Today I will talk about washing your skin with oatmeal and its beneficial properties for the health of your skin! And then I will talk about how oatmeal helped my sunburns =O
I have been using oatmeal to wash my face for a while, about a year I think..wow a year...I'm old XD.
I first started after watching Bubzbeauty talk about washing her face with oatmeal on Youtube.
Here is the link to her video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7e5_RVBwNjE
In this video she explained the benefits of washing one's face with 100% natural oatmeal!
Oatmeal has anti-inflammatory properties and relieves, dryness, irritation and redness. Aveeno is very well know for using oatmeal extracts to help calm irritated skin. The oatmeal grains themselves act as a good gentle exfoliator.
Since my skin is very sensitive and parts of it are very dry, I tend to get a lot of redness and irritation on my face, which not only looks bad, but it feels annoying too. Therefore, after watching Bubzbeauty's video I decided to give it a try! I followed Bubzbeauty's instructions and changed them to my preferences.
How I do it:
1) I only wash my face or body with oatmeal in the shower, because I am a pretty messy face washer already....so...=P
2) I grab a handful of 100% natural oatmeal and put it in a cup and bring it into the shower
3) I pour water into the cup of oatmeal until there is a little extra water on top (kind of like how you make cup ramen!)
4) Then I do other things in the shower like wash my hair while I let the oatmeal absorb water so it can soften. Before you use it, press it and make sure that the oatmeal fully absorbs water. Because if it doesn't, it's going to feel scratchy on your skin (which has happened to me before....)
5) Then I follow Bubzbeauty's instructions on how to use the wet oatmeal and I'm done! =)
What do I think of this skincare method?
Nowadays I use this on weekends to give my face a break from man-made skincare products. I think it is amazing! My skin definitely feels a lot softer and more hydrated! The oatmeal really helped with the irritation and redness of my sensitive skin and I love it!!! XD The oat grains gently exfoliate my skin and I don't have to be worried about chemical irration because it is 100% natural oatmeal! =)
I definitely recommend this for people of all skin types and all ages. The benefits are worth it! And besides, you can find oatmeal anywhere and it's cheap! XP
I have bought 2 kinds of oatmeal:
On the left is Quaker Oats: Old Fashioned and on the right is Quaker Oats: Quick-1 minute.
Both in the ingredients list say: 100% natural oats and appear to be the same.
If you see these at the store and you want to buy one for your face, please get the Quaker Oats: Quick-1 minute! Please do!
The difference between the two is that even though they are both 100% natural oats, the Old Fashioned brand is steel cut oats which are a lot thicker and harder than the Quick-1 minute oats. The Quick-1 minute oats have been pre-pressed and softened by a steel roller.
The Old Fashioned brand will actually scratch your skin when you use it because it is more difficult for it to absorb water and you would probably have to wait twice as long for it to soften. Especially if you are a person like me who doesn't have a lot of time and gets impatient, you will end up hurting your skin! So please go buy the Quick-1 minute brand! Trust me! I've used both and I know how different they feel!
How Oatmeal helped my Sunburn!
So, earlier this month I went hiking and I didn't put sunscreen on my shoulders....yes, stupid I know. (I wanted a tan and I've never been sunburned before, I usually get tanned a lot so I thought it was okay not to put sunscreen.) I got a pretty bad sunburn on my shoulders =/
After the sunburned healed, the skin felt dry and itchy. I thought, if oatmeal helps with irritation on my face, then it should also help the rest of my skin too! Therefore, I tried the same method on my shoulders. The result? It was awesome! XD It really soothed and moisturized my skin. My skin became less irritated and itchy. My shoulders didn't start peeling until about a week later, and the exfoliating properties of the oats also helped with gently taking off the dead skin!
So, if you ever get a sunburn and you want to relieve your painful itching and dryness, I recommend this method! Just make sure to read the Important notes and use your common sense!
Important notes:
1) Use this method only AFTER your sunburn has healed. If your sunburn still stings and burns to the touch, it's not healed yet. If you use this when your sunburn has not healed, it will hurt.
2) If you leave the oatmeal and water in a cup alone until it has cooled, it feels very refreshing on the skin
3) When you use the oatmeal to exfoliate, make sure it is soft to the touch, fully absorbed with water, and be gentle on your sunburnt skin, even if it has already healed
I hope this post was helpful to everyone, especially to those with sensitive skin. I understand it is worrisome to try new skincare products that say that they are for or help sensitive skin, but because you have sensitive skin, it could still react negatively to the product. However, 100% natural oatmeal has no chemicals or synthetic substances of any kind, therefore your skin will probably not react to it unless you are allergic to oatmeal or something. =P
Thank you for reading! If you have an questions or comments, feel free to post in the comment box below! ^_^
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