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Editorial
By Jessica Gray of HairGetsKinky.com
I’ve been using Mary Kay’s skincare system since I was about 13. My auntie was (and still is) a dedicated and accomplished Mary Kay consultant who put me on so many years ago. I used Velocity back then and now faithfully use the Botanicals line for sensitive skin (let me know if you need the hook-up on any Mary Kay products…seriously! lol).
Recently, I’ve been switching over to more and more natural methods for taking care of my health. I’ve learned to scare away headaches and cramps with tea and molasses (I promise to write a post on this). I can whip up amazing remedies for a sore throat. I just had the best allergy season ever without the help of any allergy meds. I am more conscious of my food choices.
My new venture involves getting amazing skin without much more than a few oils and butters. And so, I decided to give oil cleansing a try.
The Oil Cleansing Method: Also called OCM, cleanses and purifies the skin using a mixture of oils.
Here is the summary of how oil cleansing is done:
1. Create mixture of oils, usually including castor oil diluted with other lighter oils such as olive oil, sunflower seed oil or grapeseed oil.
2. Massage oils on to the face for 2-3 minutes.
3. Lightly steam face by covering it with warm washcloth to further remove any impurities from the skin.
4. Wipe off face with washcloth to remove excess oil.
Simple.
I will write a more detailed post about oil cleansing soon so I can share some tips that I’ve learned during my own experience. But I want to spend a little more time experimenting so I can truly speak from what I’ve seen myself and share what did and didn’t work for me. It’s still a little early for that since it’s only been five days. But my first impression? So far, so good.
I’ve been using Moroccan Method’s Euro Oil to start off my oil cleansing journey. It is designed for the hair and scalp, but is also recommended for the face and body. It doesn’t have a strong smell and it is a pretty light oil. I was afraid to start off with castor oil because it is so thick, even though you are supposed to dilute it with other oils.
Here’s a little info about the Euro Oil from Moroccan Method:
From the website:
Morrocco Method Euro Oil is a unique treatment that works to stimulate the sebaceous glands and restore the natural pH balance of the scalp. The pure oils enhancing this treatment are blended and bottled holistically to maximize its energy and natural vitality. It works to provide excellent protection and nourishment to stimulate, strengthen, and rejuvenate your hair and scalp!!!
Ingredients:
So far my face has been really soft and smooth. Like out of the ordinary soft and smooth. I haven’t been noticing any of the usual pimples arising as it is the week before my cycle starts (TMI, I know) and this is when I see the most skin problems. My T-zone has been pretty well-behaved so far and my drier patches of skin are well-moisturized. Some people have a short period where their skin kinda freaks out from being so deeply purified but I don’t see any signs of that going down for me yet. I really like how the MM Euro Oil works with my skin and last night I added a couple drops of castor oil to it just to introduce that oil into my oil cleansing regimen. I noticed a slight difference, but I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled for any major changes in my skin.
Some people prefer to moisturize their skin with a little oil after they cleanse it, but I honestly haven’t had to do so. My face stays moisturized throughout the night and I only have to wipe my face with a fresh washcloth when I get up in the morning.
I will definitely keep you all updated and write up a post summarizing my experience and throwing out some tips for those who want to try out oil cleansing as well!
Have you tried oil cleansing? How did it work for you? What were some changes you noticed in your skin? Did you keep up with oil cleansing or did you go back to your old facial care regimen?
Jessica Gray is the creator of HairGetsKinky.com, a blog dedicated to untangling the kinks of hair, beauty and life.
45 Responses
I’ve tried it and it hasn’t worked for me personally. But I have noticed if I cleanse my face with oil before washing it with a gentle cleanser it keeps all my acne away like a charm. But just the oil alone doesn’t do much for skin except keep it nice and soft.
I have very dry skin,so I would love to start using these oil
There are many YouTube video’s on the subject. My favorite to watch is HeyFranHey. She was the one that lead me to give the OCM a try!
I have been using OCM for a little over a year now and I love it! I have always struggled with oily acne prone skin, and my skin’s condition has improved so much since I stopped using store bought cleansers. I use a mixture of castor and grapeseed oil with a few drops of tea tree and lavender essential oil. I will say that in my first month of oil cleansing my skin broke out terribly! But that was just my skin adjusting and purging out all the junk that my old cleansers were not getting rid of. By week 6 I could see a dramatically positive change in my skin. I also use a homemade ACV toner that realty helps my skin as well. I definitely would recommend a natural skin care regimen to anyone who is not getting the results they want out of their current regimen. I’m 29 years old and my skin looks the best it ever has since puberty!
I love using morrocco method. I have been using them since 2009. I like that not so much has changed with their products and they keep it 100% pure with natural raw ingredients.
Mixing oils is not a requirement, and do be careful with Castor oil. It is very drying, and should be kept away from the eye area. I was an OCM devotee for two years before I stopped seeing the results I wanted and switched to an all natural product line for my skin care. The OCM worked wonders on my acne. In fact, it did so well I wish I had known about it years ago as I could have avoided all the scarring I’ve experienced. My favorite oil is sweet almond oil, but I also used grape seed oil on occasion. Some women use jojoba oil, but I didn’t see any really good results from that particular oil, so I stopped using it.
I have been doing the OCM method for a while now, and I have to say that I LOVE the results. You might experience breakouts when you first introduce your skin to the oils, but it’s important you keep with it, and your skin will eventually get used to it. Also, you might need to choose your oils wisely and use them in appropriate proportion as you could be allergic to certain types of oils.
I also wrote about the OCM on my blog and listed some of its benefits as well as scientific reasons why soaps and other synthetic cleansers are the leading causes of oily skin and other skin issues people experience
http://themanecaptain.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-oil-cleansing-method-ocm-for.html
I have tried this with Jojoba and Castor oil, but it caused my pores to clog and break out something fierce. As others have said, maybe my ratios were off, but I will not be experimenting further! I have been using Shea Moisture’s Acne kit with great results. I use their moisturizer similarly to the oil cleansing method in one respect. I apply the moisturizer with a cotton ball and then remove it in the shower. The moisturizer has a lot of great oils, but I won’t take any chances leaving it on overnight. I still use good old fashioned benzoyl peroxide at night, but the Shea Moisture line has left my skin feeling moisturized and supple instead of so dry.
Tried this and broke out like CRAZYYYY. It’s just not for me. Don’t use coconut oil, it was the cause. I’d also caution against castor oil, I definitely wouldnt want to grow a ‘stache while trying to get rid of acne.
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I have started the OCM, but I switched to doing it at night mostly and exfoliating in the morning before moisturizing and applying sunscreen. Sunscreen is important ladies, even for us, all year round. Don’t underestimate the power of the sun despite how much melanin you have. We may have more protection naturally, but it isn’t total protection.
I’ve been washing my face with coconut oil for a while now, I add baking soda 3x’s a week to get a really deep clean. I’ve seen tremendous improvement in my skin. I see many people use grapeseed oil, I might give that a try.
I’ve been trying the OCM for a little over two weeks (with a few days missed here and there) and I think it’s definitely improving the health of my skin! I learned this method from HeyFranHey as many of you have and have found that my outbreak of pimples has greatly decreased. My skin isn’t bad to start but at times of stress I tend to break out more. I’ve been using Trader Joe’s organic grapeseed oil twice a day. I’ll definitely keep this routine to improve my skin!
tried this and my skin got revenge on me. glad it works so well for others but never again for me! If you are getting cystic acne that is not going away do not fall for the “don’t worry your skin is only purging line”! If you do just make sure you already have true and true methods for getting rid of acne.
I’m typing from my phone so please excuse all the typos and misplaced words.
This is great! I would love to read more about your oil cleansing experience. Maybe in your next post you can tell us more about your skin type/how it behaves? I have very sensitive skin that reacts poorly to most things initially. I’m 24 and have been struggling with hormonal breakouts since high school… So far, oil cleansing is the only thing I haven’t tried yet~
I use to be in your shoes! I am 25 and my face would breakout like WHOA especially during that time of the month. Then I would spend a week trying to clear it up, finally get it all clear, have clear skin for a week and then have to start all over again because of my cycle! Grapeseed oil basically stopped the routine entirely. I highly recommend it.
Thank you! I’ll definitely try Grapeseed oil~! Would you say you use the same routine (massage oil in, steam, wipe) as the author?
I don’t do the washcloth part. Here is my regimen.
1. I shower and my pores are mostly open and my face is clean from using whatever face wash I used on it in the shower (just some type of clearasil)
2. I take a cotton ball and I dip oil on it and I rub it on my forehead, nose, cheeks and chin. Then I use my fingers and sort of massage it in so that is gets on my whole face.
3. I do my other after shower things (coconut oil on skin, brush my teeth, oil my hair)
4. I use the other side of the cotton ball and I wipe off any excess oil and then apply lancome night cream.
It honestly hasn’t failed me yet. I only do it at night though on clean skin.
Oh! So you use the oil as kind of a toner? That isn’t quite the OCM that I researched… I have the same exact problem with my skin- clear for a week, break out bc of my cycle, clear it up- break out again…. Maybe I will give your method of using oil a whirl
Thanks so much! It does make sense to just do it in the shower when your pores are already open from the steam~ I have to try this asap~!
I love using oil on my face! I buy plain grape seed oil from Wal-Mart, apply it to my face with a cotton ball, wipe off the excess with the other side of the cotton ball and then go to bed. My breakouts are almost non existent since starting this method. Great article.
I’ve been trying the Oil Cleansing Method for 2 weeks now and I have definitely noticed a difference in my skin. I love how my skin doesn’t feel stripped like when using other cleansing systems. After watching a video by HeyFranHey I decided to only use sweet almond oil and my stubborn blackheads are finally disappearing! Hopefully this will be a staple for me and save me tons of cash! Good Luck!
Hey everyone, I stareted using oil cleansing 6 days ago and the results are good. However I’m going to stick in there and do it for a full 30 days (because the skin on your face recycles itself every 30 days, which I’ve learned from my dermatologist and by doing my own research) to put it to its true test. Overall my skin is sooooo sensitive especially during summer. I do not have cystic acne however I tend to get these little. Bumps that look similar to a rash mostly on my cheeks, bridge of my forehead and a little on my chin. It’s soo annoying and it comes and goes.and the recurrence began tohappen. Often when I hit 30 ( that good ole adult acne 🙂 My friends always tell me that I have beautiful skin and the little bumbs are barely noticeable, but I aim for flawless skin Damn it! Lol. So sense I became a natural a year ago I started using natural products on my body…but always afraid to try it on my skin….then I began researching and came across oil cleansing. The first two days I did it I had more bumbs but I read that its usually because the oil brings toxins up and out of the skin , the then flares a little to protect the skin barrier and then recedes …which I believe was happening because I would see fewer bumbs each day. So so far my regimen has been just only wiping my face with water with damp paper towel. At night I mix a little Jamaican black castor oil with olive oil rub it between my hands, put it on. Put hot water on paper towel ..steam and wipe. I do this twice. (I’m not going through a new washcloth everyday, too much laundry). I’m happy because I haven’t had to use my regular cancer in a bottle products ….and trust me I think I have used over every product for sensitive skin in my lifetime and I’m only 31 🙁 ….so I’m gonna stick with oil cleansing because day by day my skin has less bumbs and it feels baby smooth.
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I’ve tried oil cleansing. I’ve seen no difference in results between this method and regular ol’ face washes (as well as black soap). Granted, I haven’t tried it for months straight, but I don’t think it’ll do anything different for me.
The biggest problems for me are black marks left over from spots and slightly large pores. Luckily neither is that bad, but I’m thinking of trying microdermabrasion. Anyone tried it?
heyfranhey made a video about oil cleansing that i watched and was interested in….fast forward months later and i’m all out of my shea moisture black soap bar that i was using to wash my face so i decided to do an oil cleanse. I have acne prone skin that is oily but my nose is dry and flaky :/ and i have to say i was impressed with how CLEAN and SOFT my skin felt! My skin is not very smooth so that part was really impressive. I’ve been doing if for maybe 5 days now and its pretty great..I’m looking forward to seeing how things evolve 🙂
I’ve been using the OCM for a few months now. Like you I was a die hard Mary Kay fan- from Velocity to Botanicals. I love it still and would gladly recommend it to anyone who doesn’t want to go to a dermatologist. But, the OCM has worked well for me. I’ve been working on getting my forehead clear again- I think it broke out due to my braids. I also do a bentonite clay mask once a week. I just water and clay for my mix- I like to keep it simply. So far so good.
I have acne and eczema. I tried oil cleansing for a month if not longer but it didn’t work for me. Clarisonic didn’t work either. The only thing that keeps things under control is getting a serious facial peel every 3 months and using glytone products. Now I just need to find a use for all this left over castor oil because my hair certainly doesn’t like it.
I started oil washing about a year ago & never looked back. With the exception of black soap I threw the rest of my facial products out. I only use black soap to remove stubborn makeup or if I’ve touched my face too much. I never had “bad” skin of even acne but the amount of pimples I have has almost all but gone away and so has any dryness.
This sounds interesting. Has anyone with acne tried it before and how did the results turn out? I’ve gotten a lot of tips from the comment section on here which has helped a lot. Great article.
I have acne prone skin and it wasn’t a good match for me… It DID help make my skin tone a bit more even from past acne scarring, but about two weeks in, I started to break out with deep cystic bumps. I will say though, that I have heard rave reviews on the system from other folks with acne, which is why I had such high hopes :-(… Just like no two heads of hair are the same…..
I don’t know if I am fooling myself by thinking that just because it is from The Body Shop it is more natural than others- but I will say that their Tea Tree Oil line has helped me a lot… That and cleansing my face with a wash cloth and not just my hands
I have mild acne and it did not work for me. It gave me nothing but pimples.
When I first started, i broke out slightly but after more research, I learned that it purges your skin first and then it should clear up. I stuck with it for about 2 weeks after and I havent looked back
How long did you try the OCM after the breakout?
Most people will experience one, but it should clear up quickly. It’s just a sign that your skin is releasing impurities. I starting using the method in June, and at first I had some pimples. Now, my skin is softer and clearer than it has been since I was a lot younger!
I’m a teenager with my t-zone area being oily and my whole face is sensitive if that helps any.
I hope you try it again! Good luck
I have acne prone skin as well. It worked well for me. You have to be careful with the oils you pick and the ratio of castor oil vs lighter oils. I used castor, jojoba and tea tree oils. I stayed away from olive oil.
I used the same oils, but my ratios might have been off… It was just too much trial and error and my skin was looking crazy! I aborted the mission lol
I got more pimples and inflammation from the oil cleansing method. I’m using Manuka honey to cleanse my face now, and it’s wonderful.
Kind of long but I’ve done a few months of experimenting with different natural regimens for oily/combo skin.
Since I was a teen–I’m 25 now–I have had an oily t-zone and acne but they’re very small bumps and now seem to be more bacteria-induced instead of hormone induced. They are not cystic or big pustules which can be a little bit more stubborn. What acne medications are you using now, if any? If you are using something like over-the-counter or prescription benzoyl peroxide (which basically kills all of the bacteria on your skin, clearing it up well but making it dependent on the product and causing acne to return with a greater vengeance if you discontinue use), then you are going to have to wean yourself off of it before you see results with ANY natural regimen. Your skin is going to have to get used to not having that product kill the acne-causing bacteria which caused your skin to be completely sterile. Think of a hospital environment where things are sometimes so sterilized that highly resistant superbugs emerge…they’re harder to kill than the initial bacteria. A little extreme, but that’s kind of like what happens if you use certain types of acne meds for a long time and then stop or try to switch to a completely natural reg. If your acne is tied to hormones, you may need to start from the inside out or else external cleansing probably won’t do much good.
I’ve tried the OCM twice for a few weeks/months while also using over-the-counter spot creams for acne, and my skin looked banging, not only was it clear, it was also soft and luminous. But as soon as I took away the spot cream, the bumps came back all over my face, regardless of my OCM and natural products. The natural stuff restored softness and gave that “glow” but didn’t fight bacteria on the same level as my drugstore beauty buys. My medication was a cheap benzoyl peroxide one you can find at any grocery store. I also used a gentle salicylic acid facewash prior to OCM. So it’s kind of a trade off. You can still use over the counter (or prescription) creams along with the natural products which can help to offset any aging effects/sun-damage/free radicals/dryness from acne meds and you’ll still have clear skin, or you can go completely all natural and deal with some of the breakouts as you transition but then have healthier skin in the long run.
I have found that honey, particularly organic/enriched/manuka honey has been great for cleansing, exfoliation and naturally fighting bacteria. It will take some time for your skin to adjust but stick with it. I’m currently about 4 or 5 weeks into my new natural regimen (honey, natural toner, occasional acv/bentonite or neem/rose powder masks, either Cetaphil–not natural but super moisturizing and gentle–or a natural oil mix for softness) and it’s no walk in the park given how long I used regular acne products. But it is making a difference and I am seeing results. It really depends on what your skin is used to and how extreme your product switch-up is. You’ll have to experiment and you may deal with some initial flare-ups lasting anywhere from a few days to weeks, depending on your skin.
Hope that kind of helps.
When I did the OCM my main base was grapeseed oil. It’s lighter and not as pore-clogging as some of the heavier oils which are better for major softness, like Castor or Olive.
Oops! I meant to like Jane’s post coz i found it useful but accidentally did the opposite.Great and useful info, thanx!
I have acne that has gotten worse with age. The OCM worked wonders for my acne, and I wish I had used it years previously. Sweet Almond Oil is my oil of choice, and it works well to remove eye make up! If you have acne, give it a try, but understand you might have to try different oils to see which one or combination works best for you. HeyFranHey was the vlogger who got me interested. Watch her videos.
Am a bit curious,do you use a fresh(new) wash cloth for each wash.
I came across this method on heyfran and she says to use a new cloth each time
Just finished reading the article in it’s entirety and it appears the author uses a fresh wash cloth also
Looks interesting…I’ll give it a try.