What is the Oil Cleansing Method?
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Cats can clean their faces with their tongues, but us women have to use other methods!
Sometimes you just don’t feel like washing your face with soap (or cleanser) and water and this is where the oil cleansing method comes in! What is the oil cleansing method (or OCM) you ask? Well, I’ll tell ya! At first, it might sound a bit messy and you may be wondering, why on earth would I clean my face with oil?
The key here is choosing the correct oil.
Never use a low quality oil, such as baby oil. Baby oil is nothing but mineral oil, which is not good for the skin at all. I know, it’s supposed to be safe because it’s for babies, but it’s just not. I’ll discuss which oil you should choose in a few. This method is great for makeup removal or for cleansing in the morning.
The OCM has a few steps you need to follow for it to be successful, but don’t worry, it’s extremely easy and will leave your face cleansed, soft, and moisturized.
Oil Cleansing Method Steps
1. Choose a skin healthy oil which will not clog your pores. My favorite oil to use for the OCM is organic coconut oil. You can also use olive oil or castor oil. Like I mentioned earlier, never use baby oil. In addition, steer clear of using conventional vegetable oils such as canola, which is most likely a GMO product.
2. Apply the oil all over your face, massaging lightly. If I am using the oil to remove my eye makeup too, I usually wait to rub a little bit on my eyes (while my eyes are closed) last.
3. Wet a washcloth with warm water (be careful not to make it too hot or you’ll burn your face!) and lay the wash cloth gently over your face.
4. If you need to remoisten the cloth, do so and gently wipe the oil off your face (don’t rub hard!)
5. Your skin will be very smooth and clean. When I use this method, I usually skip the moisturizer since the coconut oil leaves some moisture on my skin. However, if you have very dry skin, I would follow with moisturizer.
Why use the OCM when cleanser and water is pretty easy to use?
That’s all there is to it! So why would you want to use the oil cleansing method as opposed to just using normal cleanser and water? For me, sometimes I just don’t feel like wetting my entire face, especially when I get home late after a night out. It’s so easy to rub oil on your face and that warm towel feels so good! It removes eye makeup really well too.
How often can I use the OCM?
You can do this two times a day, or just at night to remove your makeup. I usually do it 4-5 times per week. It’s a natural way to cleanse your face and also helps you conserve your liquid cleanser since you won’t be using it as much. I want to thank Sheila Hansen of If a Goddess Wore Makeup for asking me about this and reminding me that I wanted to write about it!
So now it’s your turn!
Have you used the OCM before and how did you like it?
What is your favorite oil to use?
Share your comments below.
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Twitter: floraesthetics
says:
I have been playing with the OCM for a couple months now. I created my own using grapeseed, jojoba and argan oils. It’s really thick and does not emulsify as well as I’d hoped with water, but it works!
I apply less than a dime size to damp skin in the shower. I go about cleaning my body and then I rinse it with warm water. As my homemade version is viscous, I use an oatmeal cleanser following the OCM.
This absorbs tons of excess oils but does not strip my skin. The OCM leaves my skin feeling plump and nourished. The feeling lasts all day too!
Rocio´s last [type] ..Trends & Techniques: Olay Professional Pro-X Advanced Cleansing System
Twitter: ChasNaturally
says:
The oil cleansing method seemed strange to me at first as well, but I have used the Dr. Hauschka Normalizing Day Oil and it works great for cleaning and soothing my face!
Amber_Charleston Naturally´s last [type] ..Special Promotions Now: Dr. Hauschka
Thanks for your comment, Amber!
Hi Rocio,
Thanks for all the details! Do you use the OCM for your whole body or just your face? I never thought about doing it for the whole body, but now you got me thinking….
-Robin
Hi, this looks like a natural thing to do – what about a man doing this? Probably work just the same, eh? I think I’ll tell my wife about this and see how it works for her. Interesting, thanks.
George´s last [type] ..Titanium Necklace
I’ve used my own version of OCM for a few years. I switched from Olive to Hemp oil in March 2011 and my skin became perfect in about 5 days and has stayed that way all the way up to now (luckily my wedding was in May 2011!). This is a minor miracle in that I had Rosacea and now I don’t. I also would break out right before my period without fail and now I don’t.
I massage a tablespoon of Hemp oil on my dry face first in a circular motion then I do Tanaka Massage. I wash my hands and dry them. I then spray room temperature spring drinking water (just bottled water of any type) on 3 cotton pads and remove the oil in gentle outward and upward strokes. I then mist with the water and apply about 6-7 drops of the Hemp oil as moisturiser. I do this morning and night (in the morning I do the massage before getting in the shower where I wash my hands off, then I wipe the oil off, etc. when I get out). My skin is flawless and soft (I’m not being conceited here, I want everyone to have great skin and be as happy as I am).
=) Cynthia
Cynthia,
What a wonderful and detailed description you give! You’ve made me very curious about using hemp oil! Thanks for sharing.
Robin
Twitter: chrisellesy
says:
I do use the OCM! I use it once in a while when I feel like my skin needs it. My favorite is either jojoba oil or olive oil!
Chriselle Sy´s last [type] ..On Fake MAC Cosmetics and Counterfeit Makeup in General
Twitter: Lean_Definition
says:
I’m a huge fan of coconut oil and always have at least one jar around. I’ve been reading a lot of information about using coconut oil as a moisturizer and cleanser, but I haven’t really experimented much myself. However, I think I’m going to try experimenting with it and the OCM for a week. I’ll be sure to post the results here.
Robert´s last [type] ..The Definitive Guide: Losing Weight
Hi Robert,
I am also a fan of coconut oil. I eat about 3-4 tablespoons a day! In addition to using it for the OCM, it’s also a wonderful skin moisturizer. my boyfriend swears by it!
Robin
I tend to have pretty normal skin with dryness at times. I started using the OCM with a 75% EVOO/25% Castor Oil blend. It dried me out terribly! I have been increasing the EVOO, and now I’m using almost pure EVOO. My face (especially my cheeks) are still very dry, so much that it feels like I’m wearing a mask of dry skin. I really want to use a natural cleanser, but my face feels horrible. Any suggestions?
Hi Lauren,
I would suggest switching to coconut oil…after you are done with the OCM, since you are experiencing very dry skin, you may also want to apply more coconut oil as moisturizer. Are you drinking enough water? Our bodies are made up primarily of water and you may be dehydrated. Read this post I wrote about How Much Water to Drink a Day. Let me know how things work out for you!
Robin
hi…. ive just started the whole OCM and was wondering about a few things… right now i just do it in the evenings and normally tone after and then put clarin’s lotus oil on is that ok? also i dont really want to do it in the mornings as it might be too much, so can i still use my normal face cleanser, toner and moisturiser routine for the mornings or will it have an affect on the evening oil cleansing from making any difference?
thanks
Hi Lauren and Robin,
If I can just chime in on the dry skin problem. It might be that you can’t use the hot tap water and washcloth method – I can’t because it dried out my skin. I switched to room temp spring water, so I had to find an oil that came off more readily while still cleaning well. I use Hemp oil because it’s higher in linoleic acid than oleic acid, whereas Olive oil is the reverse. I also suspect Hemp oil has other properties such as B-vitamins, which make it an ideal oil for the face. As I wrote above, I use my method twice daily and my skin is very soft. I also second the drinking enough water. An easy way to get more water is to drink an array of herbal teas to keep things interesting, because plain water can get boring. Another easy way to enjoy water is just squeeze a wedge of lemon in it – it tastes more refreshing and it’s great if you’re sticking to the Alkaline diet.
=) Cynthia
Cynthia,
Thanks for chiming in! When you’re using the OCM, the tap water, especially if it’s hot, can be a problem. Most tap water is full of chlorine, which can really dry your skin out. I remember before I got a shower filter how dry and cracked my entire body would feel after I showered. That’s a great idea to use some spring water or you can use filtered water. I’ve never used hemp oil but now I am a bit intrigued about it and I absolutely love lemon. I always squeeze it into my water. Lemon is acidic but actually aids the body in being alkaline…and disease cannot exist in an alkaline body!
Also, I was thinking about Lauren’s question some more and I began to suspect she may have some inner problems that are manifesting as an outer problem. Sometimes dry skin is a result of hormonal imbalance, so I urge Lauren to get her hormone levels checked.
Thanks for reading the blog and commenting!
-Robin
Kerri,
Thanks for the question. I would be wary of cleansing your skin twice a day, except if you have oily skin. As we age, we need to cleanse less because over cleansing can dry your skin out. I only cleanse in the evenings to remove the day’s dirt and makeup. In the morning, I spritz a bit of spring water on my face, pat it dry, and apply moisturizer. Do you think you’d be comfortable doing this?
-Robin