Oil Cleansing Method
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free skin care · Mon Feb 26, 2007 1:08 pm

Marie23
Thank you for the tip about the baking soda! I have been using it in my morning routine before I shower, I do rub it around and it works great as an exfoliator. I do my face, neck, chest and shoulders and they have never been smoother or more radiant. I also notice that when I use the basic OCM method at night I get more sebum plugs out probably due to the great exfoliation in the morning! Very Happy

I had read in an earlier thread that using crushed up aspirin or salicylic acid in the OCM was also good, and probably provides the same exfoliation benefits, what exactly is the baking soda doing to benefit my skin??

free skin care · Tue Feb 27, 2007 9:57 pm

I though baking soda on your skin was a big no no?? Sometime about it really messing up your pH and therefore damaging the acid mantle of the skin.

free skin care · Tue Feb 27, 2007 11:13 pm

Yeah if you do a search there are lots of posts talking about how bad baking soda is for your skin!

Wed Feb 28, 2007 9:41 am

skim wrote:

I though baking soda on your skin was a big no no?? Sometime about it really messing up your pH and therefore damaging the acid mantle of the skin.

I never heard this before! I know the PH is not the same as your skin, but I figured the oil & rinsing took care of it. I will definitely look into it before I continue using it.

I know that if I use it to clarify my hair, I follow up with an AVC rinse to help bring the PH back to normal. Would this work on your face too?

I'm not sure exactly why the baking soda works better than OCM alone, but I think it has something to do with the dirt attracting/absorbing properties of it. It does work great on dirty/greasy pots & pans!

free skin care · Wed Feb 28, 2007 11:10 am

Bummer!

I was really liking the effects of it as an exfoliator. Is there anything else I could use that would give me the same effect, like the salicylic acid??

Wed Feb 28, 2007 11:14 am

I did a little further research into useing baking soda (BS) with oils, and this is what I found:

While BS is slightly basic with a pH of 7.5-8, oils tend to be slightly acidic. (I believe water is neutral at a pH of 7) As they are not water soluble they cannot be measured in terms of pH, but the acidity is expressed in % of free oleic acid-the primary acid in most oils. Extra Virgin Olive oil is about .8% acidic, while pure olive oil is 1.5-2% acidic.

Castor oil can be up to 2% acidic based on oleic acid. However, the main acid in castor oil, unlike other oils, is ricinoleic acid. This leaves my unscientific mind wondering if castor oil has an acidity of more than 2%.

I am now also wondering what these levels would coorespond to in pH values. Would 0% acidic be neutral, and match a pH of 7?

If the above is true, is it possible that a small amount of BS (when I use it it is about 1/8 tbsp BS to 1tbsp oil) in an oil mixture that contains 25-30% castor oil is neutral, or even slightly acidic?

This is all based on about 15 minutes of online research, so if anyone who would know the answers wants to step up that would be great!

free skin care · Wed Feb 28, 2007 5:08 pm

I did a quick search and could only find sites recommending using BS on the skin so could those of you who have found the negative feedback point us to it. I have to say that I tried the BS mixed with the oils and absolutely loved it. I'm going to continue to use it until I read something that tells me its an absolute no no.
OCM rocks

free skin care · Thu Mar 01, 2007 8:04 am

I once tried the BS on my face and it hurt like crazy. I felt like a layer was taken off and my face wasn't the same for about a week until that mantle surface came back.

As far as the OCM. I'm using a Castor/EVOO/Jojoba mixture for about a week now, I'm getting a few pimples here and there Confused

. I hear that this can happen in the beginning but how long must I endure this?

free skin care · Thu Mar 01, 2007 9:48 am

I used camellia oil/castor oil 50/50 for 3 times and I got a huge zit on my chin. I still like the OCM method, but don't all the time have the 15 min for massage, so will use it just sporadic, every other day.

free skin care · Thu Mar 01, 2007 10:07 am

15 min for the OCM? Okay I don't have 15 min, I try and do 5 min and that's even a bit too long since I don't have the time to sit there and massage for that long. Perhaps I should as people say that can feel the plugs unplug from their pores..probably since they actually do it for that long.

free skin care · Thu Mar 01, 2007 12:17 pm

When using OCM, I add a bit of baking soda at the end (mixed with a dab of oil) and it's wonderful! I gently (and I think the key is very gently) massage it in. The oil that's on my face acts as a barrier so using baking soda isn't harsh at all. My skin is brighter and the flakiness is gone. I've been using OCM off and on for years; however, the addition of baking soda has just been recent. I'm a convert! Thanks for the suggestion.

free skin care · Thu Mar 01, 2007 1:43 pm

CareKate went into this long explanation of why one should NEVER use baking soda on the face because it screws up the PH balance and leaves your skin vulnerable to all kinds of bacteria. I wish that I knew which thread it was in because, I find CareKate to be really knowledgable about skincare and, while I liked the feeling of the baking soda also, I don't think sfter reading her post that I am ever using it again. I did try the salicylic acid in the OCM though and, while it doesn't have the same exfoliating properties, I think I will continue to use it.

free skin care · Thu Mar 01, 2007 1:50 pm

Did someone say they used crushed aspirin?

free skin care · Thu Mar 01, 2007 2:56 pm

yes crushed aspirin is salicylic acid.

Sun Mar 04, 2007 9:31 am

Bessie wrote:

When using OCM, I add a bit of baking soda at the end (mixed with a dab of oil) and it's wonderful! I gently (and I think the key is very gently) massage it in. The oil that's on my face acts as a barrier so using baking soda isn't harsh at all. My skin is brighter and the flakiness is gone. I've been using OCM off and on for years; however, the addition of baking soda has just been recent. I'm a convert! Thanks for the suggestion.

I tried OCM yesterday morning for the second time. The first time, I wasn't too impressed. This time, I used a bit more CO with jojoba oil, instead of 50/50. I massaged for 20 minutes and was absolutely stunned and intrigued by the plugs that emerged. I was also surprised to see that many of them had black tips. To look at my skin, even in a 10x mirror up close, I do not see blackheads. I am wondering if the CO actually makes them oxidize as they are loosened and slip out.

Last night, I used Tazorac covered with emu oil as my face felt and looked dehydrated. This morning, I am surprised to see how clear my face appears. I think this is going to become a part of my normal facial care, but will likely only use it a couple of times per week, as I am afraid to irritate my acne-prone skin.

free skin care · Sun Mar 04, 2007 1:06 pm

i would think that massaging your face for too long would be bad. i have a feeling it would loosen and slacken the skin. This is also one of the reasons I don't go for facials too often.

free skin care · Sun Mar 04, 2007 1:06 pm

Ok, I'm being lazy and not going back and rereading all the posts.

Is the secret to OCM mixing with castor oil? Or do some of you use straight oil like EVOO or jojoba?

I'm sure mixing with castor would also reduce price but I was interested to know if it's the castor oil that helps unclog the pores more than other oils.

I don't have castor oil in the house right now and was thinking of trying OCM. When I get out, I expect I can find cold pressed castor oil at Whole Foods in the massage section.

free skin care · Sun Mar 04, 2007 1:12 pm

I don't know if this is true for everyone but for me, castor oil was definitely the secret. After that it was just about find the right mixture of oils and percentages that worked for my skin but I do think that castor oil is necessary to get stuff out of your pores. HTH

free skin care · Sun Mar 04, 2007 3:38 pm

Yes the castor oil is definately the key. It is what draws out the impurities, thus drawing out the sebum plugs. You can use straight EVOO or Jojoba, grapeseed etc, but you aren't likely to have the same results. However, if you don't have clogged pores and you are just looking for a nice cleansing method that also hydrates really well not mixing in the Castor oil would be fine. Castor oil has really great healing properties as well.

free skin care · Sun Mar 04, 2007 3:48 pm

Thanks. I have to get some castor oil. I know Edgar Cayce spoke often about the healing properties of castor oil and castor oil packs. He called it Palma Christi.

free skin care · Sun Mar 04, 2007 6:41 pm

I have mixed feelings about castor oil. It is too rich for my skin in a 50/50 so I use about 33% castor to equal parts jojoba & olive oil. I am addicted to jojoba oil! I have reluctantly relized that I do need castor in the mix though (but for a long time I only used EVOO & jojoba and I was happy w/ the results). But I guess the castor is more "cleansing". You see it in a lot of OTC products for "oily" skin. It's just that I am personally not crazy about the texture and scent...

Sun Mar 04, 2007 7:13 pm

Bunny7475 wrote:

I have mixed feelings about castor oil. It is too rich for my skin in a 50/50 so I use about 33% castor to equal parts jojoba & olive oil. I am addicted to jojoba oil! I have reluctantly relized that I do need castor in the mix though (but for a long time I only used EVOO & jojoba and I was happy w/ the results). But I guess the castor is more "cleansing". You see it in a lot of OTC products for "oily" skin. It's just that I am personally not crazy about the texture and scent...

I've used EVOO to cleanse with for years. It wasn't until I added the CO that I saw the pore-clearing which is amazing!

free skin care · Sun Mar 04, 2007 8:20 pm

I did this for the first time today - castor and olive. I massaged it in to my nose and chin for about 5 min. I didn't really have any results, but I'm going to try it again.

free skin care · Sun Mar 04, 2007 9:04 pm

yogi-

I find the most "stuff" comes out between 5-10 minutes, especially when I first started.

free skin care · Sun Mar 04, 2007 9:33 pm

Thanks Bunny, I'm going to stay with it!

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