, I knew that eating right, working out, and using these natural products on my face was really helping my skin so I continued to do it.

My Current Skincare Routine

About 8 months ago when I first got engaged, I decided to really "up" my skincare game so my face would look really good for the wedding. I still wanted to incorporate my trusty oil cleansing, black soap, and shea butter, but I also wanted to "tweak" things a bit:

Above is the skincare regimen that I used pre-wedding and that I continue to use to this day. The steps are:

1. In the evening, I Oil Cleanse my face using the same 50/50 castor oil/grapseed oil mix that I mention above (#1 and #2 above). I always keep my oil mix in the little plastic travel bottle you can get at Target for a dollar (#3 above).
2. After oil cleansing, I add a thin layer of shea butter (#4 above) to my face and I go to bed.
3. In the morning, I wash my face in the shower with Dr. Woods Black Soap with Shea Butter (#5 above) and my knock-off Clarisonic Spa Sonic rotating face brush. I like the liquid Dr. Woods black soap a little better than the Nubian Heritage bar black soap I started out with, but both are good.
4. Once I get out the shower and pat my face dry, I squirt some Thayer's Rose Petal Witch Hazel (#7 above) on a cotton ball and go over my face with it. I'm really glad I added this step because I'm always surprised by the residual dirt & makeup the witch hazel is able to pick up. I really love this brand because it's natural and very gentle.
5. After the witch hazel, I use Boots Botanics Mattifying Day Cream as my moisturizer. I used to use Aloe Vera as my moisturizer but I switched to this day cream because it has SPF in it and purports to be mattifying. I find that it is just the right heaviness now that it's winter but I may go back to aloe vera in the summer.

• This is a completely optional step, but I've been experimenting with using a Oz Naturals Hyaluronic Serum (#9 above) to my face before moisturizing. I found out about Hyaluronic acid after reading about its anti-aging properties. I know I'm only 25 but I figure its never too early to start! Hyaluronic acid can be pricey, but I ended up with the Oz Naturals brand because it was on sale on Amazon and it had A TON of great reviews. I have no idea if this stuff is worth it because I'm pretty inconsistent in using it, so your mileage may vary!

My Skin Now

My skin is by no means perfect, but it is SO much better than it used to be a few years ago. With this routine, I rarely get breakout (even during that time of the month!) and my acne scars have faded considerably.

When I tell people that I have oily skin, they always marvel at my routine because it seems so counter intuitive with the oil cleansing and the shea butter. The oils that I use AND shea butter are all very low on the comedogenic scale, meaning that they won't clog your pores. Also, though I can't prove it, I think the shea butter has had a hand in fading my acne scars.

Furthermore, people with oily skin tend to make the mistake of using too many drying products on their face, which just causes your skin to produce more oil and repeat the vicious cycle. My skin will still get a little shiny later on in the day, but since I've been on this routine and using these products, I don't experience nearly the oiliness that I did before.

In short, I love my skin now and I love my skincare routine! If you are struggling with oily skin or you are just curious about the Oil Cleansing Method or just how to improve your skincare routine, I sincerely hope this post was helpful. If it was helpful or you have any questions, let me know! Feel free to share about your skin and your skincare routine.