Or is it???
Recently, while browsing Pinterest, I saw that a dear friend of mine had pinned an article that talked about the oil cleansing method. She wrote a comment about it and said she'd been using this method to clean her face for the past year and loved it.
Ever the skeptic, I wrote back and forth with her and asked many questions. I was officially intrigued. I did a little research here, here, here, and here, among other places. I decided there was nothing to lose. My face already suffered frequent breakouts, so even if the oil caused a breakout, that was nothing new for me.
Because my skin is more acne-prone and oily, I decided to go with a 50/50 mixture of castor oil {which I could only find at WalMart, BTW} and Extra Virgin Olive Oil {which was already in my cupboard}. I also added a little splash of Tea Tree Oil, which is known for it's natural antiseptic properties and is commonly used to help fight acne. Next time I might try grapefruit oil though--as I know it'll smell awesome!
The result? I am a believer in the OCM! I love it.
Here is my nightly routine:
- Floss/brush teeth {I cannot sleep without flossing first!}.
- Pour a little of my oil mixture into my hands and massage into my face for a couple of minutes.
- Wet a clean wash cloth with very hot water (but not so hot that it burns you).
- Tilt my head back and cover my face with the hot wash cloth--leaving it there until it cools.
- Wet the wash cloth again with hot water and place on my face again until it cools.
- Wipe off any remaining oil and makeup.
- Cover face with a thin layer of light moisturizer (I'm still using an oil-free one . . . but when that's gone I might look at other options).
- Look for any slight possibilities of zits and dab them with a tiny drop of Tea Tree oil using a q-tip. Those blemishes disappear almost overnight.
Morning routine:
- I use my gentle Aveeno exfoliating cleanser in the shower.
- Moisturize.
- Makeup.
It's only been a week since I began using the oil cleansing method and I don't want to jinx anything, but so far, I am absolutely LOVING the results! My face looks noticeably clearer and brighter. That makes me a happy girl. :o)
I think it's so interesting that ever since puberty, I've been tricked by the beauty industry into believing that everything I put on my face needs to be "oil-free." I have stuck with that paradigm for years and years. And why? Did using oil-free products actually clear up my skin? Nope. I used ProActiv for about ten years straight. Only last year did I realize that it worked no better than the cheaper brands of acne cleansers.
As stated here, likes dissolve likes. It's a simple matter of science. So it makes sense that clean, pure oils will dissolve and cleanse the dirty, clogging oils on your face. Check out my links--other people explain it much better than I do.
Whether your skin is oily, dry, combination, acne-prone, aging, or falls under any other description, the OCM works for all skin types. You'll just create your mixture differently depending on your skin's needs.
Seriously, you should give it a try. I'm sure glad I did!
