{Beauty} 3 Reasons To Wash Your Face With Oil

As a skincare devotee since the tender age of 12 (actually), I was brought up believing that foam, gel and milk cleansers were the only way to go... In fact, during my uber attractive, acne-prone teen years, I adopted a 'go foam or go home' attitude towards skincare — squeaky clean had nothing on me. So after so many years of believing I had the answer to a balanced complexion — coupled with my belief that oils were public enemy number one where clear skin was concerned — you can imagine my reluctance towards washing my face with the stuff. I didn't believe that oil could actually remove my makeup (seriously, where's no alcohol?), and I just imagined my skin breaking out in protest faster than I could say 'hamburger face' — boy I was wrong.

Now unless you're scared to give cleansing oils a try like I was, chances are you've already given this method a go and either fall into the 'can't live without it' camp, or the 'get that crap away from my face' category... I think we all know where I stand. So if you're on the fence about using the stuff, here are three reasons you might want to give cleansing oils a try:

1. THEY CLEAN LIKE NOBODY'S BUSINESS. Cleansing oils (and balms, for that matter) have the  ability to gently breakdown makeup, dirt and sweat, leaving skin clean yet nourished. No squeaking necessary to prove it works — and if you don't believe me, just try rubbing the stuff on your mascara... it's magical.

2. THEY HELP BALANCE YOUR SKIN. Because they're so gentle, cleansing oils don't strip skin of its sebum (the natural oil that keeps it protected), and instead helps to maintain its natural moisture levels, leaving skin looking supple and youthful.

3. THEY HELP YOU KISS ACNE GOODBYE. For all these reasons and more, washing your face with oil can actually help combat acne — what the what?! According to skincare guru Caroline Hirons, the foaming cleansers I held so near and dear to my heart actually alkalize the skin, which pretty much turns it into a breading ground for bacteria — aka breakout city... Not cute.

I'm personally a fan of Shu Uemura's Ultime8 Cleansing Oil ($48 at Sephora) and Clinique's Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm, but I've also heard great things about The Body Shop's Silky Camomile Cleansing Oil (which I'll probably try after my Shu stash runs out), or straight up coconut, sunflower, olive or basically any kind of oil you have kicking around. If you're a little skeptical about oil removing every last stitch of your makeup though, fear not: You could always start with a cleansing water (like Bioderma's Sensibio) for some piece of mind... I know I do. Happy cleansing!

Photo by Adventures in Fashion