A Guest Post from Kendra @ Our Homemade Happiness
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I’ve been using olive oil to wash my face for the past two months. Yeah, you heard me right. I wash my face with oil. Sound like an oxymoron? Here’s how it works: like disolves like. The clean oil dissolves the dirty oil from your face, all without stripping your skin’s natural protective oils. This all natural, gentle cleansing approach is called the oil cleansing method or OCM in the blogosphere. Not only do I save money compared to my old Clinique face wash, it also doubles as my eye makeup remover. Yay for simplifying! The best part? My face has never looked and felt better.
You’ll want to use a little castor oil mixed with a carrier oil. Castor oil is very cleansing. Start with one of the following ratios listed below. If your skin feels too oily, use more castor oil. If your skin feels too dry, use less castor oil. Castor oil is very drying, so don’t use too much. You should be able to find these oils at your local health food store,Amazon, or Mountain Rose Herbs. It may take time to find what works for your skin. When I started OCM, I used 100% olive oil because my skin was so dry. Now that my skin has adjusted and isn’t dry anymore, I use 10% castor oil, 90% jojoba oil.
- Oily Skin: 30% castor oil to 70% carrier oil
- Normal Skin: 20% castor oil to 80% carrier oil
- Dry Skin: 10% castor oil to 90% carrier oil
- Really Dry Skin: 0% castor oil to 100% carrier oil
- Jojoba–all skin types, especially acne-prone, oily, sensitive, and normal
- Sweet Almond–all skin types, especially oily and normal
- Avocado–all skin types, especially dry, itchy, sensitive, and aging
- Apricot Kernel–all skin types, especially dry, sensitive, aging, and normal
- Grape Seed–all skin types, especially acne-prone and oily
- Kukui Nut–all skin types, especially dry and normal
- Olive–all skin types, especially dryRinse Face. Rinse face with water.
- First: Rinse Face. Rinse face with water.
- Massage with Oil. Lightly massage oil in a circular motion over your face for two minutes. Massaging your face can lead to firmer, more radiant skin by minimizing fine lines and wrinkles, releasing tension, and improving circulation. Just remember that when you’re getting bored and wondering if the two minutes are up yet.
- Remove Eye Makeup. Gently rub oil across your eye lids and eye lashes to remove eye makeup.
- Steam. Soak a washcloth with hot water. Hold it over your face for 10-15 seconds.
- Wipe Off. Gently wipe oil off your face and eyes with your washcloth. When I’m finished, my face feels clean and moisturized, never greasy. I’m still amazed that oil can clean my face.
- (Don’t forget to admire your beautiful, glowing skin in the mirror.)
- Mature Skin/Wrinkles: frankincense, helichrysum, geranium, lavender, myrrh, sandalwood, carrot seed
- Dry Skin: rose, lavender, geranium, sandalwood, rosewood, ylang-ylang, chamomile
- Oily Skin: lemon, cedarwood, cypress, juniper, lavender, lemongrass, grapefruit
- Acne-Prone Skin: tea tree, lemongrass, lavender, geranium, peppermint, rosemary, sandalwood
$1.68/oz. Olive Oil ($9/24 oz) & Castor Oil ($10/8 oz.)
Karen Knase
December 26, 2014 at 10:44 pmThank you for the advice. Will try this next week.
Irise
September 21, 2014 at 10:46 amIve been using the Somaluxe Face Wash (with organic ingredients) everyday. Works amazing, makes skin clear after the first use. It smells so fresh and makes your skin feel like it just left the spa. The ingredients are not harsh nor do they test on animals. Which is a big plus. It keeps pores perfect and makes my skin even.
Evande
July 1, 2014 at 5:06 amI must say I found first time a brief and so detailed post about “oil cleansing method”.
Thanks
Evande
AmyNewNostalgia
July 1, 2014 at 8:29 amYou are welcome. Let me know what you think of it if you try it.
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stevecarve
April 28, 2014 at 7:47 amI personally trust on essential oils only. These oils are less expensive than drugs. Many essential oils pass freely through the blood-brain barrier.
Sarah Boxer
February 25, 2014 at 7:17 pmTry Somatique’s Moisturizer. My doctor recommended it while I was pregnant with my fourth child, because its ingredients are safe for pregnant women. I would not put the jar down.
It really helped fight my dry skin, and those wrinkles around my eyes. After my baby was born, my skin because extra dry and this moisturizer was able to handle it. I just wish they made a biger jar because I use so much of it. Well worth it if you have sensitive skin like me, and need something gentle yet effective. I bought at LadySoma.com
Cathedral Range
February 3, 2014 at 12:36 pmThanks for Posting ! first time I have found a genuine post related to Chemical Free Moisturizers
Cathedral Range
January 6, 2014 at 12:05 pmThanks for Posting ! first time I have found a genuine post related to Chemical Free Moisturizers
Lily Rollin
December 8, 2013 at 4:59 pmUsing all natural and organic skincare products are getting all the hype in the market nowadays, and that includes the natural face moisturizer. If you are looking for the best ones that you can buy, I made a short list of the products that you should not miss out when shopping for the best facial products produced organically.
http://moisturizerexpert.com/natural-face-moisturizer-which-one-to-buy
anushka sweety
September 20, 2013 at 4:34 amThanks for your excellent guide man
Facial Cleanser for Women
Faeth Beecher
August 14, 2013 at 8:40 pmDoes it matter where you get the caster oil? I bought some at the drugstore and it made me break out horribly. Should I look to a more organic one?
Anonymous
October 31, 2013 at 4:04 pmThank you for the information you provide on acne face wash
Alina Sun
September 18, 2015 at 4:56 pmI know your comment is two years old, but I just wanted to reply. If you bought your castor oil at a drug store, it will probably break you out since it’s probably not pure castor oil. You would have to look for 100% pure oil to do the OCM.
Bianca
April 22, 2013 at 5:39 pmthanks! a friend turned me on to this this weekend, and i needed ratios, this was perfect!
G Vig
April 4, 2013 at 2:20 amsure, this is a great way to keep your skin clean and remove make-up.
But an even healthier thing to do would be to not use make-up in the first place 🙂
With the beautiful skin that OCM gives you, why would you still need make-up? In any case, it would be almost impossible to find make-up that does no harm to your skin, or to the environment, in its production and disposal.
Beads and Books (Tammi Mossman)
January 7, 2013 at 5:04 pmThank you, Amy, for inviting the guest blogger — this post is exactly what I need to start this week!
Thank you, MountainBlessings, for the extra tips.
MountainBlessings
January 7, 2013 at 9:20 amHey Ladies! I just had to add my two cents. I have been doing the OCM for approx 15 yrs, so as a test of time you will one day be so glad you started this regimen. My dear friend who will be 76yrs old this year turned me onto it and her skin is flawless, virtually wrinkle free and has a glow that is indescribable. If I could just add a few things I have found along the way, for one do not makeup large quantities, perhaps a 3mo supply (approx 1/2 cup to start with) this will go a very long ways, always shake well, clean your hands first, and use your fingertips to massage in swirling motion, you are not covering the bottom of a pan with it, just gently covering your face. After cleansing take a clean washcloth with comfortable warm water and gently lay on face until it starts to cool and do it again if necessary until you feel you have gotten most of the oil off, do not over wipe or rub your face, this tears the skin. Just pat the outside of the washcloth until you feel that you have a clean face. Remember at night too that your pillow cases are clean. Store your concoction out of the light, just under the vanity cabinet is fine. And like Kendra is telling us you will need to play around with it in the beginning to find what your skin responds to. And when it starts to feel too oily or dry as your skin will do from season to season and as you age, make slight adjustments. You do save money because you use it to clean your face and moisturize, just think of the money you save there not buying two expensive name brand cleansers and moisturizers and not changing with the seasons. As well speaking from experience in time you will notice your eyelashes grow longer and thicker and it will look like your using the most expensive mascara, I have had people ask if I am wearing false eyelashes, now like I said I have been doing OCM for at least 15yrs and I am 56yrs old now. In time you will be happy with making this lifestyle change, I know I am, I am the oldest of four sisters and no one ever thinks I could possibly be 56.
jessica aretta Watson
October 30, 2013 at 7:46 amI JUST FELL HEAD OVER HEALS GA GA FOR U. I LOVE YOUR TRIED AND TRUE MANNER.
labbie1
January 6, 2013 at 4:00 pmFunny. I just started using this method this week. I am using coconut oil because that’s what I had on hand. It is a bit drying. When I went to the store the other day I purchased the castor oil and I have some olive oil that I will try. I tried the olive oil by itself and it was a bit oily for my skin. I will try it with the castor oil to see if it changes the oily feeling. Overall, I really like the feel of my skin and have not had any problems with breakouts. I had a couple of bumps that appeared but disappeared quickly.