There's lots of advice out there about the importance of washing our faces properly, and how crucial cleansing is in our beauty routine. But by the sounds of things, washing your face with regular skincare and water is, er, over. Yep, the new thing is apparently washing your face with — wait for it — olive oil. Sense my skepticism? I took a look into what exactly this all means, and how to wash your face with olive oil.
So here's how this all works. Before we even get onto cleansing, apparently, according to Marie Claire, some people actually use olive oil as a substitute for their regular facial oil or moisturiser. But, why?! Well, as the publication reports, olive oil has squalane in, which is an excellent hydrator for skin. It also contains a bunch of antioxidants, which could help to protect skin from aggressors.
Not convinced yet? Yeah, me neither — and it's about to get a whole lot weirder. Because not only do some like to use olive oil as a hydrator, they also like to use it as a cleanser.
One advocate for this method is facialist Ram-Prakash Khalsa, who treats top celebrity clientele at the Lancer clinic in Beverly Hills.
"It will give you a deep clean and really clean out the pores,” she told The Coveteur, adding: “Oil goes into the pores and lifts out the makeup and dirt, and softens the blackheads, so that when you use a polisher or microfibre towel, it helps remove those blackheads or dead cells."
So why doesn't she just use a regular oil cleanser? “Oil cleansers include some good stuff, but some formulas contain not-so-good stuff,” she explained. “Then there’s the cost.”
The facialist loves using olive oil so much, she even uses the following technique on her A-list visitors.
She takes a penny sized amount of olive oil, and rubs it into the skin like a normal cleanser before using face wash. She then uses a cloth to wipe off all the makeup and dirt etc, before repeating the process until you can no longer see makeup on your cloth. She then completes the cleansing regime with a traditional face wash.
While this all sounds great (sort of), we need to remember one thing: this is still olive oil. The truth is, while it could be great, it could also make your skin feel not so awesome. Olive oil is a heavy oil, and one that should be used incredibly sparingly, if you use too much you could clog your skin. "Using too much may also lead to clogged pores in some skin types," Paul Lorenc, MD, explained to Byrdie.
There are actually tons of thrifty ways you can use olive oil in your beauty routine, from conditioning your cuticles to making your hair shine. But I'd personally not convinced I'll ever be an advocate of using it on your face, where skin is so sensitive and can be temperamental. If you want to give it a go, just remember: go slow.
