The Consequences of using Bio Oil after Cleansing

 By Lauren Phillips

My skin has taken revenge. I honestly believe I was blinded by the idea of natural ingredients. I refused to see how dry and irritated my skin became after using my oil cleanser on a nightly basis by MooGoo (I so desperately wanted to love), I refused to see the welts that grew under my eyes as I reached for that same bottle of oil cleanser I was sitting in my Nonna’s (grandma in Italian) house recently and she was looking up and down at my face before running to the bathroom and grabbing this weird container which read Pond’s Cold Cream.

She told me to use it every night for a week and put a little Bio Oil on top each night and strongly advising me not to touch my face in the morning not even with water! I smiled no way was I putting products full of chemicals and something tested on animals on my face but due to desperation and looking at my sore raw red, pimpled face for over five minutes I decided I need to try it.

Besides I have to agree she did have really good looking skin so I wanted to give it a shot. I gave ponds a try for a week, I stopped touching my face in the mornings and I kept the bio oil for my nightly routine. What were the results of my bio oil and ponds cream combination?

My skin shined inside and out. Maybe keeping it simple, going back to the days when 3 or less products in a routine was the best thing I’ve ever done for my skin. However during the week of my time of the month, my skin became inflamed with pimples which turned to scabs. With a little help from me… the scabs healed so much faster!

I later traded in my Bio Oil for my FATFACE face cream and the results went well, the scabs have nearly completely healed within three days normally it would take about a week and a big plus is that my skin looks more evenly toned! I don’t think I’ll be using the FATFACE face cream for long though as I find the smell a little intense. But, I’m definitely going to finish the jar as I think by the end my face will reach what I hope to be ‘flawless’.

But, luckily on those days when my skin looks a bit sad I have my Dusty Girls tinted earth cream which is non pore clogging and perfectly suits blemish prone skin. I have to say this is the first BB cream to not cake over my poor pimple scabs and no I do not put a moisturiser on before putting on the BB cream as I promised my Nonna there would be BB cream and no more.

Previously, I was using Manuka honey which I recently stopped in a heartbeat after my Nonno (grandad in Italian) told me the high amounts of potassium in honey can cause your skin to age and wrinkle faster he pled me to stop using it and instead up the amount of garlic in my diet and put the honey on my toast instead. Of course I listened to him he’s the wisest in my family, but I was a little sad as the honey seemed to soothe my face.

I’ve also stopped using sunscreen which was a big turning point as I found it only aggravated my skin, however in the long run sunscreen is important to protect skin from the aging process. It may be because I haven’t found the right sunscreen for my skin yet. It was my Nonna’s idea as she loudly spoke in Italian how too much rubbish can make you age faster she told me to be careful and take care of what I have. I’ve started meditating daily to grow a sense of harmony within myself in hopes to block out the outside noise telling me I will never be pretty enough so far I believe it’s working.

Remember to keep hydrated, surround yourself with people that build you, take time for yourself with a warm bath and a good book weekly, switch off those electronics and get sunshine but not to much as any acne hyperpigmentation can turn into sun spots, drink your daily green tea, try to exercise weekly and eat healthy with daily fruits and vegetables and a handful of brazil nuts with some delicious dark chocolate for a treat. Why? Because when your physical, mental and emotional health is in balance, you can reach inner happiness which I promise will show on the outside.

Even with those days you wish you could smash the mirror, you will learn to smile because life is too short to cry over something that does not define you but only makes you stronger!

What I’ve learned from this is that if a product is causing skin irritation, it’s best to stop using it right away and switch to a different product. Sometimes you can have oily skin that is dry, so you need to hydrate it more with more oils and richer creams or moisturizers. Remember to keep smiling. Rain, sunshine or snow SMILE because today you are alive and today is beautiful and today is only one day.