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My Top 3 Non-Oil Cleansers: Zum Charcoal Sugar Scrub, Rose Cleansing Scrub, and Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay
The oil cleansing system is binary; you are either on it or off it. Oil dissolves oil, and when you use it consistently to cleanse your skin it will regulate your body’s oil production and moisture level, reducing the risk of pimples and cysts. If you use other face washes between oil cleansings that strip the skin of moisture, you risk disrupting that balance and causing your body’s oil production to go into overdrive. There’s no better way to get a breakout.
Oil cleansing doesn’t exfoliate the skin, however, and everybody enjoys a good scrub. I’ve experimented with ways to mix up my routine with naturally exfoliating non-oil cleansers, without losing the benefits of oil cleansing. Here are my top three favorites:
- Zum Charcoal Sugar Scrub
If you want to cleanse and exfoliate your skin at the same time, look no further than Zum Charcoal Sugar Scrub. This surprisingly soft scrub combines detoxifying charcoal with large grains of sugar that break down as you rub it in. Bonus-it won’t sting an open acne wound. If you are cleansing in your sink, put a towel down first to avoid a mess. Take a pinch (or two) into your palm, add a splash of water, and rub your face with wet hands until the scrub turns from black to gray. Then drape a hot, wet washcloth over your face and wipe it off. Now your skin is primed for treatment, such as a Vitamin C serum or moisturizer. Using this cleanser is my favorite part of my nighttime routine.
2. Rose Cleansing Scrub
Another treat for your skin I recommend is Mountain Rose Herb’s Rose Cleansing Scrub. I received this as a gift recently, and it packs a nutritional punch. It is made of clay, dandelion root powder, marshmallow root powder (I didn’t know this existed!), lemon peel powder, rosehip powder, frankincense, and rose. It’s a wonderful scrub when mixed with water, but it also doubles as a face mask. Mountain Rose Herbs suggests mixing it with honey, green tea, or yogurt instead of water and keeping it on until it dries.
3. Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay
Last but never least, is Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay. I’ll never forget the first time I used it and as promised, felt my skin pulsate. This clay is POWERFUL. Clay has been used to purify skin for thousands of years. This green bentonite clay comes from the depths of Death Valley, California, and contains almost every mineral that exists on earth. Mix it with apple cider vinegar, spread it on your face, and let it sit for 15 minutes. The wet clay will seep down into every tiny crevice and pore in your face. When it dries and contracts, it will pull out pus, blackheads, oil, and dirt. As it tightens, listen to your heartbeat. You will feel the blood pound in your face while the clay does its job suctioning out your skin. The secret behind the superpower is that the minerals in the clay give it a negative electron charge. Congestion in the skin has a positive electron charge. These opposites attract, and when they come into contact, they adhere to each other.
This clay is an easy way to remove toxins from your skin. Fifteen minutes is all it takes. I like to meditate while I wait for it to dry and focus on my heartbeat and breath.
To remove, take a hot, wet washcloth and wipe your face until it is clean. The dried clay exfoliates the skin as it is removed. Redness is normal and usually fades by the next day, in my experience. The best thing about this clay is it will remove congestion in your skin and pull up pimples so they can be popped. The worst thing? You look like a green gremlin when it’s on. Or a green goddess!
I highly recommend all of the above for cleansing without oil. Leave me a comment letting me know your favorite way to exfoliate!