Oil Cleansing Method: The Experience So Far

About three weeks ago, I decided to start the Oil Cleansing Method (OCM). I haven’t posted my progress until now as I wasn’t entirely happy with the products I was using. Firstly I had trouble sourcing castor oil, then I didn’t feel particularly happy with my choice of secondary oils. I tried walnut and extra virgin olive oil and both felt too thick and greasy for my liking. I wasn’t experiencing the after-cleansing “glow” that many people report and my skin just didn’t seem any different at all, if anything it made it a tad oilier and I had a small breakout around the edge of my face.

I must admit, I started wondering if the OCM simply wasn’t suited to me. As I was deciding what to order from Anita Grant this month, I came across her Carrot & Wheat Germ Cleansing Oil which she markets specifically as an OCM routine and is labelled as being suitable for combination skin. Doing some research online didn’t really reveal anything about using these particular oils as part of the OCM, but being the curious shopaholic that I am, I decided to take a risk and try it. I plumped for the full-size bottle as I knew the sampler wouldn’t last me if I liked it.

I’m happy to say that I get on much better with this combination of oils. For a start, they are much lighter than the ones I had been using and generally feel nicer to apply. My face feels lovely and clean afterwards and my complexion is very even. I have had a couple of spots appear here and there, but they aren’t too big and seem to clear up reasonably quickly. I’m not going to let this deter me as I understand that any change to my routine can cause a few problems while my skin rebalances itself. I also bought a sample of watermelon oil (supposedly good for oily skin) and I add a few drops of that in as well - not sure if that plays an important part, guess I’ll find out when I’ve used it all up.

One interesting thing I’ve found is that I no longer need to exfoliate - the OCM does a great job of removing build-up which is much kinder to my skin. I don’t need to scrub my face at all and I’ve even quit using my regular facial cleanser. The OCM does the lot!

I used to moisturise up to three times a day, but now I only do so after the OCM. The other two times (morning and evening) I just tone and nothing else. So althought the cleansing oil wasn’t exactly cheap, it looks like it will definitely save me money in the long run.

Overall, I’m very happy with the OCM so far. I can’t stress enough how important it is to find the right oils for your skin - please don’t give up if it doesn’t work the first time, just try a different product. Also, I do want to point out that although castor oil is considered to be the definitive ingredient in the OCM, it may not suit everyone and you can still achieve wonderful results without using it.

I’ll continue to update on my progress as I settle further into my routine over the coming weeks and months.

Update: I’m afraid things haven’t worked out too well - see the post I’m Quitting The OCM for more info.

Tags: anita grant, cleansing, face, ocm, oil

Skincare Diary | Becky | March 15, 2008

8 Comments

By Kloggers, March 15, 2008 @ 7:39 pm

Many years ago a lady that I worked with was recommended sunflower oil as a cleansing and moisturising treatment for her skin by a dermatologist. She was advised to gently apply it in smooth circular motions and splash her skin with cool water then dab dry. In truth her skin improved remarkably. I tried it myself for a while but sadly never kept it up … The same dermatologist also advised her to take brewer’s yeast which I did keep up!
By Helen James, March 22, 2008 @ 1:02 am

Hi Lovely OnlineGoddess
Having just read your latest addition Im a little worried you are unwittingly overloading your skin. Which sounds like it reacts remarkably similarly to mine. The thing is that even without the chemicals, botanical oils each have a different composition of particles which make up the individual profile of the oil you are using at that time. Trouble is finding an oil which does not clog or cause minor irritation. For me personally Wheatgerm, Rosehip, Walnut, Hazelnut are some that I immediately think of which do not suit my skin and although have wonderful beneficial qualities do either make my skin feel tight and itchy or cause whiteheads but thankfully not the fullblown biguns which I can suffer from if using a cream or petroleum based product.
I agree with Kloggers comment in that Sunflower oil (organic) is very useful and absorbs well into the skin, may be worth a try in the mean time while you allow your skin to settle again.

Do be careful not to inadvertently try to many products on skin in close succession as in doing so your skin will flare up from the overload of attention, rather than from any specific oils used, thus making successful product choices very difficult.
Just recently I have been my own guinea pig for a new product and found that by simply overdoing the cleansing and trying different combinations of oils in quick succession I have overloaded my own skin when indeed I should know better. To sort the problem I have gone back to using my single Hemp Oil after cleansing with African Black Soap (from Sheabutter Cottage) to settle my skin, and now test the oils I wish to combine individually at first, then gradually building a suitable combination which will be tested on willing guinea pigs. Hee hee.
Obviously I realise that this would be not practical for you, but my point would be to choose a single oil such as organic sunflower or Hemp to rebalance the skin for a month or so. Then retry a new blended product of your choice once your skin has settled and is ready to accept something new. That way you will get a true picture of what your skin can handle. Best of luck and I look forward to reading updates of how your getting on.
Helen x
By Becky, March 22, 2008 @ 7:56 pm

Hi Kloggers and Helen. :)

Kloggers - I’m certainly hearing lots of good things about sunflower oil and I’ll certainly be bearing it in mind as an alternative to the current product I’m using. Thanks for sharing your experience of it. :)

Helen - I think you’re absolutely spot on with regard to how I’m looking after my skin. Although I’ve actually cut down on the number of products, most of what I am using has only been started very recently. My poor skin is probably wondering what on earth has hit it!

As much as I don’t want to admit it, I do think it’s the wheat germ in particular that I’m reacting to. I’ve been doing some research over the last few days and it seems to be regarded as quite comedogenic. I’m kicking myself for not discovering this before I bought it, it’s not like me to miss something so important.

I do quite like the watemelon oil though, so I think I’m going to use that exclusively for a few weeks and see how it goes. If that fails, I’ll give the sunflower oil a try.

There is a little bit of good news - I haven’t done the OCM for three days and I’ve noticed that the Camellia & Copaiba moisturiser doesn’t leave me greasy anymore. I guess using all those oils together was simply too much for me.

Have fun creating your new product BTW - can’t wait to see what it is! :)
By dianna, March 22, 2008 @ 10:01 pm

hi - i do the OCM with virgin coconut oil and i love it!!!
djh
By chqm8, June 7, 2008 @ 6:36 am

I was wondering if the OCM was for all skin color type. I am of east indian origin, is this regime still beneficial for me and as anyone tried to use the OCM to remove blackheads around the inner thigh area. Or is there a good recipe for blackhead removal. All help is appreciated.
By gilbertsagmit, March 18, 2009 @ 7:35 am

I did a modified version of the popular OCM using a mixture of different oils that you can easily find in the groceries. I combined 20% of grapeseed oil , 30% of extra virgin coconut oill , 40% of extra virgin olive oil and 10% of castor oil - 10%. You can experiment by altering the ratios to suit your desired consistency. Try to opt for the extra virgin version because “PURE” means it had undergone a lot of chemical processing. I also mixed in 4 capsules of 1000iu of Vitamin E so it has a longer shelf life.

I specifically like the anti bacterial properties of grapeseed oil and the tremendous moisturizing properties of the extra virgin olive oil and VCO combination. Warm a handful of the mixture on both palms and rub the concoction into your cheeks, nose, forehead, neck, and chin, allowing the oils to penetrate into the skin and pull out wastes, bacteria, dead cells and other dirt. You may wipe away the oil, along with any dirt, using a warm wet washcloth or rinse your face in warm water.

I normally rinse my face well afterwards with luke warm water because I have breakouts because I have a very oily T-zone area. Then I would re-apply my beautiful concoction on my damp face including my hair. I’m not afraid to use the oil mixture around the eye area because it does not sting my eyes anyway.

Do this at least 3 times a week before bedtime and awaken everytime to a renewed younger you. In my experience, I;d say it’s much better than any of the expensive brands like Olay Regenerist and Ponds Age Miracle (I have tried both, but the effect is not as good as this one I’m sharing with you)
By Shanz, June 10, 2009 @ 4:17 am

Hi there,
I have oily skin and acne-prone skin. Before this my daily routine is I just use my normal facial cleanser and after that I use tea tree oil. The tea tree oil does helps to reduce my acne.

I’ve been doing the oil cleansing method for 2 times now (yesterday evening & this morning). I can’t find castor oil so the oil that I used is a mix of sunflower oil + Extra Virgin Olive Oil. So far, it helps to make my face moisturise and my face is not flaky. After a few hours now, my skin is also not as oily as it used to be. But I did saw little pimples at the side of my lips and a bit of redness at my left cheek. Is Castor oil safe for our skin? I also did feel that the skin surrounding my lips and my cheeks is sightly itchy. Did I do something wrong here? How many times can we do the OCM ? Can anyone help to advice me? Thanks in advance.
By Helen James, June 10, 2009 @ 8:46 am

Shanz Sorry to butt in your question to OGoddes, but I thought I should let you know that Caster Oil is quite different to Sunflower and Olive oil. The latter can both be rather clogging to the skin as may be the case for you. Caster Oil is an oil which is very good for clearing pores and cleansing. You may also try pure Jojoba Oil or Hemp Seed Oil for similar qualities but Sunflower and Olive although very lovely and moisturising are not great for cleansing.