Oil Cleansing Product Review

This begs the question, "What IS oil cleansing?" Oil cleansing is a facial cleansing technique where you clean your face first with an oil cleanser or balm that removes makeup, unclogs pores, moisturizes the skin, and removes impurities. Then you rinse, and follow with a normal soap cleanser to remove all residue. IT.IS.PHENOMENAL. Lots of people shy away from the idea because they think that adding oil to your face is going to make it oilier. Actually, quite the opposite. First of all, your face produces oil during the day. Also, most of the products you put on your face have oil in them. In order to dissolve oil, you need to use an oil to do that. Secondly, when you remove all the oils from your face, your body thinks your face needs more moisture and so produces more. Vicious cycle. 

I went on a mission to find THE oil cleanser. My criteria was specific:

• Must dissolve all makeup, including hard-to-remove mascara (hello Dior Overcurl!).
• Must rinse off clean, leaving no greasy residue (why you shouldn't use pure coconut or olive oil for this!).
• Must not sting eyes or irritate skin.
• Non-crappy ingredients are preferable.

I'll share a couple favorites and a couple to stay away from.

#1 Heimish All Clean Balm  $17.50 on Amazon
Ingredients: Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, PEG-20 Glyceryl Triisostearate, Polyethylene, PEG-8 ISOSTEARATE, Shea Butter, Donkey Milk, Cocos Nucifera Fruit Extract, Citrus Aurantifolia Fruit Extract, Freesia Refracta Extract, Iris Versicolor Extract, Jasminum Officinale Extract, Lilium Tigrinum Extract, Leontopodium Alpinum Extract, Nelumbium speciosum, Narcissus, Rose Extract, Citrus aurantium dulcis, Lavender Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens Extract, Amyris Balsamifera Bark Oil, Citrus Paradisi Peel Oil, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil, Tea tree leaf oil, Juniperus Mexicana Oil, Boswellia Carterii Oil,Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, 1, 2-Hexanediol

Love this. It comes in a solid state, but easily dissolves into an oil if you rub it between your hands. It has a large tub and lasts for months. The ingredients are among the better in Korean skincare. No mineral oil. Rub a teaspoon size amount into your face until all your makeup and mascara is dissolved. Rinse and continue massaging with water until all trace of makeup is gone. Your face feels calm, moisturized, and totally clean. Then follow with a normal facial cleanser.

#2 Innisfree Golden Olive Hydration Makeup Remove Oil

$16.00 Amazon

This is a liquid oil cleanser. It smells lovely, removes and dissolves makeup and mascara easily, doesn't burn your eyes, and rinses off clean. I've reordered this several times. The only cons are that the dispenser always leaks and it's not as easy to travel with because it's a liquid. This is why Heimish is my first choice. Use it as you would the Heimish All Clean balm. 

#3 TonyMoly Aquaporin Sherbet Cleanser

$14.00 Walmart

This is another solid state oil cleanser. Like the Heimish one, it turns into oil when you rub it in your hands. It's very similar to Heimish, perhaps a bit more fragranced. It completely removes makeup and rinses clean. I bought it at a K Beauty store in San Francisco, but it's harder to find online so I haven't reordered it. 

Avoid

#1 Sunday Riley C.E.O. C + E Micro-Dissolve Cleansing Oil

$38.00 Sephora

I hated this one. It does remove makeup, but it stings and burns my eyes so badly! That, and my face is super red after using. Sunday Riley makes some great products, but this is not one.

#2 Klairs Gentle Black Deep Cleansing Oil,make up cleansing oil

$19.00 Amazon

Klairs is the Kbeauty natural, gentle line. I love most of their products. This one was not a winner for me, though. It smells nice and didn't turn my face red, but it also doesn't remove mascara very well. I had tons of residue left over when I tried to rinse. 

#3 Innisfree Apple Juicy Cleansing Oil

$13 Amazon

Smells beautiful! I so badly wanted to love this because I adore the smell. But, like the Klairs, it is a lighter oil and doesn't effectively remove mascara. So this was a no-go.

There you have it. If you want to inexpensively improve your skincare experience, try adding in oil cleansing to your routine.