Oxymoron

For years, if you tried to convince me that rubbing oil on my face was a good way to rid my face of oil, I would've shut you down. Until now.

Throughout my teen years and into adulthood, I've had excessively oily skin. My bangs (when I had bangs) would stick to my forehead by the end of the day, and I would battle against new crops of acne on a weekly basis. I've purchased just about every product on the market heavily laden with salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, and sodium laureth sulfate, only to be met with irritation and flaky dryness in spots...but the zits continued. My skin is oily, yet sensitive, and now, as I've hit 28, it's begun to dry itself out naturally. And with that, the fine lines have started to appear. In addition, since I've been on Yaz since January for my hormonal breakouts, I've noticed a huge difference in my skin's oil production.

So, my cleansing routine involving all of those harsh ingredients is a thing of the past. But it's been a battle to determine what works for my changing skin. Foaming cleansers are too drying. Cleansing creams don't seem to break down the makeup enough. What's a girl to do?

I read recently that a cleansing oil is beneficial for melting makeup and dirt without stripping your face of moisture. Desperate for a fix for my growing patches of dry skin, I've been on a quest to find a natural oil-based cleanser. After some research, I've composed a list of products I'd like to try.

I went to Sephora last night to stock up on my Bare Escentuals foundation, and while I was at Green Hills Mall, I got samples of the following products:

Lancome Huile Doucher Remove-All Deep Cleansing Oil

Boscia MakeUp-BreakUp Cool Cleansing Oil

Origins Clean Energy Gentle Cleansing Oil

Kiehls Oil-Based Cleanser and Make-up Remover

L'Occitane Almond Apple Cleansing Oil

I've got about ten more oil cleansing products that are on my list to try. I haven't been able to find them in retail, which means I can't get samples. I'm working on this.

Last night, I used the sample of the Lancome product to wash my face. I was instructed to pour about a teaspoon of oil into my palm, and massage into my face and onto my eyes. Then, I wet my fingers, and continued to massage the product into my skin. When emulsified by water, the product becomes like a cleansing milk, and then rinses away. I was shocked at how well it removed my makeup, leaving not a trace of concealer or eyeliner. My skin didn't need an immediate application of moisturizer, and all night long, I had a hard time keeping my hands off my soft, clean skin. And, I loved the citrus scent of this product. But, I do know that the Lancome oil contains mineral oil, which will be the death of this product for me. Mineral oil is a byproduct of the distillation of gasoline from crude oil. Mineral oil is commonly found in thousands of beauty products, but is widely known to clog pores and do all kinds of bad things to your skin and body. So, this will probably be my only go-round with the Lancome product.

Tonight? Boscia.