A Little Natural OCM!

Back in October one of my girlfriends was telling me how individuals with oily skin should cleanse their face with, none other than, oil! I seriously laughed at her and told her that was OUT OF THE QUESTION! My face would be one grease slicked mess if I was to do such a thing so I continued scrubbing away with Proactive. When you are used to caring for your face with a certain routine, it's hard to give that up especially for OIL!

About six weeks later I started doing some research on cleansing with oil. Part of my interest was that there are no chemicals! I was tired of ruining towels with Proactiv as it was bleaching them! If that stuff is bleaching my face towels, what is it doing to my skin?! I'm not an all natural advocate but with the knowledge of already knowing I'd have to give up the Proactiv routine once I'm pregnant, I figured why not give it up now and try something new that I would be able to use once we decide to expand our family!

In comes the OCM - Oil Cleansing Method! According to Crunchy Betty, the OCM doesn't strip your face of it's sebum therefore your skin doesn't work in overdrive to produce more oil! That overdrive work leads to clogged pores, blackheads, acne, and overall irritation! Who knew?!

Regardless of your skin type you have to start with the base oil, which is Cold Pressed Castor Oil. I found mine at The Vitamin Shoppe! And YES there is a difference between Cold Pressed and regular! Cold Pressed Castor Oil is a drying oil and is highly antibacterial. Depending on your skin type you will use more or less! I use more since I have oily skin! You then add a second and third oil {third is optional} depending on your skin type. Here are a few options! I use jojoba oil which is best for acne prone and oily skin.

Once you figure out which oils will work best for your skin type you mix them together in ratios of thirds. You can see the ratios here as well! I use 2/3 Castor Oil and 1/3 Jojoba Oil! I bought a 3 oz bottle in the travel section at Target to store it! Lather your face with the oil and massage gently for about two minutes. The oil also works as a natural makeup remover so there is no need to prewash your face beforehand! Let the oil sit for 30 to 45 seconds once you are finished lathering it on. After your time is up, take a washcloth and run under hot water. Use the hot washcloth to steam your face for 15 to 30 seconds. Slowly wipe your face clean. Rinse the washcloth, Repeat. You should steam your face about 3 times! Once you've steamed and wiped your face completely clean, you're done!

I've been using this cleansing process for a month now and actually really like it! My face isn't a big grease ball, my breakouts dry up quickly if/when I get them, and my towels are staying the color I bought them! Seems like a win win all the way around!

If you have any questions about it please feel free to ask!!! Be sure to check out the links! Crunchy Betty has some great information on the OCM! I also have to thank my girlfriend for jump starting my questions on the process, for without her saying "Clean your face with OIL", I would have never found this!