Oil Cleansing Method (OCM): The Beginning

Alright, with my no 'poo experiment a success it's time to move on. My next endeavor is to eliminate my chemical filled face wash. To do that I am going to be trying something that seems very popular with beauty bloggers lately; the Oil Cleansing Method or OCM.

It sounds crazy to wash your face with oil right? But according to several blogs that I read when looking for a natural way to wash my face the science is sound. All those sites I just linked explain the science much better than I can but if you're kind of lazy, like me, and don't want to go and read a whole bunch of other stuff when you're already reading this here it is in a nutshell.

Oil and water repel each other, therefore cleansers have to be pretty harsh to break that surface tension. So the cleansers end up stripping all the natural oil (sebum) that protects your skin and keeps it healthy along with the dirt, makeup, and whatever else. However, like dissolves like so clean oil will dissolve the dirty oil on your face getting rid of everything that causes breakouts. I'm extra excited for this because one of the things people with eczema are supposed to avoid like crazy is extended contact with soap and water.

Just like the no 'poo method, you should expect things to get worse right at first before they get better. Most blogs report a brief period of breaking out while all the nasty gunk works its way out of your skin but then you'll have better skin than you ever imagined you could.

Because I love you guys I'm doing something that I never ever do. I took a before picture of my face. No makeup, just my skin before I start the OCM. Are you ready? Okay, here it is:

Yikes!

Now that we've gotten that horror show out of the way here's the mixture I'm going to be using:

-1/2 castor oil

-1/2 sunflower oil

Pretty simple right? Now sunflower oil isn't the only kind you can use, it's just what I have easily available. You can use pretty much any carrier oil that you like including extra virgin olive oil, grapeseed oil, jojoba oil, etc. If you want to try this too you should keep your skin type in mind. My skin is pretty normal so I'm going half and half but if you have oily skin try 2/3 castor oil to 1/3 carrier oil and if you have dry skin try 1/3 castor oil to 2/3 carrier oil.

The method is also pretty simple. Wet your face with warm water. Massage your mixed oils into your face always moving upward. Rinse with a wet washcloth and water almost as hot as you can stand it. If you find you need to exfoliate you can just add a pinch of your used coffee grounds (sounds gross, I know, but trust me) to the oil in your palm right before massaging it into your face.

If you've ever tried this or you want to try it with me please share your stories in the comments!

Well That Was...Unexpected

So I am a modern girl. Really modern. I live on the internet, I would be lost without my smartphone, going anywhere more than the grocery store requires full makeup, I own so many shade of nail polish and scents of lotion it's kind of scary. However I'm giving it all up (well anything with chemicals, like hell if you're taking my internet or phone) and going natural.

I didn't intend to get rid of chemicals, in fact I'm a fan. They let me cover up multiple flaws and enhance my favorite features. Unfortunately I have eczema and I'm poor. That means that I can't afford doctors and medicated ointments to treat my eczema, I just have to kind to live with it. Lately it's been pretty bad. I mean my hands look like I have leprosy bad. While looking for home remedies online one thing I discovered over and over again was that a lot of people got relief from their eczema symptoms by cutting down on the number of chemicals that come into contact with their skin.

So first I'm going No 'Poo and cutting out commercial shampoo and conditioner. So far I'm two weeks in but that will be another post. After adjusting to No 'Poo for a month I'm going to start the Oil Cleansing Method (OCM) for my face and after that I'm going to experiment in making my own body wash. I thought it might be fun for you, my thus far imaginary readers, to follow along as this city girl becomes an unintentional hippie.