Best Non-Toxic Face Wash for Dry Skin
I’ve spent some major bucks trying to find a face wash that left my skin feeling fabulous, even before I was on my non-toxic journey. I never loved anything I tried. Some left me skin feeling, dry, or irritated, or greasy, and I always managed to have acne on my chin. Sigh.
Then one day I discovered something. I’m not sure what I was looking for, but I probably googled something like “best uses for coconut oil.” Which led me to find someone using COCONUT OIL as their face wash. Say what?!?! At the time that seemed strange to me, hmmmm oil on my face. Would that leave my skin greasy and break me out? I cook with coconut oil so I had a jar in my cupboard. I decided to give it a try, and I fell in love. That was about 8 years ago, and I’ve used coconut oil as my face wash ever sense. For me, it really has been the best non-toxic face wash for dry skin.
So you may ask, why would I want to wash my face with coconut oil?
Benefits of Using Coconut Oil as a Face Wash
There are so many reasons why I love using coconut oil for my face every day. Here’s why:
- One ingredient, probably the least toxic face wash you can find out there. It’s rich in medium-chain fatty acids including lauric acid which has antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory properties which helped clear up my chin acne.
- Leaves my face feeling balanced and refreshed. Never irritated, dry, or greasy.
- Cleans face and removes makeup (including mascara and eyeliner)
- Makes my skin glow
- Inexpensive and convenient. I purchase a large jar of coconut oil for cooking so I always have some on hand, and it’s a product you can now find at most grocery stores. I’m finding on average you’d pay $8 for 15 fl oz of organic unrefined coconut oil. You’d use about 1/2 teaspoon per wash, so you’d get 180 washes out of that jar. So if you wash your face once a day, that jar would last 6 months. $8 for 6 months is a steal of a deal!
I have dry to normal skin and if you do too this should work well for you. However, skin reacts differently so give it a try to see if it’s a good fit. If you have oily skin this may not be the best fit since it could block pores and cause blackheads. You could do a spot treatment to see how your skin reacts.
So if you are on board, let’s talk about the type of coconut oil to use.
What Type of Coconut Oil Should I Use to Wash My Face?
I would recommend using organic unrefined coconut oil because it’s less processed, which may leave more nutrients in the oil and be more gentle on the face. This is also listed as virgin coconut oil. You will also see refined coconut oil being sold as well. The difference between unrefined and refined is how it’s processed.
Refined uses dried coconut meat, is pressed with a machine, oil is steamed or heated, and filtered through clay. Sometimes chemicals are used to extract the oil from the coconut. In cooking, this method has a higher smoke point, and some may prefer this option because it does not smell or taste like coconut.
Unrefined uses a dry or wet method. For the dry method, fresh coconut meat is dried with a bit of heat and pressed with a machine which removes the oil. For the wet method, fresh coconut meat is pressed with a machine which produces milk and oil. The two substances are separated by either fermentation, enzymes, or centrifuge machines.
Since I cook with coconut oil I buy the 84 fl oz of Kirkland Organic Virgin Coconut Oil at Costco.
How to Store Coconut Oil Being Used For Face Wash?
I recommend putting it in a small glass jar. I add about 1 spoonful to the jar. Once it’s empty, I clean and refill the jar. I use a separate jar with a small amount to avoid any bateria growth introduced by my fingers. I love these glass jars, and if you buy a pack they also make great to-go containers for salad dressing, and hummus.
How to Wash your Face with Coconut Oil
These are the steps I take every night to leave my face feeling refreshed, and balanced:
Step 1:
Take about 1/4 teaspoon of coconut oil in your hand. I don’t measure and just dip my finger in the jar and scoop up a bit. Depending on the season sometimes it’s oil and other times it’s solid. Coconut oil melts at about 76 degrees. If solid rub it in your hands to get it more liquified.
Step 2:
Gently rub the coconut oil on your face and gently by your eye area if you are wearing eye makeup.
Step 3:
Take a washcloth and run it under warm water so it’s thoroughly soaked. Wring out the washcloth so it’s not dripping.
Step 4:
Put the wash cloth over your face and let it sit for about 30 seconds to open up those pores. I actually only do about 5 – 10 seconds because I’m impatient and want to go to sleep!
Step 5:
Then gently take the washcloth and wipe off your face. No need to scrub. If your face feels greasy you can repeat steps 3 – 5.
Step 6:
Apply your favorite face moisturizer. Mine is The Good Stuff Botanicals Gypsy Cream.
Final Thoughts
Coconut oil has so many uses and my absolute favorite is using it as a face wash, it’s the only thing I need to use to wash my face. It leaves my skin feeling fresh, hydrated, and acne free. It’s something I always have on hand since I cook with it, and it’s incredibly cheap when comparing to other face washes which would leave my skin dry, greasy, irritated, or I just felt meh about it. Just give it a try and see if it works for you!
Cheers to healthy skin and saving money!
-Brekke
