Oil Cleansing Method

Oil Cleansing Method or OCM Method

Back in 2004, I learned about OCM, or Oil Cleansing Method for facial cleansing. I only do it once a month now as I never had the guts to stick out the purging phases. But it really does being a refreshing glow to your complexion, even if it is just due to increased circulation from massaging.

Cleaning Your Face Using Oils

Am I losing it? Another one of Bonnie’s hair-brained beauty rituals that no one’s ever heard of before? Well I had never heard of it until about a month ago. Everyone is raving about the wonderful results they were getting from this method of cleansing their face. The testimonials were so numerous; I had to try it out for myself.

On June 23, I started using what we will refer to as OCM (oil cleansing method.) to give it a fair chance, I ONLY used this method to wash my face, even if I had to wash it 3 times a day (which most days I do) I didn’t want to use anything else to skew the results. According to what these women were saying, you wouldn’t need anything else. You may not even need moisturizer anymore.

From June 23 until July 11, I only used OCM. The results were AMAZING. My skin never looked so clear. It was glowing. No zits, the old ones that I had went away. My skin was soft, smooth, and LESS oily than before. How is this possible? Getting rid of dirt and oil with OIL just defies all logic. And why would my skin become LESS oily. Is this Bizarro Beauty world??

The truth is, oil alone will not give you pimples. You have to get it though your head that OIL DISSOLVES OIL. You must first get over your fear of putting oil on your face before we can move on. Skin breakouts are cause by several factors all working together- hormones, bacteria, dead skin cells, and other factors. There is a reason why your skin produces its own oil- because it needs it! Oil helps your skin remain smooth and soft. (Just like the oil sebum on your scalp helps lubricate and condition your hair.) Your body knows what its doing!

What you need:

Wash Cloth
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Castor Oil
Maybe a little container to keep the oils premixed.

The basic combination of oils for OCM is Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) and Castor Oil. The olive oil is found in the cooking section and the castor oil is found in the uh, laxative section. The olive oil is for moisture and the castor oil is the cleansing part.

If you have dry skin, you would want to use more olive oil than castor oil. Say 75% olive oil, and 25% castor oil. Oily skin would be the opposite: 75% castor oil, 25% olive oil. I would start with 50/50 when you first start and then adjust.

The Method:

1. On DRY skin, massage the oils all over your face and neck. Do this over makeup, dirt, whatever else is on your face. Take your time and really massage it in.
2. Take your washcloth and wet it with hot, or very warm water (the warmer the better so it can dissolve the oil better, but don’t burn yourself.) Wring it out and then drape it over your face. (This is steaming the pores) I do this a couple of times.
3. As the washcloth cools, start wiping the oil off of your face. Rinse the washcloth and repeat as much as necessary.
4. After that, you can rinse your face in cool water.
5. If your face feels tight, you can apply your moisturizer. If it feels good, you don’t need to.

You don’t have to use this method every time you wash like I did. Do it before bed, or in the morning. You will be very surprised that this actually works! Castor oil has many healing properties, and both oils are great for your skin!

I haven’t been using it long enough to know if I will stay with it forever, but since it worked even temporarily, the information must be shared!