• Oats skincare

Oats in Your Skincare: What Does It Do and DIY Tips

In my previous blog I promised to bring you some Oats Do-it-yourself tips. Oatmeal contains lots of different active properties, making it very versatile. You’ll discover this if you search the internet; oatmeal is used for treating athlete’s foot, chicken pox, insect bites, itching, eczema, dry skin, allergic reactions, ichthyosis, sun burn and skin irritation from using Vitamin A Acid (research).

I’m not always an advocate of making your own skincare products. Without preservatives products quickly go off, and the ingredients in the kitchen aren’t always as pure and effective as the ingredients used in your skincare products. In addition to this, processing ingredients in such a way that they can be effective on skin is seldom successful.
Having said that, I am going to give you some simple recipes this time: mainly because there are very few well made oat products available. If you buy a product with oatmeal, I advise you to look for products containing avena sativa kernel extract. If you find this on the ingredients list then you will know that the most important and effective ingredient in the oat has been added. If the whole oat has been used this will usually be displayed in the ingredients list as avena sativa oat kernel flour or avena sativa oat kernel oil. This is less effective and, as a rule, there is a lower concentration in the product.

DO IT YOURSELF:
You can buy ready made fine oats or you can grind them down to a fine powder in a blender at home.


Mask with oatmeal

For this you will need: 1 tablespoon of finely ground rolled oats, 1 tablespoon of yoghurt (preferably with probiotica, unsweetened) (or jojoba oil), 1 tablespoon of honey. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and apply a thick layer onto your face. Leave it on for 15 minutes and then rinse off with water.
(click on the image to enlarge)


Oatmeal bath

It is very cheap and simple to prepare your own oatmeal bath. Gradually add finely ground oats to a filling bath. For a standard bath use approximately 40-50 grams. Use lukewarm water and lie in it for around 15 minutes. Gently pat your skin dry afterwards and then apply a cream straightaway.
When oatmeal is dispersed in water small particles form a protective barrier over the skin. It is, in particular, the high concentration of fat soluble carbohydrates in the oatmeal which are responsible for this.

Oatmeal cleanser
It’s not my favourite, but you can also make your own cleanser from oatmeal. This is because saponins are naturally occurring in oatmeal. Saponins are also often added to shampoos and detergents because they create a rich foam. Mix 1 tablespoon of finely ground oats together with 2 tablespoons of water and massage this into your wettened face. After 1 minute of massaging, rinse off with water.

Dry shampoo (for blonde hair…)
When I’m googling I often come across skin and hair products containing oatmeal. Also in dry shampoos. Now the reason that these dry shampoos usually work so well is because one of the first ingredients is almost always alcohol denat. This de-greases your scalp like nothing else. Yet you can also use some finely ground oatmeal as a dry shampoo; it mainly absorbs the grease and dirt. I have only tried it briefly on my brown hair… It didn’t work. Just for blonde tops then 🙂 It is definitely a good alternative as long as you don’t have a sensitive, dry scalp.
Let me know your experiences with these oatmeal do-it-yourself tips! I’d love to know…

Regards, Jetske

(Dr. Jetse Ultee-Research Physician Cosmetic Dermatology)


You can also read:
The Effects of Oatmeal as Skincare
Recipes for Home-Made Face Masks
A Lesson in the Importance of Preservatives