Thursday 8 August 2013

random & review: Not Your Conventional Face Cleanser... .

I was not really sure how to label this post. Ha~ But I found this to be too awesome to not be shared:


They are: Milk Powder, Oats, and Rice Flour. No, I am not trying to bake or cook anything of those ingredients. Instead, I'd like to share that those three items work beautifully as a cleanser. Yes, a face cleanser. 

About a month ago, my dear friend Len - who is currently residing in Singapore - whatsapp-ed me and raved about how this all-naturale mixture of three simple grocery items do wonders to her face. Len and I occasionally tip each other on make-up, skincare, and tips & tricks associated. 
My usual cleanser - Sulwhasoo Cleansing Foam - was almost gone by then, so I thought 'what the heck', and decided to give this a try anyway. The ingredients are cheap, readily available at supermarket or grocery stores; and if it didn't work, I could always turn them into something edible. :D

One month onwards, I am still using this as my primary face cleanser, so thank you Len, for the awesome share.

If you constantly have been changing face cleanser because you couldn't find anything 'just right', perhaps you may give this a go.

I noticed the positive effect on my face after the first week of use: I realized that I didn't need to extract/clean my T-zone (you ladies with somewhat troublesome T-zone, you know what I mean). The pores did not get clogged even with daily make up & BB cream use (and they are still not clogged. I only had to do a gentle exfoliate with steam & mask, and that was two weeks ago. Surprisingly, not much gunk extracted. Usually I'd grossed out with my own pores' byproducts. LOL)
The exfoliating effect of the oats & the rice flour cleanse the pores everyday, but they are still gentle enough to not aggravate your face. The milk powder moisturize and smooth your skin.

I always pre-mix and put them in a container.



Application: 
Mix 2-3 parts of oats with 1 part of milk powder (I use full cream milk powder) and 1 part of rice flour. Add warm water and mix with your hands (try to breakdown the oats by pressing/massaging them between your fingers) until the mixture becomes thick porridge consistency. Apply to your face as a cleanser and massage all over with gentle motion. 
Avoid your eye area. If they get stuck in between your lashes (or God forbids they get into your eyes), it's a bitch to clean.
If the consistency is not quite right, you may always adjust the ratio to suit your needs.

The only thing I hate hate hate, is the messiness created every. single. time. But for the sake of vanity, what is cleaning the sink surroundings of stray oat granules every morning ... . You may want to clean your face while showering. The hot steam from the shower will also help in the exfoliating process.

Don't forget to clean your face with cleansing oil (I use Sulwhasoo Cleansing Oil) if you wear make up or foundation/BB cream. Only use the oats-milk-flour mixture as substitute for your usual cleanser. The rest of your skincare regime should not change (cleansing oil to clean make-up, toner & serum or moisturizer after cleanser).

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One week should be enough time to see if this is suitable for you. If your face/skin rejected a product, your skin would protest and this usually resulted in breakouts OR overly dryness or oiliness. The ingredients for this cleansing method are all natural and obviously do not contain any chemicals, additives, or fragrances normally found in retail face cleanser. Therefore they are quite gentle to use. But if for any reason, this does not work for you or results in unfavorable effects to your skin, do not continue use.

I have a few retail cleansing products that I have used in the past that have worked for me, and I will be reviewing them in later dates.

On a side note: Len also recommended Rosehip Essential Oil to be used after cleansing. Sadly, this did not work for me. They caused me to have a small breakout by the third day of use, so I discontinued it. However, I started using Grapeseed Essential Oil afterwards and this has been working out wonderfully for my face, especially combined with the oats cleanser. (Len did say her type is 'dry combination', while mine is more towards 'oily combination'). Less clogged pores, brighter and smoother skin, just 'right' moisturizing property without causing my face to feel heavy, and less breakouts during you-know-that-time-of-the-month.
(For Australia, I order my essential oils from Sydney Essential Oil Co.)

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