As a sensitive skin gal, oats have been my skincare saving grace ever since I discovered how well they work as a skincare product.

So as I eat my Pumkin Maple Oatmeal this morning, I thought that I would share why I love oats and how I use them in my skincare routine.

I LOVE exfoliating. My skin has always responded really well to it and I find that I have way less breakouts when I exfoliate every one to two days. I generally use physical exfoliants. For the last year the Acure Brightening Facial Scrub has been my go to.

I love this exfoliant but it can be a little abrasive so it’s not my favorite to use when I’m experiencing redness or when my skin is feeling dry or extra sensitive.

Enter OATS

Oats have the ability to exfoliate in a super gentle manner since they are very soft in texture, and when mixed with water they are even softer. I keep a small container of oats in my bathroom and mix a small palm full of oats and hot water in my hand.

I usually cup my other hand over top of the hand with the oats and water in it so that the hot water can steam a bit. This won’t soften the oats quite as much as they would be in your average bowl of oatmeal but it does make them a little bit less dense so that they feel very smooth on the skin.

When the oats are mixed with water the water also turns into a very silky feeling liquid. Once I start exfoliating with the oats the “silky water” (lol what?) adheres to the skin. If left on the skin to dry, it acts as a moisturizing mask!

I think that oats feel very soothing and relaxing on the skin and I love how smooth and hydrated my face feels after exfoliating with them. I also find that oats really help my skin combat redness.

I especially love to use this mask/scrub the morning after doing my Bentonite Clay Detox Mask!

Sometimes I will even cook up about half a serving of oatmeal and use the extra soft cooked oats as a scrub or a mask. I haven’t quite perfected this method yet but best believe there will be a blog post up the day I get it down.

What are your favorite DIY natural skincare ingredients?

Thanks for reading! 🙂