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I have found that one of the most beautiful ways to love myself is to care for my body with great reverence. I consider my body a divine temple – that’s why I eat healthy, exercise, and care for my skin. One of my favorite luxurious skin care rituals is to literally bathe myself in oils – cleansing and moisturizing my face and body.
Oils for Travel
Jed and I have been on the road traveling frequently lately, sometimes having to take off at the drop of a hat. I am always seeking to simplify my travel needs and lighten my packing as much as possible. That is why I am so grateful to have discovered the use of oils as ‘all-in-one’ skin care. I use a more extensive skin care regimen at home, but whenever I travel, all I do is pack my bottle of Best Skin Ever. (I love all the scents, but my current companion is Vanilla.) I am able to cleanse, exfoliate, and moisturize with this glorious blend of oils all in one bottle. Joy! (See below for instructions)
Why Use Oils on the Face?
It may seem mysterious or even unnerving to use oils on the face. It certainly felt this way to me when I first learned about this method. I had oily skin and breakouts for so long that it seemed counter-intuitive to put more oil on my face! Yet, the truth is that oil dissolves oil. Your skin naturally lubricates itself with oil, and produces excess when dried out. If using oil weren’t the appropriate care for our skin, our bodies would not produce it at all. There is nothing to fear in applying oils to your face!
Pure Cold-Pressed Plant Oils will not clog pores or cause blemishes. Blemishes of all kinds can be caused by a plethora of things including diet, toxicity, hormones, bacteria, candida overgrowth, liver congestion, etc. Your skin naturally produces oil because it it ensures it proper functioning. Your natural oils protect, lubricate, heals, and moisturizes your skin. Skin that is functioning as it was designed to will be clear and glow with radiance.
Using oils to moisturize is the perfect way to achieve absolute purity. A pure oil is not blended with any water-based substance, no preservative is needed, and no solubilizers or stabilizers are necessary. Pure Cold-Pressed Plant Oils contain the highest level of active, alive nutrients for skin. They are very efficiently assimilated through skin because they are naturally absorbed and can penetrate deeper the lotions, creams, etc due to the natural composition of the skin. Oils also do not require heat to blend. The Cold-Pressing process ensures that all of the nutrients naturally present in the plant ingredients make it into the oil. Like cooking food, temperatures exceeding around 110º F destroy enzymes, vitamins and alter or deactivate many other beneficial nutrients in the product ingredients. A facial oil leaves skin with a renewed look of health and dewy, youthful beauty.
Our Facial Oils: Ultra Restore, Ultra Sapphire, Best Skin Ever
Daily Cleansing with Oils
Simply moisten a wash cloth with warm water, add a few squirts of our Best Skin Ever and gently massage cloth over face. This removes the dirt of the day and exfoliates. Finish with a spray of Rosewater. Add another squirt of Best Skin Ever for more moisture or use your favorite moisturizer.
Deep Cleansing with Oils
(The following information comes from Stephanie Strauss of The Beauty Bottle, LLC)
The basic concept of this skin care and cleansing method is that the oil used to massage your skin will dissolve the oil that has hardened with impurities and found itself stuck in your pores. The steam will open your pores, allowing the oil to be easily removed. Should you need it, the smallest drop of the same oil formula patted over damp skin will provide the necessary lubrication to keep your skin from over-compensating in oil production.
First and foremost, this is typically done in the evening, prior to bed. There should be no need for deep cleansing in the morning if you’re waking up with skin cleansed the night before. In the morning, a quick wipe with a warm washcloth should suffice. We don’t want to over-cleanse our skin as this will serve only to irritate and cause more oil production. The objective of using this method is to deep clean while balancing our skins oil production at the same time.
Instructions
1) You’ll need a soft washcloth, your oil blend, and hot, running water.
2) Pour a generous amount of Best Skin Ever into the palm of your hand. Roughly, the size of a quarter, but more is acceptable. Rub your
hands together to warm the oil and smooth over your face.
3) Begin massaging the oil into your face. This will remove makeup, dirt, and other impurities, so there is no need to use a makeup remover or wash your face prior to the massage.
4) Using slow, firm motions across the skin, massage the oil deeply into your pores. Take your time and focus on your problem areas. You
want the oil to work into your pores so that blackheads and the like can be dissolved and steamed away.
5) As you’re massaging, let your mind drift off to something calming and breathe deeply. Take this time to relax and release some of the stress that your body is harboring. Sit down, breathe deeply, and take your time. Give the oil enough time to work on dissolving the impurities in your pores and give yourself enough time to unwind.
6) Once you’re satisfied that your pores are saturated and you’re feeling calm, pick up your washcloth and soak it in clean, steamy water. We want the water to be warm enough to open your pores and remove the oil. Cool water will not open your pores, nor will it remove the oil efficiently. We’re not scalding our skin, we’re steaming to coax our pores to release the oil carrying the impurities. We’re essentially steaming our skin as an esthetician would, but without a steam machine.
7) Hold the washcloth to cover your face. Allow it to stay until it cools. You will feel your pores releasing the impurities. Wipe the oil
gently away and rinse the washcloth well in hot, running water. Hold the washcloth to your face again, allowing it to cool. Wipe gently, rinse well, and repeat two or three more times. Avoid any temptation to scrub, as you’ll find it’s completely unnecessary and your skin will be soft, smooth, and free of flakes without the additional manual exfoliation and irritation that will result. Impurities, dead skin cells, and bacteria will be gently swept away.
8) If your skin feels tight, take a tiny drop of Best Skin Ever, rub it between your clean, damp palms and pat it onto your damp skin. Gently massage any oil residue into your skin so there is no film of oil left sitting on the surface. Your skin should now glow!
This deep cleansing method should be done regularly, but not too frequently. You’ll know if you’re deep cleansing too frequently by the dryness that your skin will exhibit. Don’t be surprised if you find you’ve unblocked an oil flow for the first few days. Once you remove the plugs from your pores, they will begin functioning properly again. Perfect skin won’t happen overnight and while it may take a few massages to achieve your goal, you should notice a huge difference in your skin after the first deep cleansing massage. Give your skin a few days to adjust and adapt to being clean and clear of blockages; understand that the new oil coming from your skin is actually a good sign and will balance out very shortly. You’ll find redness and irritation subsiding. You’ll find your skin losing that “congested,” and thick feeling.
