Does Oat Milk Cause Acne?

Milk has been used for both drinking and skincare for a really long time. The first recorded instance of milk being used on the skin dates back to Ancient Egypt! There are many benefits to milk for the skin but in recent times there has been quite a buzz around animal milk being the reason for breakouts occurring on the skin. This has led people to cut out milk, either in skincare or food products, entirely and opt for plant-based milk like oats.

But does oat milk cause acne? Here is the catch, the demonization of milk for skincare has been blown out of proportion! When people go for alternatives like oat milk, there are few studies to conclusive suggest it does any better than cow’s milk or even worse than that! So let’s take a closer look at all things oat milk and find out if it worsens your skin with breakouts or not!

All Things Oat Milk

Oat milk is a plant-based milk that is obtained when oats are blended and mixed with water to produce the milk. It has a creamy texture to it and is quite sweet making it perfect for things like smoothies and ice creams. And products like the Aveeno Calm and Restore Cleanser and the Sweet Chef Oat Milk Gel Cleanser use oats and oat milk in their products.

Benefits of Oat Milk for Skin

Oat milk is often considered a better alternative to cow milk because it has no lactose in it making it safe for lactose-intolerant individuals. It also has lower cholesterol levels and higher dietary fiber than regular milk which makes it safer and more beneficial to drink. The benefits this provides for your skin are also good.

For example, it provides the body with vitamin B12 which is good for red blood cells and keeping healthier skin in general. When applied to the skin, oat milk provides antioxidants that help to improve the hydration of the skin and keep it soft and smooth. It even has a bit of exfoliating properties which can give you clearer and brighter skin. It can clear out the pores and has a soothing effect on your skin which can actually help acne!

Drawbacks of Oat Milk for Skin

The problem with skincare products that have oat milk added to them is that it is mixed with other ingredients. This might cause it to act completely different from how it would have if you were to apply it to your skin alone. Oat milk also has a high glycemic index or GI index. We will get to why this is worse for acne but for now, it basically translates to having a high sugar content which is bad for your skin. This is what usually leads to oat milk having a chance of making your skin breakout!

Oat Milk and Acne Relationship

The relationship between oat milk and acne is complicated. It is particularly complicated because of current data, the perception about it, and the unique skin of an individual. The current data is severely lacking when it comes to oat milk when used on the skin. This is even made worse because the high glycemic index of oat milk spells bad news for the skin because it can increase the chances of hormonal acne! Basically, oat milk clogs the pores which is how it can cause acne to form on your skin.

Then there is the perception of oat milk. Because people have made up their minds about how regular milk is bad, they switch to oat milk because it tastes better and that it ‘is’ better for the skin. This is doubly bad because switching means that people are following trends rather than actually doing some research about them. Many doctors, dermatologists, and the like have all come to the conclusion that diet does not really change all that much for acne. Now if you were to eat a lot of dairy products you are bound to cause a change in your sebum levels that will cause acne to be produced on your face.

The third point, and probably the most important factor, is that everyone’s skin is different from each other! Someone with acne-prone skin will be more likely to develop breakouts on their skin than someone who has a normal skin type. While oat milk can cause imbalances in the skin, everyone is different. A bit of oat milk won’t cause an acne breakout unless you are severely allergic to it. Even lifestyle differences can be the cause of your acne and not oat milk.

Identifying If Oat Milk Is Cause of Acne

While people will have varying results with oat milk, due to a high GI index oat milk can cause acne to occur. That is why it is important to identify if oat milk is indeed the cause of your acne. That is when you have to take certain steps to help figure it out.

One way that you can figure out if oat milk is the cause of your acne is by doing a patch test on your skin. Apply a bit of oat milk under your chin and observe the site for up to 48 hours. That is around the time it will take for a breakout to occur and you safely determine if oat milk is the cause of the acne. Of course, you should not apply anything else to the place you used oat milk so you can easily figure out if it is just the oat milk that is causing it.

Another way you can figure out if oat milk is the cause of your acne occurring is by stopping the use of oat milk if you are having an acne breakout. If you notice that the acne is stopping once you stopped using oat milk, then you can safely determine if the oat milk is the cause of your acne breakout. However, there are limitations to this. This is only applicable if you ONLY using oat milk for your skincare. Products that have oats or oat milk as an ingredient can be more difficult to determine whether it is the oat milk that is causing it. It is highly possible that it was the product itself causing the acne breakout and not the oat milk!

Applying Oat Milk On Your Face

When it comes to applying oat milk, and only oat milk, it is fairly easy to be using it. You could even make your own oat milk that you can use on your face because let’s face it, oat milk does have good properties for your face if it is suitable for your skin.

When making the oat milk, all you will need is rolled oats, water, a blender or a mixer, and a cheesecloth or finely woven mesh strainer. For the proportions, you will need about 8 ounces of water for every 3 ounces of oats. Simply place all of this together in the blender and blend it properly until you get a creamy texture to the blended oats. Then simply strain the blended oats with the cheesecloth into a bowl and you will have your oat milk! You can strain it multiple times to help get smoother oats.

Now to use this oat milk on your face, it is as easy as making the milk itself! Simply soak a cotton pad with your fresh oat milk and then apply it on your face. You can make an oat milk face mask with a bit of honey to get a face mask texture and then apply it on your face. Because oats and oat milk are exfoliants, you can achieve brighter and clearer skin and even reverse the UV damage that your skin has faced.

Best Oat Milk Alternative: Almond Milk

Oat milk is not suitable for every skin type which means that using oat milk is not an option. That is when you can use other types of plant-based milk that work just as great and might be suitable for your face. What you need to avoid is soy milk for skin care. While it might be good, they are known to be allergenic and have similar high GI index which could cause acne on your skin.

Instead, you can try almond milk out of all the nut-based milk. Almond milk is both safe for your skin and can actually help relieve acne-prone skin! Even oat milk on acne is good because it has a soothing effect and can clear your pores as well much like almond milk can as well. However, if you are allergic to almonds, then you should be avoiding almond milk altogether for skincare.

FAQs

Final Thoughts

So let’s give a conclusion: does oat milk actually cause acne? It can be a contributing factor but on its own oat milk does not necessarily cause acne on your skin. This is especially the case in products that have oat milk as an ingredient because it could be the product itself that is causing the acne and not just the oat milk. That is why it is important to figure out if it is oat milk itself that is causing your acne or not. You can make your own oat milk and use it for loads of benefits for your skin. But remember to do a patch test so you know your face is safe from breakouts. Overall, oat milk can cause acne but it is not limited to just oat milk and there are other contributing factors to it.

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