Back in 2009 or so, Liz and I bought tickets for a DIY skincare workshop at a shop in Ukranian Village (Green Heart on Division!). We listened to the sweetest woman talk us through her recipe printouts for mashed strawberry face masks, avocado hair masks, and were completely floored when she sent us to the bathroom sink with a bottle of almond oil and some paper towels. This was our introduction to oil cleansing, which has been around even longer than soap.
After we launched Scratch Goods with our handmade soaps in 2011, we soon expanded the product line to scrubs, masks and face oils. Although we had never seen any true cleansing oils on the market, we never got over that cleanse in the Green Heart bathroom. I dove into formulating our own blend - castor oil for the main cleanser, sunflower and jojoba to balance the texture, vitamin e for antioxidants, and a touch of tea tree to fight bacteria. Our Tea Tree Cleansing Oil hit our shelves just as we opened the doors to our first retail store in 2015, and was the perfect first step for the facials we would be offering.
Although our facial services were short-lived (soon replaced by the Mask Bar), our Cleansing Oil made its mark. While the Mask Bar was meant to highlight our dry clay masks, a good portion of people were more impressed with the cleanse! And the Tea Tree Cleansing Oil soon became our best-selling product, where it's remained for almost ten years.
More gentle than a foaming cleanser, our Cleansing Oil binds to dirt, makeup and other oils on the surface. What it leaves behind is just as important: the beneficial oils your skin needs to stay protected and hydrated, what's known as your skin barrier. Foaming cleansers can clean a little too deep, leaving even oily skin tight and vulnerable.
2 important things about the Tea Tree Cleansing Oil:
Application: A long massage into DRY skin for 60 seconds not only cleans more thoroughly - the pressure stimulates blood flow, collagen production, and lymphatic drainage. Pair with some deep breaths and shoulder rolls as part of your cleansing ritual!
Removal: Without any foaming agents, a true cleansing oil like ours does not rinse away. Saturate a washcloth with hot water, wring it out and press into oiled skin for a quick steam. The heat helps oils dissolve as much as they can. Wipe away with gentle upward and outward pressure to leave soft, smooth skin that's bouncy, never tight.
Bonus tip: A deep + gentle cleanse at night is plenty for most of us. Remove your sunscreen and/or makeup at night with a cleansing oil, then try skipping your morning wash. A quick massage with water before any morning products should be more than enough.
If you're one of our Cleansing Oil superfans, you can now leave us a review - please help us get the word out! And if you haven't tried it yet, we're excited for your first time :)
