I get a lot of questioning when I direct oily skinned people to facial oils and oil cleansing. Many of us were brought up to believe that putting oil on the skin was the biggest skin sin you could ever commit. I come from the age of Proactive and antibiotics to clear skin. Dry that skin out because oil is BAD and what is causing zits wagged the finger of anyone I put in authority over my skin. Oh how times have changed and I see now how these practices nearly ruined my skin for good.
The truth is, overly oily skin is out of balance. Your skin is overproducing oil because it has gotten the wrong signals. When you dry your skin out and you have healthy, functioning oil glands (most of us middle agers no longer have over productive oil glands anymore) those oil glands go in to overdrive. An excess of oil is obviously going to get clogged in the pores, attract dirt and cause a zit. However, when you apply an appropriate non comedogenic oil to oily skin, the skin gets the signal that it can stop overproducing oil.
Balanced skin gets the signal that it can relax and come back into balance. Out of balance skin is angry skin. Angry skin typically gets puffy and red and sends confusing signals to it’s person. Said person then tends to over dry their skin with harsh products or lack of products and the cycle continues.
I know it’s daunting to put oil on already oily skin. Trust me, I understand.
I wrote a post HERE further explaining why oily skin types should embrace topical oils. I map out which oils are better suited and exactly how to use them.
Today, we’re going to take a non-comedogenic oil to heal, calm and clear your skin and infuse it with another powerful ingredient, green tea. In case you’re not familiar with the non comedogenic scale, hemp oil earns a score of 0. Let’s just say if an oil has a rating of 10, don’t even look cross eyed at that bottle or you’ll get a zit!
First, a little about Hemp Seed Oil…
Hemp Seed Oil is excellent for sensitive skin and helps balance oily skin. Hemp is very healing and helps calm the redness and inflammation that come with blemishes. It contains 62% Linolenic Acid which is what makes this oil a powerful anti inflammatory and healer. I’ve found it’s very calming, helps you retain moisture for longer and has been known to clear the skin. Find the best HERE.
If you are oily skinned, suffer from acne and then on top of that are sensitive, hemp seed oil is your oil.
Of course you can stop right there. You don’t have to infuse it or add more things to it in order to enjoy the benefits. Using 2-4 drops directly on your skin morning and/or night is as easy as it gets! However, if you’d like to up the anti inflammatory action as well as promote anti aging and accelerate healing, let’s learn how to infuse green tea into your hemp oil!
For a full post on the Proper Way to Infuse Herbs into Oils go HERE.
How to Infuse Green Tea Into Hemp Oil:
You’ll Need:
- Hemp Seed Oil (HERE)
- Green Tea Leaves (HERE)
- Glass Pyrex Cup (Like THIS)
- Cheesecloth or Coffee Filter
- Strainer (Like THIS)
- 4 ounce glass dropper bottle (Like THIS)
- Small Funnel (Like THIS)
- Medium Pot (sauce pan) (Like THIS)
- Medium Glass Bowl
*This recipe will make 4 ounces of Green Tea Infused Hemp Oil. If you’d like, you can cut the recipe in half or double it to make the amount you need.
- We’ll start by making a “double boiler”. We do this by filling a medium pot 1/2 way full with water.
- Place the pot on the stove top and turn the stove to low heat. You want your water to never go above 140 degrees Fahrenheit. We want to not overheat the mixture so we don’t kill any of the beneficial properties.
- Next, place your glass pyrex cup into the water.
- Add 1/2 cup of hemp oil into the glass measuring cup and 1/4 cup of green tea leaves into the oil.
- Allow to heat for 4 hour on low.
- Remove from heat.
- Lay out a glass bowl and place a strainer over the top. (see picture)
- Place a coffee filter or cheesecloth in the strainer.
- Carefully pour your hemp/green tea oil into the strainer and filter.
- Allow the oil to drip into the bowl.
- You can mash it down with a spoon to hurry along the process.
- Once all your oil has been filtered into the bowl, place a funnel into your 4 ounce bottle and slowly transfer the oil to the bottle.
- Replace the lid!
TO USE:
REMEMBER THAT A LITTLE BIT GOES A VERY LONG WAY. SOME SKIN ONLY NEEDS 1-2 DROPS! YOU ARE USED TO USING A LOTION THAT IS OVER 50% FULL OF WATER SO THIS PRODUCT IS VERY DIFFERENT SINCE IT IS 100% UNDILUTED.
- Cleanse and tone your skin as usual. (try THIS recipe for a oily skin friendly oil cleanser)
- If you use a serum, now is the time.
- Drop 2-4 drops into the palms of the hands and press into the skin.
I know it’s hard to erase all you’ve ever been told when it comes to the health and appearance of your skin but ask yourself one question-Has the oil-free product train improved your skin? If the answer is no-using oils on your skin is worth a try.
I can’t give any guarantees because everybody’s skin is unique and reacts in it’s own way but I can tell you, before I had children, I had many more skin issues and wrestled with hiding zits and dealing combination and congested skin. Drying my skin out NEVER did me an ounce of good. Oils have saved my skin.
xx, Jenni
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