How to Use Cleansing Oil

When I was younger, the concept of using oil as a face cleanser never made sense. How could putting oil on your face make it clean? Isn’t oil the stuff known to clog your pores and make you break out? Thankfully, I don’t think this is a common misconception anymore, and I think oil cleansing is much more common these days! But when I was struggling with breakouts for years, the thought of cleansing my skin with oil wasn’t really appealing.

It took until I was in my mid-twenties for someone to explain to me that my skin was actually dry, which was one of the reasons I was breaking out constantly. And then once I was in my mid-thirties (I’m 37 now), I started focusing on keeping my skin hydrated to prevent signs of aging. One of the best products for hydrating and cleansing is a cleansing oil, and it’s the perfect thing to add to your skincare routine.

Cleansing oils can simultaneously cleanse and hydrate the skin while removing oil-based makeup without stripping your skin of any natural oils. Adding a cleansing oil to your skincare routine is a great way to help your skin stay healthy and youthful while still keeping it clean. It also works well to remove eye makeup, including waterproof mascara.

In this post, I’m sharing the best way to use cleansing oils to get the most out of them, as well as my favorites for different skin types.

Let’s jump right in, shall we?

How To Use Cleansing Oil

Cleansing oil may be a little confusing to use at first, since it’s used differently than traditional foaming facial cleansers. Here’s how to use it.

Warm Oil in Hands

Start with dry skin, no need to slash it with water just yet. Add about a nickel or quarter-sized amount of cleansing oil to the palm of your hand and begin warming it up by rubbing it into your palms.

Massage Onto Dry Skin

Massage the cleansing oil into your face gently. Once you’ve transferred the oil onto your face, add a small amount of tepid or warm water (not too hot, not cold) to your hands and rub them onto your face.

Massage Tepid Water onto Skin

You’ll notice it start to lather just slightly, but not foam. It may turn to a milky color. Massage the cleanser for about 30 more seconds or so, and use a wet makeup cloth to remove the excess oil from your face. The cloth is key for removing makeup, especially eye makeup, so don’t just rinse.

Rinse Again

After removing the cleanser with a cloth, rinse your face one more time with a splash of tepid water and pat your skin to dry.

Best Cleansing Oils

Now, let’s talk about the best cleansing oils for each skin type. Keep in mind that since you are adding oil to your skin, you want to make sure the cleansing oil you use is made for your skin type. If you have acne prone skin, you may not want to try a cleansing oil for mature skin, since it’ll likely be too heavy for your skin and may cause breakouts.

Best Cleansing Oil For Mature Skin

Oliveda Corrective Cleansing Oil

The Corrective Cleansing Oil from Oliveda is my #1 pick. I have very dry, aging skin, so I’m always looking for the best products to prevent signs of aging. It’s made with olive fruit oil and lavender oil, which nourish and sooth/calm the skin.

Best Cleansing Oil for Combination Skin

Oliveda Arbequina Cleansing Oil

The Arbequina Cleansing Oil is an oil-based cleanser for normal or combination skin. It nourishes and hydrates while removing impurities.

Best Cleansing Oil For Oily Skin

Sulwhasoo Gentle Cleansing Oil Makeup Remover

If you have oily skin, try this Sulwhasoo cleansing oil. It’s created with oily skin in mind, so it won’t feel too heavy. If you’re new to oil cleansers, you’ll be surprised at how clean your face feels after using them. This cleansing oil also removes makeup. It contains no parabens, sulfates SLS or SLES, or phthalates and it has amazing reviews.

DAMDAM Silk Rice Makeup Removing Cleansing Oil

Another great option for oily skin is the DAMDAM cleansing oil. It’s created with large pores in mind, so it’s a great option if you’re concerned about adding an oil to your skincare routine. You’ll love how this melts away makeup and leaves your skin hydrated and clean!

Best Cleansing Oil For Acne Prone Skin

Naturally, it seems counterintuitive to add oil to acne prone skin, especially since we’ve heard how oil causes acne for so long. But good oils actually help reduce breakouts by balancing out your skin. With too much oil, you’ll be prone to breakouts, but the same goes for too little oil. Your skin works overtime to try to create a balance when it’s too dry or too oily, which can result in breakouts. (This is what I struggled with for years until I switched to the cleansing balm linked below.)

Dermalogica Precleanse Cleansing Oil

Another good option for acne prone skin is by Dermalogica. This cleansing oil was created with acne prone skin in mind. Try this oil as a pre-cleanser if you’re still struggling to feel like an oil based cleanser does enough for you. I also recommend using a gentle makeup cloth to remove the cleanser, which will help remove impurities and all the leftover makeup as well.

Best Cleansing Oil For Sensitive Skin

For sensitive skin, try the Tata Harper Oil Cleanser or Biossance.

Tata Harper Nourishing Makeup Removing Oil Cleanser

The Tata Harper cleanser is great for sensitive skin because it’s a clean beauty brand (similar to Beautycounter).  No synthetics, outsourcing, or shortcuts. It’s 100% natural with no toxins, fillers, artificials, synthetics, or GMOs. It’s smooth and gentle, and it’s a great way to clean the skin, especially if you’re sensitive to most cleansers.

Biossance Squalane + Antioxidant Cleansing Oil

Biossance is an antioxidant cleansing oil, meaning it boosts radiance. In fact, Biossance is another clean beauty brand. This cleansing oil contains sugarcane-derived squalane oil which makes your skin feel super refreshed, moisturized and leaves it feeling soft.  You’ll also like the price tag on this one!

I hope this post helps you feel more educated on how to use a cleansing oil and all the benefits it can bring to cleansing your skin.

Do you use a cleansing oil that I haven’t included? Let me know in the comments to I can try it!