Oil Cleansing Method
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Mon Nov 26, 2012 6:45 pm

I was told that Coconut oil can be drying, especially if used alone. I stopped using it in my cleansers and moisturizers.

If I am wrong,please feel free to correct me.

Sun Dec 02, 2012 10:45 am

Hello! Was newly turned on to the OCM method. I know it is said to do this often, but not too often. Wondering how often is too often?

free skin care · Sun Dec 02, 2012 3:52 pm

misschristopher1 wrote:

Hello! Was newly turned on to the OCM method. I know it is said to do this often, but not too often. Wondering how often is too often?

I cleanse with ocm twice a day (morning and night, just as I did when I used surfactant based cleansers) and I have never had a problem.

But I should mention that I think my skin might be strange compared to others because I did not experience the initial purging period that so many people report. Still, I think most ocm users do it at least once or twice a day without issue.

free skin care · Wed Dec 05, 2012 7:24 pm

Hi everyone! This is my first post on EDS although I have been reading this thread with great interest for a few weeks now.
I am into my second week of OCM and just wanted to tell you how much I love it.
A little bit about me and my skin...
I am 38 years old and have very congested acne prone skin. I have tons of blackheads over my nose and forhead and some over my cheeks. I have a lot of whiteheads on my jaw line as if I had a beard.
I use a 2% salicylic acid wash followed with a 2% ointment and had seen a minor improvement in my acne and none with the black/whiteheads.
I figured I had nothing to lose and started OCM roughly 2 weeks ago. I am using 1/3 castor seed oil, 1/3 grapeseed oil and then a few splashes of avocado, sesame, hazelnut and a few drops of tea tree oil. First I take a hot wet cloth and lay over myface for a bit and gently rub it on my face to remove some of the grime. Then I take a splash of the oil and rub very thoroughly all over my face. Then I take a hot wet cloth lay over my face until it cools down ( I do this several times). Finally I remove all the oil, dirt, grime, dead skin cells and everything else with the cloth. Then I splash my face with warm water about 20 times. At this point my face feels very clean and slightly dry. I apply my salicylic acid acne treatment and because my face feels a little bit dry I apply a few drops of aloe vera jelly and a drop of oil mixture (grapeseed, hazelnut, sesame). I do this only at night and in the morning I clean with my salicylic wash and apply the treatment. After two weeks of this regimen, my skin has cleared up considerably. I don't have any new breakouts, just waiting on the old ones to heal, the blackheads on my nose are so reduced (have to look really close to find them) and same with the whiteheads along my jaw line. I think the OCM cleansed and decongested my face so much that the treatment was finally able to penetrate my pores and do the job it is meant for.
Sorry about such a long post, but I wanted to share all the details. I am so thrilled about my new almost clean face and am really looking forward to even more improvements. A huge thanks to all of you for sharing your exeperiences with OCM. I learned so much from reading all your posts.

Thu Dec 13, 2012 8:07 pm

[b]I have no problem with the oil cleansing method, as far as i can see. In my case I use Olive oil only. I just rinse a few times and by morning I notice that the oils are absorbed totally in the skin. Should there be any residue or is my skin that dry.

I am worried about the summer months with the humidity and fungus or bacteria brewing because of the oil. Is there a oil that is gentle for sensitive and dry skin--with no Photo sensitivity or any irritation chances that will keep the bacteria or fungus at bay that I can use with my OCM with Olive Oil

worried as usual, Dermanut

Sat Dec 15, 2012 5:03 pm

I'd like to try oil-cleansing method with Castor Oil and Sunflower oil since Sunflower oil isn't that heavy on the face plus it has benefits of making the skin tone even.

I found a supplier her that sells essential oils in liters and I would like to make one for the body. If for body use, do I have to still put Castor oil in it? I also plan to put an emulsifier
so it rinses out fast.

free skin care · Thu Dec 20, 2012 9:10 pm

I have continued to use the OCM and have been going for little over a month now. I've added a little bit of essential oils to my OCM mixture (ylang ylang, chamomile and rosemary). I really love this method of cleansing the face and I am still seeing benefits to my skin.

free skin care · Fri Dec 21, 2012 4:04 am

annacarla wrote:

I found a supplier her that sells essential oils in liters and I would like to make one for the body. If for body use, do I have to still put Castor oil in it? I also plan to put an emulsifier
so it rinses out fast.

I don't think you necessarily *have* to use castor oil. It's just a very cleansing and stable oil that works well for the face. For the body, I would suggest an emulsified scrub for easier use. (Susan who runs the blog Point of Interest! really got me into the idea of emulsified sugar/salt scrubs. They are absolute heaven imo! All oils, waxes, emulsifiers, etc.)I personally use epsom salts because they are very relaxing and allegedly get magnesium & sulfates into your bloodstream.

If you don't like harsh exfoliants, you could use something smaller like grain meals and seeds. If you don't like exfoliants whatsoever, you could just make a thick emulsified balm and not add any. I'm actually wanting to experiment with this idea; just make up a batch of my scrub base and not add any epsom salt. If I like it alone, I'll probably use it for my face too.

I apologize if I'm barking up the wrong tree here. It just seems like using ocm for your entire body would be difficult in a steamy shower. Something thicker might be easier. Let me know if you're interested and if there are any ingredients you avoid. We could probably help you come up with a recipe that would suit your needs. Smile

free skin care · Sun Dec 30, 2012 9:54 am

sounds intriguing but not brave enough afraid i will breakout. hmm

, read a few pages, will proceed to read more of the thread to boost my courage

free skin care · Sun Jan 06, 2013 12:49 pm

After my initial very positive reaction to this way of cleansing I have decided that it is not right for me after all. I used this method for about 6 weeks. My skin loved it initially but over time it became very congested (more so than usual) and I now even have whiteheads in places I never had them before.
So, goodbye OCM.

Sun Jan 06, 2013 4:50 pm

So I just read through this entire thread Exclamation

I am totally on the fence to OCM or not to OCM...

I JUST went through a bout of horrible acne and my face is finally clear thanks to intense LED therapy and a super clean/raw diet. But OCM is very intriguing to me.

I noticed a pretty consistent pattern of people trying OCM and loving it for the first 1-2 weeks, and then going through months of purging where they either abandon it altogether or stick it out and obtain clear skin. My questions are 1) have any of you aside from DM NOT experienced the purging stage and if so, what was your system and 2) for those who waited out the purge, how are you all doing now? is this the best skin of your life and was the purge worth it?

Thanks!

Wed Jan 09, 2013 9:19 am

Hi ladies! First off I am new to all of this. I'm 34 and I have very oily, acne prone skin. My skin has always been problematic but after the birth of my daughter it got much worse. I was at my wits end. I went to my deem and was prescribed two very expensive face creams and given a slew of OTC remedies as well. Nothing worked. I told my mom I wanted to try a spin brush deep cleaner. She shared link with me and told me to try this first. OCM. At first I thought she was nuts but I had some organic cold pressed castor oil left over from the birth of my daughter (used as a counterpressure method not induction lol) and some organic cold pressed jojoba that I use for my daughters excema. It wasn't perfect from the start, but two months in I have found the right ratios and my skin has never looked better. The two most important things are to ONLY use cold pressed organic oils. The purity of the oils, both essential and carrier are key to the whole thing! Also you really do need to play around with ratios until you find the right one. I now used about 60 percent castor oil to 40 percent jojoba. I add bergamot and lavender. I just ordered some frankensynce and I am excited to see how that helps. I also tone with ACV after and moisturize with straight Tamanu (my new miracle). Love all of this and glad to be a part of this group.

Wed Jan 09, 2013 10:51 am

just use hazelnut oil (for its astringent properties) alone to cleanse? I am staying away from the castor bc of all the problems ppl have with it. So will the hazelnut alone cleanse properly?

Wed Jan 09, 2013 2:33 pm

^^^(first part of message got cut off post above should say):
I have oily/combo, dehydrated skin, is it advisable to just use...

free skin care · Wed Jan 09, 2013 7:11 pm

cocoagirl wrote:

just use hazelnut oil (for its astringent properties) alone to cleanse? I am staying away from the castor bc of all the problems ppl have with it. So will the hazelnut alone cleanse properly?

I am not using this way of cleansing anymore. I gave it a fair try, but I don't think it is well suited for my skin. On to your question....
I remember reading a study where there was a comparison between soap with added beads of hydrogenated castor oil and soap with added ground apricot pits. The soap with castor oil was found to clean better and cause less irritation to skin. It had something to do with the polarity of the castor oil molecules and their ability to attract dirt. So I don't know that hazelnut oil has that ability to attract dirt. I guess, you can try and see how your skin feels.

Wed Jan 09, 2013 9:00 pm

SnowFairy wrote:

So I don't know that hazelnut oil has that ability to attract dirt. I guess, you can try and see how your skin feels.

thanks!

Sun Jan 13, 2013 3:49 am

I have come to the conclusion regarding my skin and OCM that it shouldn't be either do every day or don't at all. My skin responds in a positive way for the first 3 weeks or so, then it seems not so happy with it.
Right now I'm OCM'ing 3-4 times a weeks for some weeks, then I give it a break for a few weeks before I start up again. That works for me and my skin looks good all the way through Smile

.

free skin care · Sun Jan 13, 2013 8:55 am

SnowFairy wrote:

The soap with castor oil was found to clean better and cause less irritation to skin. It had something to do with the polarity of the castor oil molecules and their ability to attract dirt. So I don't know that hazelnut oil has that ability to attract dirt. I guess, you can try and see how your skin feels.

That's absolutely correct. That's why castor oil is so powerful: because it contains a large fraction of very polar lipids.

CPHgirl wrote:

have come to the conclusion regarding my skin and OCM that it shouldn't be either do every day or don't at all. My skin responds in a positive way for the first 3 weeks or so, then it seems not so happy with it.
Right now I'm OCM'ing 3-4 times a weeks for some weeks, then I give it a break for a few weeks before I start up again. That works for me and my skin looks good all the way through.

I did something somewhat similar. I started out with 1x per week, then moved down to 2x per week. I still had some issues, but they were less than what I think others experienced.

HTH Smile

Sun Jan 13, 2013 11:16 am

Hi Everyone! It's taken me a few days but I have read this whole thread. It seems that most of the posters have trouble with blackheads or breakouts.

I do not have blackheads, I only get an occasional pimple (usually when I don't cleanse at night), but I have oily (especially on the nose) skin which is very easily irritated. After most cleansers, if I don't moisturize, my skin is very dry & tight.

My normal routine is: cleanse, tone, AHA or BHA, eye cream, serum & moisturizer.

I never in a million years thought I would be putting oils on my oily skin! However, I tried an experiment with the following blend: 50% EVOO, 50% Jojoba to make 1 ounce, 3 drops of Geranium EO. It felt so good going on! I only massaged for 2-3 minutes and surprisingly the oils really soaked in, then I rinsed off with warm water & a washcloth.

So I guess my questions are:
1. Do I really need castor oil if I don't have blemishes/blackheads?
2. If you were me, would you add OCM to your regimen? If so, how often?

TIA

free skin care · Wed Jan 16, 2013 1:49 pm

I've tried washing my face with just coconut oil and it always feels like something isn't quite right.

Thu Jan 24, 2013 5:16 pm

Hey ladies. I have an odd question. So I do OCM everyday and I noticed that when doing the facial massage as I rub in circle upward I see bright lights. I'm no where near my eyes just around the height of my nose but in the cheek area. Just wondering if anyone else had noticed this?

Mon Jan 28, 2013 6:16 pm

From what I understand the castor oil is pretty important for the cleansing. I understand there is a fear of castor oil, but unless your allergic, it is a very beneficial oil. That being said I can not stress the IMPORTANCE Of using only COLD PRESSED ORGANIC castor oil(or any other oil for that matter. I believe that to be the most important part. It's always my first question to those who have had a bad experience with OCM. It truly makes a huge difference what quality oils you actually use. If your still worried about the castor oil, do a small patch test on the side of your face near your ear or jawline to make sure you don't have a bad reaction. I often wonder how many people give up on OCM due to over processed bad quality oils. Give it a try! Happy oiling!

Thu Apr 04, 2013 12:22 am

Bumping this up for the zillionth time to add my .02! First time poster, long time lurker.

So I finally decided to give OCM a try. My skin right now is experiencing the trifecta of evils: stress, hormones, poor diet. All of these are temporary but I figured since my skin is already a mess I might as well experiment with the OCM.

Three days in so far and I know that's too soon to tell anything, but my skin certainly feels soft as a baby's behind. I am using about 50/50 castor and jojoba (oily acne prone skin). First few times I felt quite a few plugs come up, not so many today. I'm ok with that, as long as it's not breaking me out I'm no expecting miracles.

I'm a little paranoid I'm not getting all the oil off though. I do the steam with the washcloth about 3-4 times then just wipe with hot water on the cloth, but should my skin feel moisturized after? Or should it be a bit tight and I add some more oil/cream afterwards to rehydrate? I was putting some jojoba on after, but maybe I'll stick to my Hope in a Jar. I just don't know to what degree the oil needs to be removed from my skin.

I've already begun purging (or breakout also could be because I have my period during final exams)so just tonight I made up a batch of aspirin toner. Hoping this will zap everything coming up to the surface.

free skin care · Tue Apr 16, 2013 3:40 pm

bigeon,I have a similar skin type and occasionally OCM.In the beginning,I realized that no matter how many times I steamed with a hot cloth,I felt like there was oil left behind that was causing breakouts.Once I started cleansing after OCM,I no longer had a problem and also didn't need to steam so many times.BTW,I use a salicylic acid cleanser,since that can penetrate oil.

free skin care · Tue Apr 16, 2013 6:03 pm

bigeon, I have oily skin and still took the castor oil all the way down to about 15%. I got a lot of flaking otherwise. I also added poly 80 so it can be rinsed off since I was getting a bit overzealous with the hot water/cloth. Plus its easier.

In my opinion, if you've got the right proportion of oils, it should feel perfect afterwards - not tight or oily. Of course, I prefer not to use more products than I absolutely have to, or handling/exfoliating skin more than is necessary - that's why it was especially important to me to get that recipe just right.

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