Why Oil Cleansing should be the Foundation of your Skin Care Routine

Most people would agree that cleansing the skin is an important part of maintaining skin health. Ideally, cleansing will remove excess sebum, dirt and pollutants and keep the pores from becoming blocked. It will leave our skin fresh and clear, enabling it to absorb the nutrients in our serums and moisturisers. But things don’t always go according to plan.

Where skin cleansing goes wrong

At Mokosh, we believe cleansing is where most people get their skin care wrong - and that the dirty word in cleansing is ‘detergent’. Detergents form the basis of virtually all liquid cleansers, whether milky or clear, foaming or micellar. If you are familiar with washing dishes with detergents, you’ll know that detergents are great at dissolving oils, and can leave the skin feeling ‘squeaky clean’. The problem is that detergents don’t distinguish between excess sebum and the beneficial oils in our skin. For too many people, the result is skin that is stripped of the important oils that form the skin’s barrier, leaving it prone to breakouts, irritation and redness, and exposed to harmful bacteria, pollutants and irritants. For those with oily skin, repeated washing with detergents can trigger increased production of sebum, with a consequent increased risk of developing acne. All these symptoms of a chronically damaged skin barrier take their toll on the skin, resulting in dullness, loss of vitality, and a speedier onset of the signs of ageing.

Oil is your best natural cleanser

At first, the idea of cleansing with oil seems the exact opposite of what we are aiming for, particularly for those with oily skin. The wonderful thing about oil is that it binds and combines with the excess oil and sebum in your skin, dissolving pollutants and picking up dirt at the same time. What’s more, a well-formulated oil cleanser can help balance sebum production in those with oily skins. The right formulation will also penetrate the pores efficiently, helping to eliminate blackheads. It leaves the skin feeling soft, the pores clean, and the skin feeling dewy and hydrated.

Mokosh Makeup Remover & Cleansing Oil - why your skin will love it

Our cleansing oil is a 100% certified organic botanical formulation that is so efficient at picking up dirt, it will quickly dissolve your makeup, including waterproof mascara. After using it to remove makeup, we recommend performing an oil cleanse to deep cleanse the skin’s pores and replenish essential nutrients at the same time. Yes - our cleanser will nourish your skin while it cleanses. This is because we have formulated it with botanical oils that are able to penetrate the skin’s pores, and are also rich in omega-6 fatty acids that replenish the skin’s ceramides, boost your skin’s vitamin E and beta-carotene levels, and deliver antioxidants and anti-inflammatories to your skin. Performing this gentle cleansing method leaves the skin more receptive to the absorption of the products you apply after cleansing, so that you maximise the benefits of the other products you apply to your skin.

How to make the most of Mokosh Makeup Remover & Cleansing Oil

1. For some, the benefits are improved by pressing a warmed moist face cloth to the skin for a 10 seconds or so before you start.

2. Take 3-5 pumps of the oil on your palm and warm for 3 seconds, then apply to the face.

3. Gently massage over the face using small circular motions for at least 60 seconds, giving particular attention to the T-zone where blocked pores are most common. Applying the #60SecondRule means paying mindful attention to massaging all parts of the face, and also gives more time for the ingredients to interact with the skin and deliver their benefits.

4. Remove the oil by pressing a warmed, moist face cloth onto the skin. Rinse the cloth and repeat until the skin is left with a comfortable amount of oil.

5. Be sure to use a fresh, clean cloth each time you perform the cleanse.

6. Follow with our Pure Hydrosol Toner to rebalance skin pH and deliver anti-inflammatory benefits, and the Mokosh moisturiser for your skin type for a concentrated nutrient boost.

The ingredients in our award-winning Makeup Remover & Cleansing Oil

The major ingredient in our cleansing oil is pumpkin seed oil, which is richly coloured because of its high content of beta-carotene, or pro-vitamin A. It also contains vitamin E and other powerful antioxidants, as well as anti-inflammatory phytosterols. It contains good levels of the omega-6 fatty acid, linoleic acid, which has anti-inflammatory properties, can help normalise sebum production and can restore the ceramide component of the skin’s barrier. The second component, jojoba oil, has an unusual chemical structure - it is more like a liquid wax - that can blend with sebum and readily penetrate the pores. The third and fourth elements, baobab and sesame seed oils, are both rich in linoleic acid. In addition, baobab oil is rich in beta-carotene, vitamin E and phytosterols, and sesame oil has potent antioxidant and antibacterial properties. These four oils work together to cleanse the skin and pores without clogging, bind to and remove dirt and pollutants, restore the skin’s barrier and protect it from the damaging effects of free radicals.