{the better OCM} Oil Cleansing Method

Writing out my skin-care regime (again!) in response to a lot of recent requests!

For nearly 2 years, I've been following a skin-cleansing method called the Oil Cleansing Method, or OCM.

After more than a decade of struggling with deep, painful, cystic-type acne, finding something that actually worked was a God-send.

It doesn't matter how much self-confidence you have, the way you look matters to some degree. And while I had become used to this acne struggle throughout junior high, high school, and college, I was always on the look out for something to help. I would tell myself, my mom, and my doctors the same thing. I never expected to have perfect skin. But if I could find a way to manage my acne or decrease it in someway, I'd be happy.

As you can read in my previous post, I tried everything. Topical gels and creams, oral medications, birth control, Proactiv, hormone testing, every different cleansing system you could find at Walmart....even Accutane.

The topical stuff just dried out my skin.

The oral meds didn't seem to make much of a difference.

Birth control gave me mood swings and I questioned it's impact on my future fertility.

Proactiv ended up giving me their money-back guarantee.

Hormone tests all came back normal.

Cleansing systems never really did anything but dry out my skin.

Accutane seemed to help....for awhile. But there's something funky about a medication that effectively shuts off your body's natural oil production. Also, the pregnancy warning was freaky.

I had mostly given up hope. I wondered if my acne would follow me all the way to the nursing home. My purple scarring had become severe enough that I refused to leave the house without makeup.

Then, on Pinterest (where else?), I read about the OCM. 

The thought process behind using oil to wash your face begins with the concept is that oil dissolves oil. By using "purifying" and "cleansing" products on your skin, the dirt, oil, and grime isn't being removed from your skin. Also, using drying washes can cause your skin to produce more oil. The skin is self-cleaning, but when we strip it of oil, the natural reaction is for it to produce MORE oil. Using oil to "wash" your skin helps restore it's natural healthiness, and over time can even out it's composition.

I tried the OCM for awhile with a Castor Oil/EVOO combo....aaaand hated how my skin never felt clean. This combo left a film on my face and my makeup seemed to just slide off.

Then I was told about Coconut Oil and tried that with the same original method described in my first post.

And it worked! My acne cleared up (once it became used to the oil) and my skin, while still occasionally oily, is basically "normal". I needed to implement the use of a baking soda + lemon juice scrub to take care of bumpy oil build-up on my nose, but that wasn't too much of a hassle.

Fresh-faced! 2+ years with OCM!

I was still using the original OCM until I went on a work trip about a year ago. For some reason, I modified my face-washing method for a few days.

That's what changed everything. Just over those couple of days, I saw a change in how much easier it was to wash my face, and I felt like my skin was reacting better too!

So, here's my modified process, which I've been using for just about a year!

At night:
1. Scoop out some coconut oil with a spoon (not fingers, to avoid bacteria growth), and massage all over face...ON TOP of makeup. Rub into eye area, too.

2. With a DRY washcloth, wipe oil off of face. All makeup should be removed through this step. 

3. When oil has been wiped off, splash very warm water on face. With the other side of your DRY washcloth, wipe/massage face in small circles until all water is removed. Don't be shy with rubbing hard, especially in bumpy/blackhead-prone areas. (for me, T-zone area)

4. Go to bed! That's it!

In the morning: 

1. Do nothing. Just shower, apply makeup, etc. as usual. 

2. If skin feels too dry, massage a little oil on dry/tight areas.

I've found that this modified method:

1. Goes a lot quicker. No longer do I need to "steam" my face with a washcloth.

2. Removes the need for my aforementioned every-other-day baking soda scrub. The dry washcloth scrubs my skin enough to keep it niiiice and smooth :) The scrub worked, but the lemon juice burned if I did have a breakout. And the scrub left my face a little dried out, resulting in increased oil production the next day.

3. Removes my makeup more completely. I hated realizing that by steaming my face with the other method, I was basically steaming an oil/makeup mix into my pores.

I've shared this method with others and coconut oil seems to work best with people who have super oily skin. Some friends with naturally drier skin have found that coconut oil dries their skin out too much, Argan Oil might be a better option. I've tried EVOO, castor oil, jojoba oil, etc. but coconut works best for me. Depending on your skin composition, you might need to try a couple different oils, but the method itself can work with any type.

I should say here that the OCM might not work for your skin. Maybe you try it and hate it or your skin gets worse...please don't curse your jar of coconut oil because of me!

But, if you're curious about a natural way to care for your skin, or if you're struggled to find anything to help clear up your acne, my suggestion is to try it out! My attitude going in was that my skin couldn't get any worse, so what did I have to lose?!

A couple last tips:

1. For anyone with especially severe acne, when starting this method off, please be gentle with your skin. You don't want to scrub too hard, but if/when your skin ends up clearing up, then you can move on to being more aggressive with your dry washcloth exfoliation.

2. The oil might stain your washcloths, especially if you're removing a good amount of makeup. So, take that into consideration...white, expensive washcloths might not be the best for using in this method :)

3. Use a new washcloth every. single. night. Re-using washcloths can lead to bacteria growth, just like sticking your fingers in the coconut jar.


The OCM, specifically this revised OCM method, has changed my skin forever. I hope this might help you to improve your skin as well!!!

The best skin of my life!!!

Please don't hesitate to comment or email me with questions!!

{OCM} Oil Cleansing Method

Recently, I've talked to a number of people about my current skin care regime and knowing how long I sought out something that worked, I thought I would share my secret :)

For the past 10+ years, I've been trying to find something, anything to minimize my acne. I ever expected flawless, air-brushed looking skin like some of my peers, I would have settled for combination skin with the occasional break-out.

Well, folks, I've found something that ACTUALLY works.

Let me walk you through my "skin history" so you can get an idea of what I've been dealing with.

Ever since puberty, I've had extremely oily skin combined with cystic acne. In high school and during some of college, it spread to my shoulders and chest.

After consulting my doctor, we tried a variety of treatments.

Topical creams and gels.

Oral meds.

The pill.

Proactive.

Every skin-care wash and toner than Wal*Mart carries.

For a few months in college, I even went on Accutane, which has majormajormajor side effects and should you become pregnant while on it, it will definitely cause birth defects. I had to go home on a monthly basis for blood tests to make sure my triglyceride levels were ok and that my kidneys & liver were still functioning correctly.

At the end of the day, NONE of these treatments worked. And to be honest, I had given up hope.

I'm a fairly confident person and have been outgoing for the most of my life, but no matter how confident you are, your appearance does take a toll on your self-esteem. It's definitely not the most important thing in the world, but there's an impact on how you feel about yourself that comes from how you feel that you look.

So when I read about the Oil Cleansing Method (OCM) over here, I figured: "well, I've tried everything else, why not give this a shot?"

Read that post for a full overview of the OCM, but the cliffnotes version is that oil dissolves oil, so if we're trying to remove oil from our skin, wouldn't it make most sense to use oil? Also, by drying out our skin with salicydic acid and the like, we're only causing our skin to naturally produce more oil, thus: shiny faces by 10AM.

So it made sense, and I tried it out. That was in November '12.
I tried using the OCM following the suggested Castor Oil/EVOO combo for oily skin...and while I definitely saw a decrease in the severity of my acne, I wasn't pleased with how sticky and well, oily, my skin always felt.
My face felt very fresh immediately following "washing" it, but I never felt quite clean. For lack of a better word, I felt dirty.

So I only followed that article's method for about a month and then quit it.
Went back to my Clean and Clear and my apricot scrubs. Mmmmm I felt so clean.

But I was still unhappy with my skin, wishing that there was a different way to do the OCM.
Perhaps I needed to use less castor oil? Or less EVOO?

And that's when Mart turned me onto Coconut Oil. The Oil of the Gods.

Y'all, my life has forever been changed.

I tried the OCM again starting in mid-May and haven't stopped since.
My skin is clearer than it's ever been.
I don't feel sticky and dirty...my face actually feels clean!

I do still have break-outs occasionally, but they're not nearly as severe as the ones that I used to have and they're usually at hormone-intensive times of the month, if you catch my drift ;)
And since I'm using an oil to wash my face, there aren't exfoliating "microbeads" like most face washes. So, I use this scrub about every other day or as needed to keep away blackheads and other build up.

For your curious cats, here's an outline of my current skincare routine:

At Night
1. Apply coconut oil onto face (I just scoop it out of the jar with my fingers) and massage into skin (on top on makeup!).
2. Use oil to remove eye makeup, etc...but don't wipe off yet!
3. Run a washcloth under hothothot water, wring out, and lay washcloth over your face to steam out your pores (I think that's what happens? I'm not an expert) (PS don't burn yourself!)
4. When the washcloth feels like it's cooled off, remove from face and begin to wipe/scrub in circular strokes the oil off of your face....you're half wiping it off and half massaging it into your face still. I use this time to also gently scrub any blackheads, dry skin, etc.
5. That's it!

In the morning
Nothing. I shower, but I don't do anything else to my face....you might want to try something different, but this is what works for me!

Here are a few observations/suggestions about the OCM:

1. If at first you don't see results, just keep trying - at least give it a month before throwing in the towel.
It will take your skin some time to get used to this new method...I didn't have any crazy breakouts, but your skin might be different from mine. And especially if you've been using drying medications and washes, your skin will need some time to adjust.

2. Using Coconut Oil and the OCM is SO MUCH cheaper than other face washes!
A jar of the oil I use is a little under $7 at Wal*Mart.
And I'm just now getting to the bottom of my jar.
Which I've been using every day since mid-May.
You do the math.

3. My mom read an article the other week saying that Coconut Oil is the only oil scientifically proven to reverse wrinkles!
And I've seen the same results from my acne scars! I was (and still am) a pimple popper. Add that to having cystic acne and you get lots of purple-ish scarring. I was always really careful when squeezin' anything out, but I did have some areas of my face where I never went without makeup.
Now, I don't see any discoloration. Wowza.

post-work...minimal shine!

Let me know if you have any questions! Remember that I'm not an expert, so if you're allergic to coconuts or oil or something, you probably shouldn't try this method....use your common sense, people! ;)

Here's to your success with the OCM! [I'm cheers-ing with my Lime-A-Rita...]

xo, mo

Pinterest Review: DIY Thyme and ACV Toner

Like I've said before, I'll try pretty much any kind of skin care remedy out there. After years of testing different products for my oily and acne-prone skin, I love it when I come across a DIY recipe that could not only save me money, but also be better for my skin!

I came across this recipe for a DIY Thyme and Apple Cider Vinegar Toner, another project from Delighted Momma. This toner is said to help clear skin better than benzoyl peroxide...whaa? Yes please let me try this!

So I got my thyme and I got my Apple Cider Vinegar and I heated and mixed...

 

And I strained (using the mini strainer that I used to make my hippie coffee) and poured into an old hotel shampoo bottle...

And then I tried it on my skin.

I'm sure that everything they say about thyme being better than benzoyl peroxide is perfectly true....but let me make a couple observations about this particular toner:

1. The smell of ACV is wayyyyy strong. Like, so-strong-I-had-to-air-out-my-entire-house strong.
2. Also, I hate the smell of vinegar....
3. ...thus I HATED my face smelling like ACV.

So it's fair to say that I was not a fan of this particular DIY....maybe there's another liquid I could use instead of ACV? It might be completely fine for other less babyish peeps, but I'll be the first to admit that I'm a baby. Totes.

Any suggestions? Has anyone else used this and had success? I'd love to know if it was worth the smell...but at this point, all it's going to benefit is my compost pile :)

xo, Morgan

Pinterest Review: DIY Lemon Juice and Baking Soda mask

I've posted before about seeking natural remedies for keeping my skin feeling refreshed and clear, so when I came across this recipe for a mask made with orange juice and baking soda that promised to not only refresh your skin but also help take care of blackheads, I knew I had to try it.

Unfortunately, I don't usually drink orange juice, so I didn't have any and had to improvise. Fortunately, I ALWAYS have lemon juice in my fridge and I've seen other DIY masks with lemon juice as an ingredient, so I used that as a substitute.

Basically, just mix lemon juice and baking soda until you have a paste-like substance. If it gets too thick, add more juice...if it's too soupy...well, I think you get it...

Then slather it all over your face, wait about 15-20 mins or until you're feeling crusty, then massage the crust back into your face with some warm water and rinse.

I'll say this: my face felt refreshed. As far as blackheads, meh. I'm not sure that I saw a difference, but I liked that this was super easy (and cheap) and my skin felt like it was actually clean for hours following. Overall, I'll do this one again, but I wouldn't say that this is the mask of all masks. I'm still on the hunt.

Do you have any DIY masks/washes that you use? Please share! :)

xo, mo

Pinterest Review: DIY Vitamin C Mask

As promised, here is the first of what I hope to be weekly reviews of Pinterest DIY projects! Some will be skincare, some crafts, some even maybe gardening-related projects (I started composting last week!!! SUPER excited :) In the past year, I've pinned more ideas than I can remember with the thought "oh, I really need to do this sometime!"

well sometime is now.

Sooooo here we go! 

I'm always looking for new facial masks that can leave my face feeling refreshed. So you can imagine my glee when I found a DIY Vitamin C mask from Delighted Momma!

Vitamin C (as I'm told) is great for your skin as a natural brightener and since I had some VitC just laying around (don't ask why), I figured I'd take a whack at this recipe.

First you get yourself some powdered VitC...maybe you could just crush up some swallowables? Not sure. I got mine at Natural Gourmet. It can also be found here.

 cute bowl optional.

Then mix in some H2O until you've got a paste of sorts.

 Like so.

Aaaaaand spread it all over your face.

 better keep those eyes open to avoid VitC up the nose...

That's it! Check yourself out to ensure complete facial coverage.

Don't be concerned if it burns a little...happened to me too.

...wait for awhile until you're feeling kind of crusty... 

Then use a warm washcloth to remove the crustiness...

And voila! My skin definitely felt smoother and...brighter? I don't know....it felt....refreshed is the word, I suppose. A few hours later, my skin was still oil-free, which NEVER happens so that was awesome.

I'd definitely recommend this Pinterest DIY and count it as a success!

Have you tried this mask? I'd love to hear about your results!