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Minimalist Beauty

living simply with grace, discretion and faith

Minimalist Beauty

INEXPENSIVE Gentle Facial Cleanser with Just Plain Oats

April 12, 2013 by Dawn Michelle

Every time I run out of the beauty ingredients that I order online, I find myself trying new things and extremely grateful for it in the end.  I most recently ran out of my usual DIY facial cleanser and decided to try using oatmeal.  Plain oats alone will cleanse, soothe irritation and dryness, and gently exfoliate your skin therefore making oats an incredible, simple, and inexpensive facial cleanser.  I actually LOVE the smell of oats too!

Oats contain saponins, a gentle cleansing agent, and can be used as a mild soap.

Saponins are also high in antioxidants which can calm redness, dry, and itchy skin.  Gentle cleansers like oats are perfect for those dealing with acne, eczema, psoriasis, sunburn, rosacea, and other sensitive skin issues.  Because oatmeal contains a high concentration of starch and beta-gluten, it holds water easily and creates a milky substance once mixed with water, which also makes it the perfect creamy cleansing milk.

Although I have seen others use oatmeal in various ways as a facial cleanser such as soaking a fist full of whole oats in water then massaging into skin which can be messy or using muslin or cotton bags filled with oats, there is a much easier way.

You can either purchase organic oat flour from your grocery store, or colloidal oatmeal from your pharmacy or online, and use it as is.  I use it in the same way I would use rhassoul clay as a face wash, except using plain oats is much more moisturizing for your skin.  I place about a teaspoon or more of colloidal oatmeal or oat flour in the palm of my hand, add a bit of water and mix, then massage it into my skin.  I then rinse thoroughly and continue with my skin care regimen.  I prefer using colloidal oatmeal since it is contains no lumps and is ground extremely fine.

Another way to use the oats that you already have is to grind them yourself in a spice grinder, coffee grinder, food processor, or blender.  Cleansing with oats alone will not remove heavy eye makeup and some mascaras, yet that’s what I like to use oils high in linoleic acid for.  On the days where I need to wash my face after a midday workout, I have found that using oats did not irritate my skin at all.  Plus using oats as a face wash has been extremely helpful to heal my most recent stress related eczema breakout where other simple cleansers were not doing their magic.  I’m so glad to know of yet another simple skin care cleanser that will work for all skin conditions and skin types.

With all of the natural and inexpensive alternatives to skin care, I wish I had known about all of these simple methods years ago.  Have you tried cleansing with oats?

*Mountain Rose Herbs Herbal Facial Kit GIVEAWAY!–Enter by April 23rd!

(Image by Dawn Michelle)

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  1. miya says

    April 14, 2013 at 12:59 am

    Yes, I have. I used oats when honey wasn’t enough to clean my face. It works well and smells great.

    Reply
    • Dawn Michelle says

      April 15, 2013 at 11:03 am

      Hi miya, I am loving oats as a facial wash more and more everyday. I’m glad you like it too!

      Reply
  2. sandy says

    April 18, 2013 at 5:50 pm

    This sounds a lot healthier than Aveeno bars. I’ll do this for my eczema next time. Thank you.

    Reply
  3. BK says

    April 27, 2013 at 3:15 am

    Hi
    I have been using oat as facial cleanser for the past 3 weeks but notice that little bumps are appearing on the face. Would you think it could be due to oats not being strong enough to clean the skin? Do you ever experience this when you use oats as a face cleanser?
    My worry is that it does not wash the face clean enough.
    Tks

    Reply
    • Dawn Michelle says

      April 30, 2013 at 3:26 pm

      Hi BK,
      The first thing that came to my mind is that the oats alone may not be cleaning off makeup/dirt well for you. If you like how the oats feel on your skin you can always incorporate microfiber cloths in your skin care regimen. Another option is to use rhassoul clay which you can read about here instead or even mixed with the oats.
      Hope this helps!

      Reply
      • shelby says

        October 13, 2019 at 1:40 pm

        What about bentonite clay? 🙂

        I’m having the same issues with the oatmeal – closed comedones & blackheads like crazy !

        Reply
        • Dawn Michelle says

          October 26, 2019 at 12:02 pm

          Hi Shelby,
          I love bentonite clay for hair but I have found it to be too strong for my sensitive skin. If your skin is not sensitive, bentonite clay may work really well for you. In terms of acne, using oils high in linoleic acid is the best solution in my opinion.

          Reply
    • Jessica says

      April 12, 2018 at 8:18 pm

      I use Rosemary Gladstar’s recipe for Miracle Grains. I’m sure you can find the recipe by googling it. I love her recipe and I feel it cleans my face beautifully. It has kaolin clay, ground oats, ground almonds, and some herbs. Oil cleansing also does a good job of taking makeup off which I use before the cleansing grains if I feel I need something extra for the makeup.

      Reply
  4. mangomadness says

    May 13, 2013 at 6:39 pm

    I’ve been using oats as a facial cleanser since last summer. I love oats as a facial cleanser ’cause they’re natural, gentle, effective and affordable.

    Right now, I use oats in my DIY Facial Cleanser/Scrub (oat flour, rose petal powder, chamomile flower powder, turmeric powder*). This mix works quite well for my skin. I may add some neem powder in the future to up the anti-acne effects.

    Also, I always remove my make up with a wet microfiber wash cloth before I cleanser.

    *My skin is dark brown so I do not have to worry about turmeric “staining” my skin.

    Reply
    • Dawn Michelle says

      May 14, 2013 at 12:06 pm

      Hi mangomadness, I love your DIY facial cleanser recipe! It sounds divine! Turmeric is so healing for the skin and I really appreciate the benefits that I have gotten from it. Microfiber cloths are fantastic too!

      Reply
  5. Dima says

    January 12, 2014 at 4:51 pm

    Im not a big fan of masks that pulls the skin taut with so much tightness. What i like to do is mix 1tsp clay, 1tsp ground oats and 2tsp honey. Mix that bad boy REALLY well until it turns into a thick/creamy consistency. Apply to clean face, let it sit for 10-15min then rinse, tone and moisturize

    You’re left with soft, smooth skin:)

    Reply
    • Dawn Michelle says

      January 13, 2014 at 7:29 pm

      Hi Dima,
      Thanks so much for sharing your facial mask recipe! That sounds AMAZING! I always keep a spray bottle close by so I can mist my skin if a mask is beginning to dry because I feel the same way about tight facial masks.
      Hope you’re having a wonderful day!

      Reply
  6. chiara says

    April 12, 2014 at 6:40 am

    Hi Dawn Michelle,

    My 7 year old daughter and I both have really sensitive eczema affected skin and looking for natural treatment remedies. I’m trting to move away from soaps period so the oats soound like the ideal alternative. We’re pressed for time at bedtime so is there a way to make a body wash from the oats ahead of time or does a small batch have to be made each time it’s needed.

    Many thanks,
    Chiara

    Reply
    • Dawn Michelle says

      April 13, 2014 at 6:32 pm

      Hi Chiara,
      I just wrote this article which includes natural body care which may help and also shares how to use oatmeal for body care. Also with most DIY products that I make I refrigerate them for up to a week (sometimes 1.5 weeks) because I do not use preservatives. Best wishes!

      Reply
  7. Aidan says

    June 4, 2014 at 9:57 am

    Hey there darling!,

    I love your blog. You are so beautiful! Thank you for sharing all of this information… May I ask, do you still cleanse with oatmeal? I’m looking for a cleansing method that won’t leave my face a dehydrated, beat red oil slick! All of the “natural” and drug store cleansers I’ve tried have left my face stinging, irritated and red…

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Dawn Michelle says

      June 4, 2014 at 10:42 am

      Hi Aidan,

      Thank you so much for the compliment! I wrote an article about my daily skin care regimen here which really hasn’t changed. I also do weekly herbal steam treatments for my skin which I wrote about here. I’m actually overdue for a steaming. I share all of my recent beauty products on this page if you are in interested.

      Oats are an incredible facial cleanser. I like to try simple DIY beauty to share to provide a lot of information for my readers so that you can find what will work best for you. I hope this helps!

      Reply
  8. Aidan says

    June 5, 2014 at 8:15 am

    Thanks again! I will check out your other articles as well. I appreciate your advice. 🙂

    Reply
    • Dawn Michelle says

      June 5, 2014 at 11:03 am

      You are so welcome Aidan! I hope that it helps you. <3

      Reply
  9. Andrew says

    December 12, 2015 at 2:45 pm

    Can you recommend me a daily face wash? I’m so tired of trying new products and wasting money yet I still have acne, acne scars, etc. Thank you

    Reply
    • Dawn Michelle says

      December 14, 2015 at 5:56 pm

      Hi Andrew,
      I personally oil cleanse with oils high in linoleic acid since I am very acne prone. I wrote about these types of oils here and personally favor organic pumpkin seed oil, yet choose an high linoleic oil your are intuitively drawn to. I use the same oil for cleansing with a soft microfiber cloth and for moisturizing (details here). It has been my most effective and inexpensive skin care regimen to date. You can find other natural and inexpensive skin cleansers here. Lastly I shared how I cleared my skin and acne scars here. Acne is a symptom of toxicity in the body and is best approached from all angles internally, emotionally, and externally. I hope this helps!

      Reply
  10. NikkiB says

    January 12, 2016 at 9:25 am

    I discovered your website by faithful coincidence and is happier for it. I am a 40 year old mom of two and have had hyperpigmentation for most of my life and still continue to battle with it. I am slowly Healing the process by using your insights. Thank You for being informative, simple and clear on so many facets. You helped me to take the lead in attaining my skin goals. I feel confident in revealing what is already there: glowing beautiful skin. Bless.

    Reply
    • Dawn Michelle says

      January 12, 2016 at 12:38 pm

      Hi NikkiB,
      Thanks so much for sharing this with me as it means a lot. I’m so glad that this information has been helpful to you. I wish you continued healing and the best of everything!

      Reply
  11. Daryan says

    February 21, 2016 at 6:51 pm

    I have very, very sensitive African American skin. I wind up with contact Dermot is after trying something new. I then have to use elocon ( prescribed by my dr) to get rid of the breakout. I then wind up with additional scars and discoloration on my facr. I have tried several cleansers and to no avail always wind up using only water to cleanse my face. I am going to try collodial oatmeal, or raw honey to cleanse and hope either helps. Thanks for the options. Very informative.

    Reply
    • Dawn Michelle says

      February 21, 2016 at 7:37 pm

      Hi Daryn,
      If you have success using only water to wash your face then stick with that. So often we feel that we need to use something just because it is the norm. I am all about less is more so do what works for you unless you need to do something different. Please keep us posted on how things turn out. Best wishes!

      Reply
  12. Rose says

    February 23, 2016 at 6:15 pm

    I’ve been using oat flour and honey for a little while now but I’ve recently been wondering if it’s actually harming my skin because it is an exfoliant even thought it is gentle. I haven’t experienced anything wrong with my skin but it still worries me because it’s supposed to be bad to exfoliate everyday. So is it bad?

    Reply
    • Dawn Michelle says

      February 25, 2016 at 11:48 am

      Hi Rose,
      I use colloidal oatmeal which is ground extremely fine, and find oat flour to be very gentle in comparison to the exfoliant products sold in stores. Also raw honey has so many wonderful benefits for skin too. Have you noticed an improvement in your complexion overall and do you enjoy using this combo for skin care?

      Reply
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living simply with grace, discretion and faith

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