Extra virgin olive oil is a gentle, natural, and effective ingredient that works well for all skin types. Cleansers that make use of organic, extra virgin olive oil can help remove impurities and makeup residue without stripping or irritating your skin, which helps them address many common skincare concerns.
Here’s what you need to know about choosing a good cleanser and why you should look for organic, extra virgin olive oil in the ingredients list.
Why Is It Important To Invest in a Good Cleanser?
When most people invest in a skincare routine, they tend to focus on products like serums, moisturizers, and toners. Cleanser might seem like a one-size-fits-all product, but not all cleansers are made to be rinsed down the drain.
Cleansers infused with active botanicals can infuse your skin with nourishing fatty acids and nutrients that stay long after you’ve rinsed it off.
Every ingredient that touches your skin has an effect — invest in your skin by using a cleanser with rich and nourishing ingredients that draw from nature’s wisdom.
What Cleansing Ingredients Should You Avoid?
The difference between a “good” and “bad” cleanser is the type and quality of the ingredients used to create the product. While harsh cleansers can strip your skin and leave it feeling dry, nourishing cleansers can gently cleanse and leave your skin feeling smooth and supple.
Surfactants and Harsh Detergents
Surfactant ingredients like sulfates are what can cause a cleanser to lather up. This lather can capture and trap everything on the surface of your skin and hold onto it until you rinse the bubbles away.
This might sound like a perfectly effective way to remove impurities from your skin, but it can come at a cost.
Surfactants have no way to distinguish between impurities and your skin’s natural healthy barrier. When you rinse them away, you may also rinse away your skin’s moisture barrier, natural oils, and good bacteria. People with sensitive skin often find that harsh surfactants, like sulfates, are irritating to their skin, causing more problems than they solve.
Your skin doesn’t need harsh detergents or surfactants to be clean. Active water can remove water-based debris, while oil can remove oil-based debris. Even better, oil can help moisturize and nourish your skin as it cleanses.
Artificial Colors and Fragrances
When a cleanser has a pretty color or a vibrant floral aroma, that might be a skincare red flag. Artificial colors and fragrances are often used to make a product feel more luxe without splurging on high-quality, natural ingredients.
Many conscious consumers are making an active effort to reduce their exposure to artificial colors, artificial flavors, and artificial fragrances in their self-care products. These ingredients aren’t always sustainable, and they typically don’t benefit your skin. In fact, these ingredients are often known irritants that can harm sensitive skin.
Plant extracts and active botanicals can change the color and fragrance of a cleanser, but these changes aren’t exclusively for aesthetic reasons. Luckily, you don’t always have to sacrifice one for the other. Ingredients like olive oil can be used to create a nourishing and beautiful product.
How Does Extra Virgin Olive Oil Cleanse the Skin?
Extra virgin olive oil is a very simple ingredient — but we’re not talking about the olive oil you’d use in the kitchen. It’s obvious why extra virgin olive oil can be a beneficial addition to your diet, but it may not be obvious why it’s the missing staple in your skincare routine.
It Gently Removes Buildup
Extra virgin olive oil can gently break down dirt, makeup residue, and debris on the surface of the skin without stripping the skin’s natural barrier. In fact, extra virgin olive oil is particularly suited to break down excess oil.
It Supports Your Skin
Extra virgin olive oil is naturally rich in beneficial fatty acids. These fatty acids can work to support the skin’s natural lipid barrier, helping the skin to retain moisture and keep bacteria out. Extra virgin olive oil can leave your skin radiant and soft and acts as a natural humectant to help your skin attract moisture.
It Works for All Skin Types
Many people with dry skin can easily benefit from the deeply moisturizing and protective qualities of extra virgin olive oil. After all, it only makes sense to add moisture to skin that tends to lack moisture.
However, people with combination or oily skin tend to avoid oils. While it’s true that some oils can do more harm than good, the right oil can moisturize and cleanse without clogging pores or contributing to excess oil.
Many people with oily skin actually have dehydrated skin. Their skin can overcompensate for this lack of moisture by producing more oil.
If your skin tends to overproduce oil, it’s possible that you may just need to add some heavy-duty moisture to your skincare routine. An extra virgin olive oil cleanser and hydrating skincare routine may help balance your skin’s oil production.
The Final Word on Olive Oil Cleanser
Cleansers formulated with organic, extra virgin olive oil are a great choice for people of all skin types. This nourishing ingredient can gently cleanse your face while helping to lock in healthy moisture and restore your skin’s natural barrier.
Our Cleansing Balm is formulated with organic, extra-virgin olive oil, organic olive leaf water, and wild foraged botanicals to infuse your skin with the best that nature has to offer. Plus, while other olive oil cleansers may leave behind a sticky or greasy texture, our Cleansing Balm leaves behind soft, supple, and natural-feeling skin.
Sources:
Surfactants and experimental irritant contact dermatitis | Wiley Online Library
What is FRAGRANCE | EWG Skin Deep®
Dehydration: Causes & Symptoms | Cleveland Clinic
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