Alisa asks…Will cleansing oil method clog pores, thus causing breakouts? Do we really need to double cleanse our face daily (even with or without makeup)? Or is it sufficient enough to just merely use cleansing oil to wash our faces? 2. Can we use olive oil as a serum before applying moisturizer? Is it effective? Or should we apply it after moisturizer? Is it true that chemical/enzyme exfoliation is the best way of exfoliating dead skin cells? I was told that apricot or sugar scrub wasn’t good for the skin, whereas jojoba scrub was a better preference. Why? I didn’t know if there’s any scientific reason behind it. Would love to hear your comments on the best scrub for face.
The Beauty Brains respond:
1. There’s no single, absolute answer to this question. Some oils are comedogenic (meaning they tend to clog pores); other oils are not. That means that some oil cleansers will probably be fine on your face while others may cause problems. Unfortunately, the science of determining how likely a product is to clog pores is not very exact. Look for one that says “noncomedogenic” on the label and hopefully you won’t have any problems.
2. Many people swear by using olive oil (both before and after moisturizing.) It’s more of a matter of personal taste than anything else.
3. Chemical exfoliation (with an AHA) is the most proven way to exfoliate. Enzymes are not very stable and maybe become inactive in a formula due to heat and other factors. Scrubs certainly exfoliate too but sharp crystals (from sugar and salt) as well as pit fragments (from apricot) can scratch your skin. Many people get good results using jojoba beads because they are made of a soft wax like material. They won’t exfoliate as well as an AHA but they will be more gentle.