OCM - Purging Stage Questions
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Tue Feb 24, 2009 2:53 am

I've recently converted to OCM and I love it. I used to scrub my eyes until they hurt to get makeup off and I'd still wake up with raccoon eyes, but lately OCM seems to be fantastic. I've also noticed that my cheeks look less flushed and irritated. My cheeks are very red and I'm usually quite self conscious about it; I guess instead of adding more chemicals to my routine, I just needed to reduce them.

I'm curious about the purging stage though. I've read several threads on OCM but I haven't found any that really answered my questions. What I would like to know is:

- How long did you do OCM before your skin started reacting?

- How long did it take to clear up (while continuing to do OCM)?

- How bad was your reaction?

Right now I'm getting a few pesky little blemishes in areas where I don't normally breakout. I've been using it for over a week and I'm wondering if the worst is yet to come of if this is part of the purging period. My blend is about 3/4 Coconut Oil and 1/4 Castor Oil. I'm using a microfiber cloth to clean the oil off, then a light ACV toner (I referred to Carekate's sensitive skin recommendations). And for the blemishes, I'm using occasional honey masks and tea tree oil. Tea tree oil is my best friend.

Thanks!

free skin care · Tue Feb 24, 2009 6:48 am

Hiya

Thought i'd share my experiences with you. I too wanted to reduce my chemical exposure and tried OCM. i loved the idea of it. The traditional mix is castor/olive but i tried with sweet almond as i didn't have castor and olive. for the first week, two weeks it was great - my skin looked fab, clean, healthy, glowing.

I did then wake one morning to discover a mass break-out! to begin with, really noticeably clogged pores and a few spots which all very quickly developed into horrible cystic acne. it was concentrated around my jawline - the occasional creep onto my chin or up to my cheek, but mainly the jawline.

Now, i have heard cystic acne is stress- related and it is true i've had an amazing amount of stress for the last 18 months. However, this happened last august and i think i'm still in the "original" flare up. it's slowing down and seems to be just the original clogged pores completing their journey one-by-one to spot stage, rather than completely new break-outs (if that makes sense - it does to me!). so, i don't think i'm suffering new break-outs, despite my stress levels soaring even higher than when i broke out. and i've never reacted like this before when stressed. so, i don't think it was stress related - i think it was OCM related.

I did make myself a batch of macerated carrot oil which i believe i used for OCM only maybe two or three times. This macerated oil started going rancid very quickly, almost a week later, so i'm now thinking that this was laden with bacteria from the start and that this is what has given me the break-out. I've never had anything so severe as this, even throughout my spot-ridden teenage years. cystic acne can also be considered due to a bacterial infection underneath the skin, so this certainly fits my scenario, especially as i've never ever suffered such an adverse reaction to ANY product.

So, anyway - this was last july/august and i'm still suffering now pretty much. As i said, i don't think it's a new break-out, i think it's all the original clogged pores have just come to a head one-by-one in their own time and it's given the effect of never-ending acne. it also looks worse because it's all scarring now (I'm 36, so my skin doesn't bounce back so great anymore). so half the redness isn't actually acne at all, it's the scars. i'm currently braving tamanu oil which i've been told is excellent for red scarring.

The thing which helped me most was tea tree oil. I don't like using antibiotics at all, so didn't want to go down that route. I was also on fertility meds and didn't want anything interfering aswell. but, i so very nearly just caved in many times because i was so distraught over it all.

I stopped using OCM straight away and reverted back to stuff i knew i used before with no problems. i bought a medicated face wash, used tea tree oil and witch hazel. i think it could've been cleared very quickly with antibiotics however, i just chose not to.

it has been very painful and stressful! and i'm still not over it really, although it is slowing down considerably. However, surprisingly, i'm still going to give OCM another go. especially as i'm more convinced than ever that it was a bad batch that caused it, rather than OCM itself. this was more than a purge i think - this was a mass explosion!

a few things which i think maybe didn't help me either is that i'm not 100% sure i always got every trace of oil off. i just wiped with a tissue usually. next time, it's going to be a full-on proper microfibre cloth with warm water etc. so, make sure you remove every trace. Although, having said that - i have used wheatgerm oil as an occasional night-time moisturiser for several years now and leaving that oil on all night has never adversely affected my skin, despite it being a heavy oil.

So, that's my story! they always say you should give new products a month for reactions, after that, if no reaction, you can pretty sure it's okay for you.

BTW, i also used homemade ACV toner after the OCM aswell. i put witch hazel in mine and also lemon, ylang ylang and grapefuit essential oils which help combat grease and, therefore, mop up any oil which is left over.

Hope some of that helps. it's a bit of a horror story i know! i'm not trying to put you off and i know it has worked for tonnes of people. plus, i'm not totally put off it! i've heard that people do purge but i don't know the extent of it - whether my story is normal or whether i had a bad reaction. it'll be interesting reading other people experiences here

free skin care · Tue Feb 24, 2009 4:55 pm

I've tried OCM twice using the castor oil/olive oil formula and each time, after about a week, ended up with the worst case of cystic acne I've had in 30 years! Once I d/c'd this, my skin slowly reverted to its usual state. My skin was great to begin with, just a few lines and large (altho clean!) pores. I don't know why I thought I needed to try OCM - Monkey See, I guess.

I use Dr Hauschka Cleansing Cream with no problems at all now. It is much easier to remove, I might add.

free skin care · Sat Feb 28, 2009 5:34 am

I never experienced any purging at all with OCM and it cleared my daughter's acne up almost immediately after she started to use it.

I would stress though that it's very important to wash all the oil off thoroughly with lots of hot water and a washcloth. Teabags, I can't believed that you just wiped it off with tissues - surely your face must have been an oil-slick afterwards. I honestly think that this is where people run into trouble with OCM - they don't wash the oil off properly. But really, this can often be the problem with any cleanser. Using a toner afterwards is a good way of confirming that your face is completely clean - if there is no residue on the toner pad, then you're done.

Here is some good information on OCM:

http://www.theoilcleansingmethod.com/

free skin care · Mon Mar 02, 2009 6:38 am

Keliu wrote:

I never experienced any purging at all with OCM and it cleared my daughter's acne up almost immediately after she started to use it.

I would stress though that it's very important to wash all the oil off thoroughly with lots of hot water and a washcloth. Teabags, I can't believed that you just wiped it off with tissues - surely your face must have been an oil-slick afterwards. I honestly think that this is where people run into trouble with OCM - they don't wash the oil off properly. But really, this can often be the problem with any cleanser. Using a toner afterwards is a good way of confirming that your face is completely clean - if there is no residue on the toner pad, then you're done.

Here is some good information on OCM:

http://www.theoilcleansingmethod.com/

thanks for the info - v helpful

Yeh! To begin with, i just tissued off. The articles i originally read didn't actually go into that much detail, so i just kinda made it up as i went along. I wouldn't say i was quite an oil-slick though, but after a week or so, i started rinsing with a muslin cloth which i much preferred. I also started using ACV toner afterwards in the second week or so.

I'm sure it was something like that that didn't help me, or i used an oil which didn't agree with my skin or whatever. I'm going to try it again once i've cleared my skin - but with a more traditional castor/olive mix.

The only thing that confused me though was how come leaving oil residue on your face AFTER OCM could be bad for your skin when so many people advise patting a bit of oil on your face as moisturiser? I, myself, used to use wheatgerm oil as an occasional night-time moisturiser for its vitamin e properties and never suffered an outbreak. And lots of threads here advise maybe jojoba oil or rosehip oil lightly patted on. So, i'm confused as to how that is okay for overnight and leaving castor/olive oil residue on your face is so bad?

Just my thoughts anyway! i also read somewhere to massage in for 7 minutes, but then read elsewhere that 2 minutes is fine and 7 is too much. So, i guess everyone is different really.

free skin care · Mon Mar 02, 2009 6:59 am

The theory with OCM is that oil cleanses oil so that the oil flushes out the debris and dirty oil in your pores. Now, you are cleansing, of course, so you want to make sure that all that debris is gone - not left on the face, that is why you must wash it off thoroughly. OCM is absolutely brilliant for removing makeup and mascara - but don't get too much oil in the eyes - keep them shut whilst massaging. I did read somewhere that massaging for a long time is not good for acne sufferers, but I only do a fairly short massage anyway.

When your face is spotlessly clean, it is fine to moisturise with a nourishing facial oil - you only need to use two to four drops. You can warm the oil in the palm of your hand before applying it. I use lots of oils on my face - Argan, Rosehip, Pomegranate, Tamanu and Emu Oil. I much prefer oils to creams.HTH

free skin care · Wed Mar 04, 2009 6:23 am

Yes, that makes sense when you think about it actually! Not so much the oil but the fact that its now "dirty" oil! Duh, why didn't i think of that?!

I have to say i did find it fabulous when i first used it, hence why i'm keen to try again. I can't remember my face ever looking that clean and fresh and glowing - even as a youngster!

At the moment, i'm breaking myself into oils again by using tamanu oil at night at my scars, which is absolutely fantastic so far, although it's early days. I've also got some argan oil which i've used alongside tamanu at night only a couple of times. I want to make sure i'm not going to react to the tamanu first before i plough ahead with argan aswell. But, i did like the effect it had the couple of times i have used it. I also want to add rosehip aswell as i believe that can help with wrinkles.

I also do prefer oils to creams, and that's even WITH greasy skin! they are just so much more natural a product and i really have noticed far more difference using oils in only a short space of time than i ever have with months/years of commercial products!

free skin care · Wed Mar 04, 2009 8:02 am

What is OCM?

Wed Mar 04, 2009 8:59 am

InkyProse wrote:

What is OCM?

OCM = Oil Cleansing Method Smile

http://www.essentialdayspa.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=3228

free skin care · Wed Mar 04, 2009 11:20 am

Thank you Havana!

free skin care · Thu Jul 02, 2009 10:53 am

OMG! I finally tried OCM last night and my skin is glowing today Smile

I read oilcleasingmethod.com thouroughly and made sure that I removed all the oil by placing hot wash cloth over my face like 5 times. I used 20% Castor oil and 80% olive oil (my skin is normal, but blackheads on the nose) My nose is feeling just a bit dry, but I spent sooo much time massaging it since that is where I get most blackheads. I think I'll try sunflower oil as a carrier next time and then I want to try jojoba oil as a carrier.
I reduced chemical exposure on my skin to zero and now i VERY rarely break out (only right before period)
Good luck to everyone with OCM!
I am converted for certain!!!

free skin care · Thu Jul 02, 2009 11:10 am

irunchik wrote:

OMG! I finally tried OCM last night and my skin is glowing today Smile

I read oilcleasingmethod.com thouroughly and made sure that I removed all the oil by placing hot wash cloth over my face like 5 times. I used 20% Castor oil and 80% olive oil (my skin is normal, but blackheads on the nose) My nose is feeling just a bit dry, but I spent sooo much time massaging it since that is where I get most blackheads. I think I'll try sunflower oil as a carrier next time and then I want to try jojoba oil as a carrier.
I reduced chemical exposure on my skin to zero and now i VERY rarely break out (only right before period)
Good luck to everyone with OCM!
I am converted for certain!!!

I've been trying the method and I'm pretty happy with it. I love purging my zits.

Wed Jul 22, 2009 2:24 pm

For those who have tried OCM and have acne, oily, sensitive skin, what oils do you use for OCM?

I'm interested in trying OCM but I am worried that it might not be suitable for my skin and may backfire and bring it to a state worse than it already is.

Is purging, and breakouts associated with OCM always due to improper cleansing? Is it possible that certain skin types aren't suitable for OCM?

Also, the lady at the facial salon always refuses to massage my face as she is afraid that it may be over stimulating for my face and may lead to even more breakouts. As such, would OCM be unsuitable for me? Thanks in advance!

free skin care · Wed Jul 22, 2009 5:40 pm

okiedoki - I would try a mix of Castor and Olive Oil or Castor and Jojoba. My daughter used to suffer from acne, but since using OCM she has completely eliminated the breakouts.

The most important thing is to thoroughly wash off the oil with lots of clean running warm/hot water and I think your comment on improper cleansing is spot on. I did read somewhere that people with active acne should not massage the skin too much - so just use the oil as you would any other cleanser and forgo all the massage and see how you go.

There's allot of useful information about OCM and acne at this site that I posted before:

http://www.theoilcleansingmethod.com/

You could also try using an Apple Cider Vinegar Toner made from 100ml ACV, 100ml Distilled Water and 4 Aspirin (Salicylic Acid). Add a few drops of Lemon essential oil if you don't like the smell.

free skin care · Wed Jul 22, 2009 6:15 pm

I'll share a bit here... As I'm not really sure what is the result of what.. HOWEVER,

I normally use NCN Rhassoul Cleansing Bar, Ingredients: Rice Bran Oil, Rhassoul clay, Coconut Oil, Palm Oil, Palm Kernal Oil, Apricot Kernal Oil.

I've been using this daily morning and evening since Oct. '08 (I think)

I've been reading all of the OCM thread, and decided to experiment. Using Castor Oil, and EVOO. I really concentrated on the nose area, and immediately noticed that I was able to clear several pores using the blackhead tool. Rinsed with hot water/wash rag. Noticed I was developing a HUGE, MONSTER on my chin. (so, it's definately NOT OCM related)

2 days later, decided that I really needed a good cleansing. I actually washed with my NCN, then Masked with a SeaWeed Mask + White Willow Bark... THEN took my oil mix and massaged the heck out my face (FE style) Since my face was already clean, I just massaged until the oil felt quite absorbed. My face was BRIGHT red when I was done. Steamed my face via hot..hot..hot wash cloth, and then used the stick again. OMG!!! The things that came out of my face was UNREAL! And that one disgusting pimple... I have no idea which had the effect, the oil or the massaging (or combo) But... and this is gross, so if you're eating or drinking stop reading! But, the pimple had developed a head that was NOT there prior to my whole cleaning process. I used the stick on that. and People, NO JOKE I could HEAR it open, and I seriously purged the most disgusting blob of goo out of my face it was unbelievable. I know, how gross, and perhaps more so that I'm sharing.

I was talking to my sister about all of this, she's a Scientist, and she says, "wow, never heard of doing that (OCM that is), but it makes since. Like disolves like."

Since the pimple was not already "open" I SUSPECT that the massage aided it's exit. And All I have left is a little mark no bump at all!

I do think you're definitely up for a mess if you leave dirty oil on your face. Since I massage, I thought it would be fun to do so with and OCM recipe... and I think I really like it. Plus, I'm virtually guaranteed to remove all traces of the day.

Interestingly, I remembered after reading all of this that my grandmother uses peanut oil on her face all the time. She has really soft skin!

Thu Jul 23, 2009 7:08 am

Hey there everyone! I've been prowling these boards for a while, just reading and learning and I must speak up! I recently (this past year) was 'awakened' to all the horrible toxins that were in all of my coveted face care products! Armed with some truly disturbing knowledge I set forth on a solution. Could there be facial care (and body/hair,etc) that was natural, free of toxins, nicer on the planet and effective on my skin? And then I stumbled into DIY and landed here! I've read tons on the OCM and am SO excited to try it! I have oily, acne prone skin but it does get dry...I read somewhere that I may actually have 'dehydrated' skin, instead of dry, because of how oily it gets. So I have a few questions;

I'm worried that using the OCM and an ACV toner may give me those dry patches, what, if anything do you guys use for a moisturizer? Especially for oily skin?

I've been reading that some users just use a light oil, like grapeseed or sunflower oil. I would just want to make sure that it completely absorbs as I already have oily skin!

Also, any tips on mixing the oils and EOs? And what size bottle should I use? I don't want to make a lot, since I may need to change the recipe several times until I find the right combination for my skin...maybe a couple of days or a weeks worth? Sorry for all the questions, I'm just very new to DIY! Very Happy

Tue Jul 28, 2009 6:30 am

Hi Keliu, thanks for the reply. How frequent would you recommend using OCM? Is it advisable to follow up with a facial cleanser after OCM to ensure that the oils are removed?

For those in Canada, where do you buy the oils from?

free skin care · Wed Jul 29, 2009 8:23 am

im very interested in this as well. must it be castor oil?

i see that garden of wisdom has a really good selection of oils

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