Oil Cleansing Method
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Mon Mar 26, 2007 11:44 am

ariesxtreme wrote:

Do I have to massage for 5 min to get the benefits of the OCM?

It takes me at least 4-5 minutes of massage before any of the plugs start to come out.

I also find that exfoliating and then applying the warm, damp cloth beforethe massage works really well. This way, I only need to use OC once a week to keep my pores clean Very Happy

free skin care · Mon Mar 26, 2007 3:31 pm

Has anyone ever used rice bran oil with the castor oil? They have it at my local Whole Foods, and I know I've read good things about it.

free skin care · Tue Mar 27, 2007 4:50 pm

To all OCM users who have their castor oil in fancy containers (an idea with which I wholeheartedly agree):

The CO I bought from Walgreens came in a blue plastic bottle. I know that some substances are altered if exposed to direct light and are therefore bottled in brown, green, or blue bottles. So, it might help preserve the CO if you store it in a pretty container that doesn't allow light to penetrate it.

Just my .02 (why isn't there a character for the "cents" symbol on my keyboard!!???). Maybe it will help keep your oil from spoiling.

free skin care · Tue Mar 27, 2007 5:59 pm

I had to restrain myself from starting a new thread for my question -- I hope enough OCM users will see it here.

Does anyone add a bit of tea tree oil to their OCM oil?

I have not seen any mention of it whatsoever, and I was wondering if there were some concrete reason or objection people have to it (like it's drying or smeelly or irritating). It seems that adding just a few drops to one's bottle would be helpful -- from the things I understand to be true about tea-trea oil (anti-acneic, anti-inflammatory, very thin consistency...).

free skin care · Tue Mar 27, 2007 6:16 pm

kittikin wrote:

To all OCM users who have their castor oil in fancy containers (an idea with which I wholeheartedly agree):

The CO I bought from Walgreens came in a blue plastic bottle. I know that some substances are altered if exposed to direct light and are therefore bottled in brown, green, or blue bottles. So, it might help preserve the CO if you store it in a pretty container that doesn't allow light to penetrate it.

Just my .02 (why isn't there a character for the "cents" symbol on my keyboard!!???). Maybe it will help keep your oil from spoiling.

I think this is a really good point Very Happy

free skin care · Tue Mar 27, 2007 6:18 pm

alibabka wrote:

I had to restrain myself from starting a new thread for my question -- I hope enough OCM users will see it here.

Does anyone add a bit of tea tree oil to their OCM oil?

I have not seen any mention of it whatsoever, and I was wondering if there were some concrete reason or objection people have to it (like it's drying or smeelly or irritating). It seems that adding just a few drops to one's bottle would be helpful -- from the things I understand to be true about tea-trea oil (anti-acneic, anti-inflammatory, very thin consistency...).

Sounds like a good idea to me. I spot treat with tea tree oil and find it very effective for healing blemishes.

free skin care · Wed Mar 28, 2007 2:03 pm

You can absolutely put tea tree oil, or whatever other essential oil in the OCM, so many of them have such great benefits, smells etc. Ylang ylang is also a great EO to mix in OCM, I also liked when I made it with lemon and grapefruit...smelled yummy and was anti-acneic, and anticeptic just like tea tree. Very Happy

Thu Mar 29, 2007 11:35 pm

Hi I'm new to the forum but have been enjoying reading all your contributions for 18 months or so now! Thought it was time I got in on the act.

I have to say I just luurvve the OCM method - I have an oily skin (yes even tho I'm 45!) and it has made such a difference to the texture - have been using for over a year now and my skin has become really smooth (just like a baby's bottom) and the blackheads and open poors have really reduced. Get so many comments about my skin now, it's great. Still get the shiny breakthrough though Crying or Very sad

I usually put about 4 EO's into my mix and find the orange and lemon ones really beneficial so they are standard. Sometimes put teatree oil in but also find teatree fantastic for all sorts of things.

Thanks so much for this forum - the tips from others are just fab Smile

Thu Mar 29, 2007 11:37 pm

Oops I meant pores - must be thinking of my bank balance with all these yummy products I've been buying from EDS!

free skin care · Fri Mar 30, 2007 3:43 am

Does it matter if the castor oil is cold pressed? I got mine at an Indian shop and they didnt say how it was made. I've tried doing OCM with it and it seem to give me more clogged pores.

Fri Mar 30, 2007 3:50 pm

The castor oil I use is from the Pharmacy and its 100%BP whatever that means. Says it may be used as an emollient. I haven't heard of coldpressed CO - is that the one you are supposed to take internally?

Do you add essential oils? I think that may be what makes it so successful and you need to use the ones that are most beneficial to your skin type. Sorry, dont mean to tell you how to suck eggs! I also use a really hot facecloth to remove it and have found when at my mothers her water temperature is not as hot as mine and I notice it's not as good then.

free skin care · Sat Mar 31, 2007 12:25 pm

I've use both the drug store version of castor oil ... and the cold pressed variety. Smile

I use the cold pressed variety most of the time ... because I like it ... but I don't think I had a problem with the drug store version either. Very Happy

Sometimes, when I don't have time to do all the massaging I would like ... I add some rolled oats that I've run through the coffee grinder to my OCM oil. This is a very nice way to make the OCM into a mask-like-gentle-scrub ... which I quite like! Laughing

I remove the OCM oil/oatmeal in the same way I would the plain OCM oil ... and it leaves my skin feeling soft and "glowy". Laughing

It's also a way to introduce beta-glucans into your routine as well. Very Happy

Mary

free skin care · Thu Apr 05, 2007 1:44 pm

I used a 50/50 ratio with castor oil and avocado oil this morning. So far this is my favorite one. I massage for about 3 minutes then rinse with warm wash cloth by pressing on my face several times, never wiping. I have been doing OCM for quite awhile and thought for sure I was pretty plug free so it was a shock to see how many came out this am. A very happy camper today.

free skin care · Fri Apr 06, 2007 6:15 am

I don't know what I'm doing wrong, I tried the OCM for a few months and got bumps and breakouts and kept at it, but I just couldn't stand it any longer, my texture was getting worse. Now I just use it for about 30 sec to remove my makeup and then use an actual cleanser to cleanse my face. It's a little disheartening since it seems to work for so many and I can't seem to get the hang of it.

free skin care · Fri Apr 06, 2007 8:02 am

Hi ariesxtreme,

I'm sorry that OCM didn't work for you Crying or Very sad

... but I don't think there is anything on earth that works for everyone.

Certainly if something produces a worse texture on your skin than before, it's not the right thing for you.

There are lots of experts who insist you have to have an emulsifier in the cleansing oil in order to rinse it off entirely ... and certainly lots of commercial cleansing oils that have that component in them.

There are some people whose skin reacts because it's being over-manipulated. Lengthy massaging can be a problem for some people ... as can over-exfoliation.

Don't feel like you've just because OCM isn't right for you. Very Happy

You've given it a good shot ... and it just isn't right for you.

At the very least, you now know that! Laughing

As one person for whom OCM works great, I feel badly that my experience isn't yours. Confused

Our skins are unique to us ... which is why it's so difficult to find something that works for all of us.

In the final analysis, you have to do what works for your skin. Nothing else really matters.

Mary

free skin care · Fri Apr 06, 2007 9:50 am

I have been using the OCM for about 6 weeks now. I find it such a relaxing way to clean my face but I have had no success with removing blackheads. It hasn't made them worse, I just never seem to have any coming out. It is a bummer.

People rave about the Dr. H CC so I thought I would try this 2 nights a week instead of the OCM. Any thoughts?

free skin care · Fri Apr 06, 2007 3:49 pm

ariesxtreme wrote:

I don't know what I'm doing wrong, I tried the OCM for a few months and got bumps and breakouts and kept at it, but I just couldn't stand it any longer, my texture was getting worse. Now I just use it for about 30 sec to remove my makeup and then use an actual cleanser to cleanse my face. It's a little disheartening since it seems to work for so many and I can't seem to get the hang of it.

Don't feel bad, it didn't work for me either. Though I enjoyed the process, it produced more clogged pores and whiteheads on me. I have oily acne-prone skin and I think it just doesn't like too much manipulation. Since I stopped, my skin calmed down but now I have all these plugs of hard white gunk which I have been picking at to get out Sad

I know I shouldn't, but if I leave them, they become pimples which leave an even bigger mark.

Sat Apr 28, 2007 6:52 pm

I have been doing OCM for about three weeks now, after reading up on it a bit both in this thread and elsewhere. I usually use a 50/50 mix of castor oil and jojoba oil with some vitamin E and lavender tossed in. Sometimes I use grapeseed oil instead and the day before yesterday, I used a 50/50 of EVOO and castor oil. I wipe with a washcloth soaked in hot water from the tap several times, usually 4-6. I have been doing aspirin masks about 3 times a week but I think I need to cut down. My skin is dry with the occasional pimple and blackeads on my nose for as long as I can remember.

During OCM my skin has been pretty good, with the occasional plug coming out, but nothing spectacular. The blackheads on my nose are oozing, so something is obviously happening. Yesterday, my whole face is covered in bumps that almost appear like a rash. Is this the dreaded purge? I am continuing with OCM because I doubt that going back to my old routinue will make it go away. Any suggestions? Even just chiming in with similiar stories will help calm my nerves. Thanks so much.

free skin care · Sun Apr 29, 2007 5:37 am

Hi jazzler,

I've been doing OCM so long that I have some difficulty recalling what "the purge" was like for me. However, I do recall going through a purge stage around the 3 to 4 week mark. Smile

After that, which lasted about 2 weeks I think, it was "smooth sailing".

Sometimes I get a little lazy and don't massage as long as I should ... but for the most part, I massage for about 3 minutes before beginning to remove the oil. [I know it's a 3 minute massage because I have a little egg timer, the kind with the sand in it, in the bathroom. I can't always judge when 3 minutes is up ... so I use the egg timer to make sure. Smile

]

The longer you do OCM the fewer plugs that need to come out ... but even now, almost two years later I'm amazed how, at times, I get several plugs out through the massaging. Shock

So I say ... keep going Girl! It's probably the purge ...

Mary

Sun Apr 29, 2007 6:39 am

hpjrt wrote:

Hi jazzler,

After that, which lasted about 2 weeks I think, it was "smooth sailing".

Sometimes I get a little lazy and don't massage as long as I should ... but for the most part, I massage for about 3 minutes before beginning to remove the oil.

So I say ... keep going Girl! It's probably the purge ...

Mary

I have a wedding to go to in a week, and I don't really want to go looking like a crater face. I actually massage much longer than the 5-7 minutes recommended, more like 10-15 because I'm usually watching TV and stop paying attention on the time until I realize the 7 minutes have elapsed.

Do you recommend perhaps steaming beforehand to speed up the purge? I am also thinking of doing a sugar scrub since the aspirin mask dries out my skin a lot. It is really disturbing that this much crap was lurking under my skin--my skin feels stiff with all the bumps. Le sigh. I hope my friend isn't mad that I look crappy at her wedding.

Sun Apr 29, 2007 12:22 pm

[quote="kazmataz"]Hi I'm new to the forum but have been enjoying reading all your contributions for 18 months or so now! Thought it was time I got in on the act.

I have to say I just luurvve the OCM method - I have an oily skin (yes even tho I'm 45!) and it has made such a difference to the texture - have been using for over a year now and my skin has become really smooth (just like a baby's bottom) and the blackheads and open poors have really reduced. Get so many comments about my skin now, it's great. Still get the shiny breakthrough though Crying or Very sad

I usually put about 4 EO's into my mix and find the orange and lemon ones really beneficial so they are standard. Sometimes put teatree oil in but also find teatree fantastic for all sorts of things.

Thanks so much for this forum - the tips from others are just fab Smile

[/quote]

I am going to take your advice and put lemon and orange in my oil cleaner too.

I also have really really oily T-zone too, and I am 45 too. I read on Paul Begoun's website that Milk of Magnesia will help absorb and stop oil. I have been using it as oil control under my makeup and it works pretty well. I also live where it is very hot and very humid, so this has been very helpful for keeping my makeup from sliding off my face or looking greasy.

free skin care · Mon Apr 30, 2007 5:08 pm

I'm new to OCM I've only been doing it for three days, I've been using:
1/4 grape seed oil
3/4 castor oil
2 drops of tea tree oil
2 drops of lemon oil
2 drops of Lavender oil.

I got the best results on the first day, so many plugs came out it was gross!
My skin texture is great but I'm starting to get small break outs. It's good to read that I'm not the only one getting break outs from OCM. Hopefully they will get better as my skin adjusts to the method.

Mon Apr 30, 2007 7:38 pm

Is there anybody use Za cleansing oil? Will it clog pores?

free skin care · Tue May 01, 2007 3:44 am

When I started OCM I was us8ing 50/50 EVOO and Castor, I quickly found out those were WAY too heavy for my face and switched to Golden Jojoba oil (plain!) after a bit under a week and have been using that ever since.

My skin went through a GIANT purge, there was a point when I HAD to OCM everyday because I would feel rough feeling skin ("plugs" that were 1/2 out, REALLY gross!!!), and would have to OCM to coax out the plugs. I also did get some breakouts (not too many, and not too bad). I'd say the giant purge (still in process but I have a lot less "stuff" leaving my skin these days) took a bit over a month for me! I was so tempted to quit several times because my skin felt like it was a mess.

I admit though, I got extractions done too by my facialist to help things along, so I don't know if my 1 month estimate of a purge is all that accurate, but it definitely took me a long time.

free skin care · Tue May 01, 2007 8:57 am

I've been using GOW Cleansing Oil mixed with some castor, a couple drops of lemon, and a drop or two of tea tree. My favorite combo!

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