Could cleansing oil be the key to caring for your skin?

Many face washes are too harsh, which can lead to skin problems like acne and dryness. Find out why some people are turning to cleansing oils to avoid these pitfalls.

Foaming cleansers may give you a squeaky clean feeling each morning, but cleansing oils may be the solution for better looking skin.

While foaming cleansers may be popular, they also may be too harsh for your skin and disturb the acid mantle.

• The acid mantle is a natural barrier found on the surface of the skin that prevents the skin from losing too much moisture.
• It also blocks viruses, bacteria, and other things that can harm your skin.

Alkaline products, like foaming cleansers, remove the acid mantle temporarily, and this can lead to skin problems.

For some people, disruption of the acid mantle causes oil overproduction that leads to acne. Other people report that over-zealous cleansing leaves their skin flaky and dry.

Many skin care companies formulate cleansing oils for different skin types.

These cleansing products may contain several oils and essential oils, but most manufacturers also add nutrients, vitamins and other ingredients that have been known to promote overall skin health.

• For people who would like to try using these products to clean their skin, formulated cleansing oils offer an easy-to-use alternative to many people's usual cleansers.

The oil cleansing method has attracted many DIY enthusiasts. These self-made beauty mavens blend their own ingredients to create personalized cleansing oils.

• Most fans of the oil cleansing method use a mixture of castor oil and one or more other oils.
• Castor oil removes dirt but can also dry out skin, so any oil blend should only consist of no more than 50 per cent castor oil.

For oily skin: Jojoba oil is recommended for people with combination or oily skin. People who regularly use jojoba oil say that it helps balance their skin's oil production. Hazelnut oil is also recommended for people who have oily skin or acne.

For dry skin: For dry skin, oil cleansing enthusiasts use olive, sweet almond or apricot oil. All of these oils are highly moisturizing and balance the cleansing properties of the castor oil. Virgin olive oil is considered the heaviest type of oil and is most likely to clog pores.

Like most skin care remedies, people report varying levels of success when using cleansing oils.

• Many people recommend alternating cleansing oils with a mild soap-free cleanser for best results.

There may be an adjustment period of several weeks where your skin feels oilier or dryer than normal. Wait a few weeks and then tweak the oil cleansing recipe or cleaning ritual to get the results you crave.