In-depth Skincare Review: DIY oatmeal cleanser

DIY Oatmeal Cleanser!

Mmm, oatmeal, a staple breakfast item for many in the Western world and the sunny island of Singapore.

Oatmeal has numerous health benefits like lowering your cholesterol, diabetes and reduces risk of breast cancer. My family has been eating oatmeal frequently as of late, due to my parents' sudden health-freak mode. (actually it's just dad)

In all honesty, I do not like oatmeal unless it has been sweetened but my parents choose to serve it extremely gooey and unsweetened. Bleh.

Anyway...

I know this has probably been reviewed about countless times and I'm late in joining the oatmeal skincare wagon. But I'll review it anyway xD I've got sensitive skin and it's always getting heat bumps, rashes, redness even if I didn't use anything on my skin. I wonder if it's because Singapore is getting warmer by the year. It's almost like the Sahara desert now! *melodramatic mode*

Research has shown that Asian skin tends to be more prone to sensitivity as it's more delicate compared to the other races. I seem to have more sensitivity than the average Asian, though. For example, my skin cannot take most Western brands like Neutrogena and Garnier. Far too harsh for my face.

I've been wanting to try using oatmeal for quite a while now, but feared that it was too messy (it still is). And I've been seeing how people use organic oatmeal or oatmeal powder to do it, which made me hesitant to use the non-organic instant oat I have at home.

But then, I saw bubzbeauty's DIY oatmeal cleanser using instant oat. And she said it was alright. So I thought: Heck, I'll just use the ones available at home.

Bubz's tutorial on using oatmeal.

These days, I like Bubzbeauty a lot. She's one of the few Youtube gurus who's become so mature and real over the years. 

So here, I have instant oatmeal from Quaker that has free 100g more oatmeal! Hahaha. It costs around S$4.00 ++ depending on where you get it. And if you're using it just for face, it'll last a long, long time.

So basically what I did was to add warm/hot water to the oatmeal and wait for a couple of minutes. The good thing about instant oat is that it turns mushy real quick which is great for your skin since it won't scratch the skin. All you need is one tablespoon of oatmeal. In fact, a tablespoon was more than enough for me. You really do not need a lot of oatmeal.

Simply smear the gooey paste on your face gently and rub in circular motions like a normal face wash. Do not use it near the eyes.

I'd advise to wash your face in a plastic bowl or container instead of the sink because I don't think it'd be good to clog the sink up. Also, make sure you have a mirror around to ensure you don't make a mess out of it. I regretted not having a mirror nearby because I had oatmeal stuck in my hair! 

It was so tough to remove them.

I guess it is best done when you have the time, or are in the shower.

The effects:

• I believed my skin looked really glowing after using the oatmeal cleanser. It was nice to rub it on too because it was so mushy.
• I felt my pores were more refined and my skin tone looked more even. 
• My skin was noticeably softer and smoother too.
• It didn't cause any allergic reaction and is good for sensitive skin.

Thus, a DIY oatmeal cleanser is really pretty awesome. In fact, I'd love to use it more often but, I simply have no time to do it.

So, to save time and effort, I transformed it into a toner, by using the watery oatmeal layer and around 10 drops of tea tree oil as preservative. It should last me for a week. I store it in the fridge as well for optimal preservation.

100% tea tree oil from Thursday Plantation. I've been using it for quite a while and it's pretty good. 

I use it for toners, for disinfecting tables(mixed with soap) and stuff.