The Oil Cleansing Method

Soap and conventional cleansers strip your skin's natural oils, disrupting the stratum corneum and leaving skin tight and dry, which is exactly why so many of us feel we need to moisturise straight after cleansing. There's a simpler answer: the oil cleansing method.

Why Oil Cleansing Works

Sebum is oil-based, and oil dissolves oil far more effectively than soap or detergent does, "like dissolves like." Unlike a soap-based cleanser, which strips sebum away and leaves skin stripped and reactive, oil cleansing replaces old, dirty sebum with clean, nourishing oil, rich in the fatty acids your skin actually needs, while sealing in the moisture from the cleanse itself. See our Water-Free Skincare Revolution page for the fuller science behind why this matters for your skin barrier.

What to Look For in a Cleansing Oil

Not all cleansing oils are equal. Look for a product made from 100% natural oils and butters, with no water, juice, hydrosol, or other aqueous ingredient, and no mineral oil, petrochemical derivatives, or paraffin (as found in some newer high-street "hot cloth cleansers"). Beauty Balm, available fragranced or unfragranced, was designed specifically with this method in mind.

The Oil Cleansing Method

  1. Massage. Warm a pea-sized amount of Beauty Balm between your hands, then massage it into dry skin. Take your time, this step alone is genuinely relaxing.
  2. Steam and lift. Run a clean flannel or muslin cloth under comfortably hot water, wring it out, and hold it over your face for a few seconds, letting the heat lift dirt, make-up, and dead skin cells. Wipe away gently.
  3. Repeat if needed, especially over make-up or sunscreen, until no residue transfers to the cloth.

Built-In Exfoliation

Wiping away oil and residue with a flannel or muslin also lifts away dead skin cells, gently, with regular use. Most people find they need far less separate exfoliation once oil cleansing is part of their routine, without the damage that comes from over-exfoliating.

Muslin gives a little more gentle exfoliation than flannel and dries out faster between uses.

You likely won't need to moisturise afterwards, but if your skin wants more, a very small amount of the same Beauty Balm works well.

If skin feels tight afterwards, the water was probably a touch too hot, try it cooler and be gentler when you wipe. Staying well hydrated helps too, see our Foods for Healthy Skin page for more information.

Which Routine Is Right for You?

The Oil Cleansing Method genuinely suits every skin type, it's simply the starting point that changes depending on what your skin needs next:

Each one builds on the same cleansing method above, then adds exactly what your skin needs from there.