For many years, we’ve been taught that oil on our skin is bad. Beauty products swear they’ll rid our skin of oiliness with cleaners that contain sulfates and other products like oil blotting paper. And yes, it’s true oil is bad for your skin – if it’s DIRTY. It clogs your pores and cause blemishes like blackheads, whiteheads and downright irritation.
But there’s a secret to amazingly radiant skin. It’s called the Oil Cleansing Method. Is it beneficial regardless of the skin you have? Absolutely.
This may be foreign, but listen closely. Step away from your facial cleanser and the faucet. Instead grab some oils and massage them into your skin on your face. Take a washcloth with warm water and wipe the oils off your face. And that’s it. Your skin is squeaky clean. All thanks to oil. But how?
Let’s break down how the Oil Cleansing Method works. Regardless of how your skin is – oily, normal or even dry – it secretes oil. Naturally, oil dissolves oil. So, the OCM is essentially removing dirty, soiled oils and replenishing them with fresh, rejuvenating oils. It does this without foam or suds, without harsh chemicals that strip your skin of natural oils. When you rid your skin of its oils, you irritate it. It reacts by creating more oil, in excess.
When it comes to the OCM, it’s important to think of the oils in thirds. You’ll also need a base oil and a carrier oil. For ideal results, castor oil makes the best base oil. (Especially if you’re new to the OCM.)
For a carrier oil look to these oils:
- Jojoba (all skin types, but very desirable for acne-prone skin)
- Sweet almond (all skin types, especially oily)
- Grapeseed (all skin types, especially oily)
- Avocado (dry and aging skin)
- Sunflower Seed (all skin types)
- Olive (all skin types)
- Apricot Kernel (dry, aging, and normal skin)
- Argan (all skin types, especially aging skin … very pricey)
- Tamanu (all skin types … very pricey)
Depending on your skin type, follow the measurements below:
Oily skin: Use 2/3 castor oil to 1/3 carrier oil. (Or measure out 2 tsp castor oil and 1 tsp carrier oil.)
Normal skin: Use equal parts castor oil and carrier oil. (Measuring out 1-1/2 tsp castor oil and 1-1/2 tsp carrier oil.)
Dry skin: Use 1/3 castor oil and 2/3 carrier oil. (Make sure it’s 2 tsp carrier oil and 1 tsp castor oil.)
Last but not least, the Oil Cleansing Method can be achieved in 3 easy steps:
Prepare.
Mix your oils together ahead of time and set a clean washcloth beside the sink. Turn your water on to heat up to an extremely warm (not quite hot) tempature. Keep it running.
Cleanse.
Starting with a soiled face (do not pre-clean skin even if you’re wearing makeup), wet your face with warm water. Pour the oil mix in the palm of your hand and apply all over your face. Massage firmly and gently. Massage for 2 minutes, always moving upward and let oil sit on your face for 30 more seconds or more.
Rinse.
Adjust running hot water until it’s cool enough to apply to your skin, but warm enough to soften the oil (slightly hotter than usual). Soak the washcloth under the hot/warm water completely. Apply the washcloth to your face and hold it there for 10-15 seconds. Slowly begin to wipe off. Rinse your washcloth and repeat until you’ve wiped all the oil off your skin.
And that’s all to it. It’s up to you how often you apply the OCM but once a week is a good start. In most cases, you won’t have to moisturize after the OCM depending on your skin type. After a while, you can add other oils like tea tree oil and lavender oil (for acne-prone or oily skin) or carrot seed oil or rose hip oil (for normal and dry skin). Add 2 to 3 drops of each oil in you OCM mixture.
what about bacteria?
Most of the OCM carrier oils are Essential oils, which help fight bacteria and acne.
The OCM ruined my skin! It left my skin amazing when I first started using it but after a few weeks I developed acne that I’d never had before. The type of acne was painful and cystic. If I were you, I’d approach it with caution!
Putting oil on your face if you have oily skin is a BADDDDD idea!!!!!!!!!!! Please trust me!!
I did this for two years and I could not for the life of me figure out why my face looked so awful (acne, dark spots, clogged pores). Then one day I found Paula Begoun’s website and a youtube channel called dermtv run by a NYC dermatologist and both of them explained the proper way to care for oil skin.
The oil produced by your skin is what gives you acne!! Putting more oil on you skin is exacerbating the problem. It took me years to realize that my beloved jojoba oil as moisturizer and castile soap (contains loads of coconut oil) face wash was destroying my face. Since then (6 months later) I have started using an oil free, fragrance free face wash and an oil free, fragrance free moisturizer and my acne is gone, my skin is looking better and all of the dark marks caused by the OCM are finally starting to fade.
Please do yourself a favor, heed my warning: if you have oily skin, DO NOT TRY THIS!! I don’t know about any other skin type. But if you have oily, sensitive skin, find oil free and fragrance free face washes, toners, moisturizers, and makeup and that will help to improve your complexion.
I forgot to mention that the OCM gave me painful cystic acne, which I have never ever in my life had before.
Like I said in my previous comment, if you have oily skin stay away from this. I never leave comments, but this is something that I feel strongly about. Don’t listen to hokum and novelty reports about fad skin care techniques. It’s your face!! find things that are proven to work and stick with them. Don’t do what I did and read a story on the internet about the OCM and then decide to risk your appearance because it sounds so “natural” and “safe”! Do your research!
I have very oily, sensitive skin. I have been oil cleansing for 5 months and my skin has NEVER looked better. I would not give it up for any other treatment. I used Moptop maven’s mixture (don’t side eye me…) and it works great! I LOVE grapeseed oil and will never use another moisturizer again!
Different strokes for different folks. I say test it out and THEN conclude what is best for YOUR skin.
As an esthetician, I have ways done this. However,I was taught the carrier oil is the base oil like oolive oil or castor oil. Jojoba oil is actual a pure essential oil. Pure essential oils can also be diluted with water making water the carrier.
That works for me. I usually mix Bio-oil w/water.
I started OCM from Moptop Maven too. I have oily skin and was skeptical but tried it anyway. I absolutely did not have the problem that Lyn did. I did not have any additional breakouts but it also didn’t completely clear my face either. My Cetaphil just ran out so I think I will try this method again.
its also important to make sure you have the right oils AND mixture for your skin. please do your research
I have struggled w/ EXTREMELY Oily, Uneven, & Acne-Prone skin for a decade. The OCM is THE ONLY cleanser & method that has consistently improved my skin. For me, it is the ONLY thing that works. Sometimes I switch it up & use raw black soap from Africa which is ok but does strip my skin. I always come back to the OCM though because not only does it clean but it also makes my skin GLOW. I have gotten my sis who has dry skin hooked on it too…I recommend it for ALL skin types. The only thing I am not sure about in this article is where it says to wet the skin with warm water and then apply oil (on top of wet skin?). Water obviously repels water so if your skin was wet it would be hard to effectively massage the oil into your skin…I wet the washcloth with warm water and press against my skin to steam open my pores before I apply my oils, but I make sure to wipe all the water off my skin so it’s not actually wet when I’m applying oils…
ANYWAY…I recommend everyone research appropriate oils for your skin type and give it a try! it’s sooo worth it! Also if you do experience breakouts AT FIRST, don’t be disheartened – it is likely your skin “purging” itself and bringing bacteria up to the surface of your skin to expel it. After 2 weeks of testing it out, your skin should be through this phase and better than ever! At least in my experience…good luck!
I’ve tried the OCM once before late last year.
At first, my skin was doing fine. I wasn’t really prone to acne. A few zits here and there, but nothing serious. But after using the OCM, I started developing acne like crazy. I even had one large cystic zit on the side of my face that took forever to get rid of. I now use the oils just to remove make up, but i went back to a creamy cleanser.
It works for some, but not for me.
ive recently started using the ocm, and i like the way my skins looking so far. i only use jojoba oil and olive oil (2 parts jojoba to 1 part olive oil) as i found jojoba alone too drying.
before i understood what was causing my acne (dairy and other intolerances) i suffered from cystic acne a lot, so im a bit afraid of using another oil such as castor oil.
also, if you suffer from clogged skin and/or acne i would really recommend avoiding coconut oil on your face and eating it instead, its really helped make my skin glow!
I’d make sure the oils that you’re purchasing aren’t mixed with anything. I purchased avocado and almond oil at Walmart thinking I’d gotten a deal. Once I got home and read the ingredients I realized they weren’t pure and were mixed with fragrance and other things which could cause breakouts.
Hey ladies!
Thanks for all the comments. As the writer of this article, I’d like to stress the importance of buying natural oils with no additives and making sure it’s COLD PRESSED. All oils are not created equal. I have oily skin myself that’s very sensitive and the OCM improved my skin drastically. But again, I made sure to read the ingredients. I didn’t use any oils with fragrances or additives and they were all cold pressed. A good place to buy them is where ever you may purchase African black soap.
I prefer grapeseed oil and a drop of tea tree with olive oil as my carrier. After reading the comments, I’ll be giving jojoba oil a try.
xo
Anyone have dry skin that has tried this method?
I tried OCM. My skin looked good, but I couldn’t stand the greasy sensation of rubbing tons of oil on my face lol, and I couldn’t see myself committing to that practice long-term. So I modified my regimen: I rub my face with a cotton ball full of witch hazel (to neutralize the pH of my face), then I rub a mix of vitamin E oil, jojoba oil and tea tree oil on my face. I like that mix because it doesn’t feel “greasy.” It’s more astringent, like a slickened toner.
I also tried the OCM based on posts on Moptop Maven and it works great for my oily/combination acne prone skin. I mixed castor oil, grapeseed oil and a few drops of tea tree and lavendar essential oils. I think the key is (as mentioned above) using PURE oils and really testing out the oils to see what works best for your skin. The first time I mixed my oils I had too much castor oil, which dried my skin out, once I reduced it, it was much better. I usually only do it at night and also make sure to use the warmest water I can stand and hold the washcloth on my face to sort of steam it. Also, using a new towel each time is important.