Oatmeal- A Natural Cleanser

After reading so much about the benefits of oatmeal for your skin, I started to incorporate it into my beauty regime about a year or so ago, with amazing results! It's so gentle to use, and because my skin can sometimes become very sensitive and easily irritated, it really soothed things out for me.

Using oatmeal for your skin is simple and beneficial for any skin type:

Acne Sufferers 
Oats contain natural cleansers called saponis. These absorb and remove excess dirt and oil from the pores without causing irritation. Many products aimed at oily skin strip the skin of all oil, which actually causes our skin to fight back and produce even more oil to protect itself! While it might be tempting to go and exfoliate your skin when you see it becoming oily, a natural gentle exfoliant like an oatmeal cleanse is a hundred times more effective and skin friendly!
Oats also have strong anti-bacterial properties, so if you are suffering from blemishes, cleansing with them will help to calm down your skin and prevent further outbreaks.

Dry Skin
Oats have the power to sooth dry, flaky, or itchy skin. They are so beneficial to use on any kind of skin irritation, even rashes. This is due to the anti-inflammatory and exfoliating properties listed above, and their effectiveness at moisturising the skin. You will notice how smooth your skin feels after cleansing with oats. Because of this exfoliation it will be silky smooth to the touch, glowing and bright.
If you ever experience small bumps on your skin after waxing, try soothing the area with an oat cleanse. It will sooth and calm the raised area.

Uneven Skin Tone
Cleansing with oats on a regular basis will help to really even out skin tone. The soothing properties calm down redness and bring hydration into the skin. And because oatmeal will naturally buff away any dry/dead skin cells, skin will be encouraged to regenerate, leaving a nice glow over time.

Ageing Skin

Because oats are packed full of antioxidants, they also help to fight against free radicals, which are believed to cause premature ageing of the skin. (such as sunlight, which can cause destructive oxidation, causing skin to age prematurely)  Of course, we must also fight free radicals from the inside out with a diet rich in antioxidants, but we can also fight them topically.

Steps for an Oatmeal Cleanse

• Before you start, wear an old t-shirt and make sure your hair is pinned back from your face. Nobody wants oatmeal in their hair. It hardens quickly, and believe me when I say it is a pain to remove!
• Remove any make-up from your face using your preferred make-up removing method. (Why not try using a natural oil, such as Jojoba oil, which I mentioned in a previous post)
• For the oatmeal cleanse, it's best to use organic oats (avoid the 'instant' kind), which can be found in any grocery store for next to nothing! One bag will last you a long time, even when used both for eating and cleansing.

• Next, cook the oats in water on a hob. When eating oatmeal, some people like a thick consistency, but for the purpose of cleansing you can have it a little more watery.
• Pour some into a little dish/container, cover with cling film and allow to cool. Once cooled, you can pop it into the fridge for a refreshing cleanse, or just allow it to cool to a tepid temperature if you prefer a little heat.

• When you're ready to cleanse, scoop the oats up a little at a time with your fingers and massage all around your face for 2-3 mins. The more time you have, the better! Take your time and massage in slowly. This can be a bit messy so I put my head over the sink while doing this, making sure the stopper is in the drain so that I can collect the spilled oats afterwards.

• The above picture shows the consistency of the oats being massaged into the skin.
• Once you rinse your face, towel dry, leaving a little moisture on the skin, then pop your moisturiser on straight away to lock in all of the oaty goodness!
• Lately my skin has been very dry so I've been mixing a little organic honey in with the oatmeal before cleansing. This gives it an extra hydrating boost.

When you cleanse with oatmeal you will have satisfaction in the knowledge that you are cleansing and exfoliating without the use of any harsh chemicals on your skin, which is always a plus.

Enjoy the oaty goodness on your skin!

Sinéad

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