OCM Update: Week 2

You guys, I am loving the OCM and its results. My skin has honestly never looked better. No blackheads, zits or dryness. NONE. I still have a little redness under my nose from the Herp Lip, but it’s fading quickly.

I took this outside in full sun this morning. No makeup on whatsoever. Except Burt’s Bees lip balm because I am never without it. And I proceeded to go out in public like this, too. Just to Walmart, but still.

Look, we all know this is a shitty picture. The sun was so bright I couldn’t even open my eyes and it’s a self-portrait with my phone. BUT LOOK AT MY SKIN. It’s smooth, not blotchy and even a little glowy.

If you’re considering the OCM, I wholeheartedly urge you to do it. It’s cheap, easy and unbelievably worthwhile.

**UPDATE**
SamCam asked in the comments if I’d go over what my OCM process is. Of course I will!

I have oily t-zone and dry cheeks and I’m prone to monthly hormone-related zits. I stuck with the original suggestion I read of using Castor oil and EVOO in thirds. I use a three ounce flip-top bottle and I made a batch in nine parts; Six tablespoons Castor oil, three tablespoons EVOO and 1/4 teaspoon of tea tree oil. This has been perfect for my skin. I’ve only had to use the mixture as “moisturizer” once.

I started out doing the OCM at night but that got to be a pain in my butt.  Now, I do it before I get into the shower. I just take a washcloth in with me to wipe off the oil. Easy peasy. I do it three times a week and my skin doesn’t get oily or dirty feeling in between at all. If I need to take off eye makeup, I use a makeup remover wipe only on my eyes. On the days I don’t OCM, I just rinse my face well in the shower. I haven’t needed to exfoliate or use any other kind of product since I started two weeks ago.

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OCM Update Week 1

I’m going to get this over quick – like a band-aid.

All right. Let’s talk about this week on the OCM.

* I did the OCM five times over the last week.

* In order to combat hormone-related blemishes, I added tea tree oil to my oil mixture.  This, in and of itself wasn’t a bad idea; however, using straight tea tree oil on said blemishes was a Very Bad Idea, indeed. Did you know that you can actually BURN your skin with straight tea tree oil? Because you can. And I did. The whole area around my nose and mouth is now peeling.

* I ended up with two significant zits. On on my lower right chin and one under my left nostril.

* I also got the Herp Lip, which is completely unrelated, but contributes greatly to the horror of that photo. (BTW: Did you know that there are studies that show tea tree oil has antiviral properties? I used it on my herp lip, and the blisters were gone in 36 hours. Just be sure to use a 5% tea tree oil, which won’t burn you.)

Over all, I’m still really happy with the OCM. I went ahead and made up a larger batch for the next few weeks, making sure to add only a very small amount of tea tree oil. Because I’m not a complete idiot. The next time I need to make up a batch, I’m thinking of trying either avocado or jojoba oil instead of EVOO.

 

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OCM Day 1

I just did my first cleansing with the OCM. I used 2/3 Castor oil, 1/3 EVOO and a few drops of tea tree oil for the breakouts courtesy of my hormones.

Here I am, before. For the record, it is ridiculously difficult to take one’s own photo with a DSLR. I would like bonus points. And no crap about how shitty the pictures are. Thank you.

I found it easy to use the oil. I just slapped some into my hands and massaged it around. I paid careful attention to get it everywhere. I even used it to remove my mascara.

FYI: That isn’t a zit on the bridge of my nose. I scratched myself with my own fingernail like a moron.

Also, here are the aforementioned blemishes on my cheek that I’ll be watching. I didn’t use any other products on my face at all.

My initial impression: I like it. My face feels really well moisturized and not all greasy. Except for my hairline, where I failed to rinse well.

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The Oil Cleansing Method – Me and My Hippy Face

I have a love/hate relationship with my skin. I love my freckles and the fact that it’s minimally lined considering the lack of sunscreen in my younger days. I hate that I’m 35 and still breaking out on a monthly basis. I wish my skin was more… glowy? Bright? You know, WOW! skin.

Now, you know I love me some Pinterest, and while browsing the beauty section, I came across this pin. I’ve heard of the oil cleansing method (OCM), but never really gave it much thought until now. I’m ready for a change in my skin, but I’m not ready to spend $1,000,007 to do it. I’ve got a big ol’ Costco jug of EVOO and today at the grocery store I picked up a bottle of Castor oil for $2.67. I’m loving these prices already, yo.

I did a little Googling on the OCM and found some pretty good stuff. I also found a lot of hippy bullshit, but I just discarded that. This site was informative, as well as this one. And don’t forget to check out the content linked to that pin up there. It’s good stuff, too. Here’s a nutshell version, in case your clicking finger is feeling lazy.

* A simple rule of chemistry: like dissolves like. Therefore, if you’re trying to remove impurities trapped in oil on your skin, another oil is the best choice for the job.

* The harsh chemicals and soaps we use to cleanse our faces strip away the natural oils on our skin, which force our sebum production into overdrive and result in skin that looks like the Exxon Valdez crashed on our face.

* Once you start the OCM, it will most likely take a week or two for your skin to get with the new program. Don’t freak out about excess oil. It’s because your pores are unblocking and the oil production will even out in a few days. You may get a few small breakouts, but again, don’t freak out.

* It’s a time suck. Plan to spend about 10 minutes cleansing at night before you go to bed. You don’t have to do it every night. Every other works great for most people. In the morning, don’t use your “normal” cleanser on your skin. Just a rinse with warm water.

* The oils are great at removing make-up, so you won’t need a separate remover.

* You’ll most likely not need moisturizer anymore. If your skin feels tight after you cleanse, just take a tiny bit of your oil mixture and rub it into your skin. That’s all you need.

* The oils typically used are Castor and EVOO and the amounts are in thirds. For oily skin, try 2/3 Castor and 1/3 EVOO. For normal skin, try equal parts of each. For dry skin, try 1/3 Castor and 2/3 EVOO. Experiment with the amounts and find what mixture works best for you.

* The Castor oil is pretty much mandatory, but the EVOO can be replaced with a number of oils: jojoba, sunflower seed , grapeseed, sweet almond, or avocado. These are all more expensive that EVOO, so I recommend starting with EVOO and seeing how you like the OCM. If you love it and want to stick with it, then invest in a nicer oil if it makes you happy.

* The basic routine is thus: Using about a quarter-sized pool of oil, rub it all over your DRY and DIRTY face. Take the time to massage it in really well. The Castor oil is a cleansing oil and will bond with all the junk in your pores and pull it out. So make sure and get it everywhere. Once you’re all massaged, soak a wash cloth in the warmest water you can stand. We’re not trying to scald ourselves, but we are trying to steam our skin. Ring out the cloth and lay it over your face until it cools. At this point, you can rinse it in the warm water and do it again, or rinse it and begin to wipe the oil from your face. Rinse and wipe until all the oil is gone. FTLOG, don’t scrub. We’re using gentle hands, people. Gentle hands. Again, if you’ve got pinchy, tight face, then add some more oil to your skin. Also, consider changing your mixture so that you’ve got less Castor oil and more EVOO, since it’s the moisturizing portion of the mix.

I plan to start the OCM tonight. I’ll take a picture of my face right before and right after, for comparison purposes. I’m giving it two weeks. If I don’t like it after that long, then I’m going to try something else. During the two weeks, I’ll take lots of pictures and update you so you’ll know some of what you might expect if you try it to.

Wish me luck! If this goes horribly wrong, I’ll be the girl with a ski mask on during Thanksgiving dinner.

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