Do You Need An Oil Cleanser?

Oil cleansing as the first step in double cleansing has taken Tik Tok and the skincare world by storm as people discover it’s benefits for blackhead and texture removal. While we love oils in skincare, we sought out to see if an oil cleanser is actually necessary for removing makeup and impurities, or if water-based cleansers can work just as well. 

What is Oil Cleansing?

Oil cleansing is the first step in a double cleansing routine. Because like attracts like, oil cleansers are known to wash away excess oils and makeup more efficiently and effective. Oil cleansers should be massaged into dry skin for at least a minute before rinsed off and followed with a water-based cleanser. 

Is Oil Cleansing Actually Necessary?

One scroll through the skincare hashtag on Tik Tok will lead you to trends varying from “skin flooding,” to skin icing, to oil cleansing. Each trend and product boasts miraculous claims that suggest this is the missing piece to your glass skin puzzle.

Marketing professionals are great at your job, and superb at convincing you the latest and greatest product is a must-have on your skincare shelf. If you truly desire healthy skin, it is time to stop paying so much attention to the consumerist noise that sometimes deafens us on social media.

So, no, oil cleansing is not completely necessary. If these types of cleansers don’t work for you, water-based cleansers will remove makeup, excess oils, and dirt just as well as an oil cleanser will. For your individual skin needs, you might find that Micellar Water or a hydrating creamy cleanser works best as your first cleanse.

Don’t get us wrong, oil cleansing has proven to be beneficial for many people, but it does not mean that it will work for you.

Will Oil Cleansers Break You Out?

The first question that popped into ours, and probably your, head was whether or not oil cleansing will cause breakouts. Like any skincare product, the answer is relative to the individual. Everyone’s skin is unique to them, and while something might work for others, it is no guarantee that it will work for you too. For acne-prone skin, if you do prefer to oil cleanse, ensure that your cleanser uses lightweight oils proven not to cause blemishes like Squalane and Jojoba Oil. 

If you do choose to use an oil cleanser, be sure to double cleanse, following with a water-based cleanser to ensure the remnants of the oil cleanser have been removed. Listen to your skin, use ingredients it likes, and focus less on what social media has to say about it. 

Should You Oil Cleanse?

Like our first question, this is all up to your individual skin type and concerns. Oil cleansing can have great benefits for the skin, but that doesn’t mean it is for everyone. You can still achieve clean, radiant skin whether you stick to water-based cleansers or begin your oil cleansing journey. 

Let 2024 be the year you listen more to your own skin, and less to social media trends.