Skincare Oil Getting Into My Eyes - What am I doing wrong?

[deter09]

I recently went through another patch of really dry skin and started re-using oil in my skincare routine, it really makes a big difference to my skin and I am happy with the results but I am having a problem with the oil getting into my eyes - I cannot work out how this is happening. I have used oil before and this didn’t happen!

I am very careful not to touch my eyes after applying eye cream. And yet my eyes feel as though they have an oily film on the eyeball - is this weird? What am I doing wrong?

My eyes also stream tears trying to clear the oil.

1. Warm water, flannel
2. No7 Cleansing Balm (older one, in a tube, not a pot) rinse off with warm flannel

1. No7 Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced Eye Cream
2. The Ordinary 1% Retinol in Squalane
3. No7 Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced Serum
4. The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors & HA

(Sorry for the bold, it’s a MN glitch)

Are you putting it on your eyelids? If so that'll be why. Also just carefully glide just underneath your eye not to close.

For oil application - try pressing into the skin rather than rubbing it in. I make sure it's evenly distributed over both hands than then just press my palms to my cheeks and then forehead and chin and do that a few times. Then use my fingers to gently press it in under my eyes. Maybe you're using too much oil? It should be grippy not slippy and definitely not be going in your eyes that much. And obviously wash your hand before touching your eyes.

I wonder though, you say you're using a balm for your cleansing step, maybe that's what's causing the oily film. It sometimes happens to me when I use it, but I just don't open my eyes at all once I've put it on my face and just sort of blindly feel around for the flannel to rinse it off.

Thank you so much for your replies.

I don’t put the oil near my eyes because it has the retinol in it so I only put the eye cream around my eyes. I didn’t know you could put oil near the eyes!

I tried the patting the oil in as you suggested @MrsRandallFraser and that didn’t make the difference but I think I will continue doing that as it seems gentler method on skin anyway.

then I realised what I think may be happening- I am washing the oil off with the flannel and rubbing the flannel that has washed off oil on it onto my eyes and the oil is getting into my eyes that way - when I am cleaning the oil off. Does that make sense?

I guess the cleansing balm isn’t breaking down the oil enough.

Maybe I need a different cleansing balm that can break down oils. I’m a bit fed up of it all but it has been nice to have moisturised skin.

Anyway, thank you both, your posts made me think about my routine!