Cleansing one’s face with oil takes a leap of faith if you have never tried it. It can seem a little odd at best, and scary at worst if you happen to have oily or acne prone skin. But fear not, it will not break you out and does a superb job at removing makeup and impurities. Now that I have gotten used to massaging cleansing oil into my skin as a regular part of my skincare routine, I can’t image doing without it.

The challenging part for me, has been finding a cleansing oil that is 100% natural. I really like Daybreak Lavender Farm’s By U 4 U Cleansing Oil, and have even reviewed it here, but have since discovered that their “wetting agent” used to make the oil water-soluble is Polysorbate-20, a chemical derived from petroleum. My bottle was empty about a month ago, so I went looking for something without petrochemicals. Laventine’s was recommended on the MUA Green Board and I have been thoroughly impressed with my experience of the two products I received, the Facial Cleansing Oil for Dry/Normal Skin and the Olive Forte for Sensitive Skin. Laventine also makes a formula for Oily/Combo Skin which according to their website is more astringent and lighter than the Dry/Normal Cleansing Oil.

My skin is normal in the summer and dry in the winter and prone to (ahem…cyclical) breakouts. Ultimately, I preferred the Dry/Normal formula for no other reason than its relaxing, but not overpowering, scent of lavender and geranium essential oils. You massage the oil on your dry skin and then rinse with lukewarm water. The result is clean skin with no tightness. The Olive Forte is made with only olive derived ingredients and Vitamin E, so it has a faint, fruity olive oil scent. Like the Dry/Normal formula, the scent is not strong, nor does it linger. Unlike the Dry/Normal formula, it is lighter weight and will be my preferred cleansing oil in the summer months.

I alternate using the Laventine Facial Oil with my Dr. Haushcka regimen. (I love that so much I will never give it up no matter how diligently I look for alternatives!) Sometimes I use the Dr. H Cleansing Cream after the Laventive Oil when I feel like my skin needs the exfoliation the “cream” provides. The two lines are very complementary and also work well with my beloved Kahina Facial Lotion and Argan Oil for moisturizing at night. Feel free to mix and match your skincare, there are no rules. And if you’ve never tried a cleansing facial oil, Laventine gets my highest recommendation.

Laventine Water Soluble Facial Oils $24.95 for 8oz at Laventine.com

Posted by ~Trish

Disclosure: Samples from the company were provided for this review. The opinons in this review are my own. I was not financially compensated for this review or any other.