Why You Should Ditch the Face Wash and Try Oil Cleansing! [Review]

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Cleansing oils are a hot topic at the moment and while many are singing the praises of oil cleansing some are not so sure about taking the plunge and swapping out their traditional cleansing gels and foams for an oil. I won’t lie; I have dry skin and even I was a little sceptical about using an oil on my skin. Having oily skin isn’t my idea of a good time so it took me a little longer to jump onboard the bandwagon. The truth is oil cleansing isn’t for everyone and if I was going to try it I was going to make damn sure it was with a good-quality product. Luckily, for my first time I got the chance to try the oil of all oils – BABOR’s Hy-Ol and BABOR Phytoactive Base. Follow me on my journey down the oil cleansing rabbit hole and see if oil cleansing is for you.

Before writing this review I did a little bit of research into oil cleansing and was surprised to find that cleansing with oil isn’t just for dry or dehydrated skin; it’s also great for oily skin (say what?) It might sound super crazy, but oils are actually effective at cleansing all skin types. You see, by using a cleansing oil you are not only cleansing your skin of all sorts of nasty stuff, but you are also balancing the skin’s natural oils. Well, that’s the idea anyway. It is said that cleansing oils can leave your skin more nourished and moisturized than traditional soap and detergent based facial cleaners… because science. You see, the oil you use to massage and cleanse your skin helps to dissolve the oil that has hardened along with other impurities and found itself stuck in your pores. Of course, there is a little more to it than that!

My first experience with BABOR’s Hy-Ol was a little bit underwhelming. I didn’t use enough product and felt like I hadn’t really cleaned my skin at all. But, once I’d figured out the right combination for my skin (2 pumps of the Hy-Ol and 1 pump of the base), using this product was a dream. The beauty of using the Babor oil cleansing system is that there really is one to match every skin type. BABOR’s Hy-Ol should be combined with the BABOR Phytoactive Base suitable for your skin to reap the maximum benefits. There’s the original BABOR Phytoactive Base for dry skin, BABOR Phytoactive Sensitive, BABOR Phytoactive Combination and BABOR Phytoactive Reactivating with a higher PH balance for dull and lack-lustre skin.

Since I have dry skin I combined my Hy-Ol with the original Phytoactive Base. I found that the products made a killer combo and loved how soft my skin felt after using it. I also found that the 2-step cleansing system removed makeup like a dream (even waterproof mascara!) with no scrubbing needed! One trick to remember when cleansing with oil is to make sure you use a hot cloth to steam your face before and after applying the oils. This will open up your pores and allow the oil to be easily removed. Invest in a face cloth that you love and use it to give yourself a spa-esque ‘facial’ every time you cleanse at home. You can also try using it in the shower – do your thing, cleansing your body while your face takes advantage of the steam, then get started with your Hy-Ol routine.

BABOR’s Hy-Ol contains quillaja extract, soybean oil, sesame oil and peanut oil – which help to remove more dirt from the skin – and herbal extracts to help revitalise the skin and add an extra oomph to your complexion. When using the BABOR cleansing oil I found that my skin was less red after cleansing (cleansing with foams and gels tends to be quite harsh on my sensitive skin) I also used less moisturiser as my skin was just so hydrated that it wasn’t sucking up my moisturiser like it did before. I also found that I could ditch some of my serums as it was a little too much for my skin to handle all at once. Which was great news for my budget.