Beauty Tip #2 - The Oil Cleansing Method
By Ashantina
I’ve discovered a fantastic natural skin care routine that is absolutely feeding my skin and making it glow even more...
I’d never used anything on my skin up until recently. No moisturisers, toners, cleansers... nada. But last year I noticed my skin was getting visibly dryer in certain spots on my face... so guess what... I decided to take care of my skin and search for a good moisturiser.
In my search I knew I wanted to use a 100% natural product. Mainstream commercial skin care creams was a big no-no for me, as they all contain synthetic chemicals or parabens which leak through your skin into your system!!!
So just what is this new beauty tip that I just had to share with y’all... ((drum roll..)) it is The Oil Cleansing Method (OCM)!!
This method is exactly as the name states... which is cleansing your skin with natural oils.
Now some of you may scrunch your nose, panic and think how the heck can I clean my [oily] face with oils???
Well, lets get back to basics here... I’m not going to get technical as technicalities bore me, I’ll leave that for you to do the research. However, the basic principle of chemistry is that like dissolves like. So in this instance, oil dissolves oil.
When you use oils on your skin (and you will discover the 'right' oils for your skin through trial and error), you will find that you are actually cleansing the bacteria from your pores naturally, while simultaneously replacing the dirty oil build up in your skin.
If you do this consistently, the OCM will cleanse and balance your skin from any dry, oily, and sensitive skin issues and leave your skin super-uber-moisturized and glowing.
This method is good for ALL skin types and especially beneficial for those with dry skin.
Now, in terms of mixing your own oils, Castor Oil (CO) is recommended as a base due to its high content anti-bacterial and excellent cleansing abilities. It draws out all the dirt and gunk from your skin. Please note the following in order to utilise the best composition for your skin type:
- For normal skin, start with a 50:50 ratio of castor oil and Other Oil of your choice
- For oily or acne-prone skin, reduce the proportion to 75:25 castor oil to your Other Oil
- For those with drier skin, start off with 35:65 castor oil to your Other Oil
Note: If you need to cleanse your skin deeper, use a higher proportion of CO.
It’s important that you experiment by altering the oil ratio to suit your skin. You may choose to combine the castor and Other Oil in a different ratio, or replace your OO with a different oil altogether.
I’m currently using Castor Oil (30%), Olive Oil (45%), Rosehip Oil (5%), Glycerin (10%) and Sweet Almond Oil (10%). But I’m continuing to experiment with other oils.
If you do not want to mix your own oils, just buy an organic blend from your local pharmacy or whole foods store.
Other Oils (OO) you can use are:
- Evening Primrose Oil (amazing oil, great for dry skin, eczema)
- Rosehip Seed Oil (anti-aging properties)
- Olive Oil (good all over moisturising oil)
- Hemp Seed Oil (penetrates on a deep cellular level, good for dry skin)
- Avocado Oil (very good for dry or aging skin)
- Flax Seed Oil (used for eczema, psoriasis, acne & aging skin)
- Vitamin E Oil (excellent for scarring, pigmentation and evening out skin tone)
- Jojoba Oil (this oil is closest to our natural sebum)
Note: This is just a small selection of the many oils I have tried and tested and which you can blend with.
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Tools you will need:
Flannel, hot water and oil blend.
So let’s get started:
1. Find a small empty bottle from which you will fill your oil mix.
2. Use the relevant proportions as mentioned. Shake bottle hard to make sure the oils have mixed properly.
3. Pour a generous amount of oil into your hand and massage well into your face AND neck. The oils will be penetrating your skin to pull out the grime and dead cells. Leave on for a couple of minutes.
4. Wring the hot flannel and hold on your face. Feel the heat absorb into your skin and let the steam open your pores... Then wipe away the oil. (You may need to do this a couple of times to make sure all this oil is off your face).
5. After a minute or so, wipe away the oil using the washcloth. Your skin should now be feeling clean, soft, and moist.
6. Then rinse off with COLD WATER!! This final step is very important – in order to close your pores!
I’ve been doing this OCM for a little while, every other night, and I see a definitive improvement in the quality of my skin. If I glowed even more you’d see me in the dark!! Had to share... the OCM now has a permanent place within my skin care regime.
Give it a try!!
Comments
@Thanks Fay.. and I will try Geranium.. ALLLL over my body!! Cheers hun :)
This is something I will try! Sadly I am a bit stuck in the ordinary cosmetic even though I know they contain many substances that aren’t good for me or the environment. But now I will change my usual cleanser for your oil mix! Bookmarked, up useful! Thanks ~ Tina
@Great! And when you do thoughtforce, pls let me know how it goes!! Thanks :)
I have not tried this in the past, but definitely will; thanks for this wonderful info. :)
@Hey Genna, oh you must!! I guarantee you will notice a difference within days in terms of the suppleness and tone of your skin. Keep me posted!!! :)
Thanks! I (incorrectly) thought if it was oily, it would break out my face. But my skin is dry-er now.
@Hey TS, thats what Id previously thought, but it actually balances the sebum of your skin. Jus keep experimenting with different blends til you find the right one. Good luck!!
I have used oil therapy for a couple of times and amazingly it has done wonders on my body...such as restored my 20/20 vision and made my joints more lubricated.
I vote this hub UP :) Cheers!!
@Glad to hear Ruchira! I think Im going to extend this routine to a full body oil cleanse :) but Im v curious as to how the oils restored your vision... Feed-back pls!
I never heard of it, but I will give it a try. Voted up and bookmarked! : )
@I hadnt heard of it till recently either.. so much we dont know eh.. do let me know if it makes any difference..!!! Thanks for poppin in shygirl :))
Ashantina...I got luke warm combination oils poured on my closed eyes. I am pasting the link below :)
http://www.houstonayurveda.com/therapies.htm
Cheers!
@Thank you for the link Ruchira!! This is fascinating. I never knew the extent of healing for this method. Please let me know which particular oils worked for you and how long. I would really appreciate this.
Thanks again and Stay Blessed.
Amazing concept. It is funny, we don't feel that our face is clean unless we wash it with soap...drying soap. I will definitely give this a try. We have a great health food store in my area. Voted up!
@Hi 2besure and welcome!! So true.. its the oils and sebum in our skin that we need to moisturise the deeper layers, eliminate wrinkles and which keeps our skin toned and tight. Glad to hear you will give this a try!!!
Thank you for the vote up! Have a great day :)
Wow , your hub very useful , thanks for sharing it.
@Hi ImChemist, glad to hear this is of some use for you!!
Thank you for stopping by, take care :)
This is useful as I have never done this before. Thanks
@Hey Healing Touch! Its kinda hard to believe that oils actually cleanse the skin, but Iv noticed such a difference with my own skin. Happy to hear you will give this a try.. tres naturale is def the way forward!!
Thanks for stopping :)
As always, great info Ashantina. This makes sense to me, and I am always for natural stuff. Great hub! Thanks.
@Thank you Ruzica!! Glad to hear.. :) keep experimenting with different oils and let me know how you get on!!!
Awesome stuff Ashantina!
I've used Olive Oil and Vitamin E for awhile but I'm going to try afew you listed.
Thanks
@Fab!! Am cutting down on OO at the mo, but Vit E works really well for my skin. Its so important that we keep it natural with what we put on our skin!!
Thanks for droppin in Rastamermaid, bless :)
Finally, someone is talking about this. I use oils to clean my hair, skin and entire body. We use such harsh chemical products that rape our bodies of their natural nutrition and healing oils.
All of your healthy oil recommendations are brilliant and do work well. I've learned a few new tips and methods for cleansing with oil, thanks for this helpful method as oil is crucial to my health and beauty regimens. :) Katie
Note: My only request is that you add flannel towels to this page for purchase if possible. I'm loving this and will def share now! :)
Thanks Katie, it makes perfect sense to use oils to cleanse HEAD TO TOE! And this is the purpose of nature.. to cleanse and heal.. there is no other beauty bargain better than nature!! I've recently extended my OCM to whole body, but now you mention Im gonna go for the gusto and use it to wash my hair.
Thanks for the note AND the share.. I do appreciate it :)
Take care, and stay blessed n beautiful!
Hi, I use vitamin E oil for my skin, and have been known to use olive oil too, my skin is always so dry, I remember once using vegetable oil as I ran out of olive oil and when I told someone at work they said, well don't sit in the sun afterwards, you'll end up barbequing yourself! ha ha great ideas! cheers nell
Ha! Funny you say that I feel the same when I've used olive oil :) Have stopped with the OO now as it drys out my skin.. but Vit E is fantastic, very thick and penetrates at a deep level. Also avocado oil and veg glycerin is fantastic for v dry skin! Keep experimenting Nell, and let me know how you get on.
Take care :)
This is great, Ashantina! I'm always looking for new skin care products, but am very into all-natural, so I'll definitely have to try this! Voted up, useful, awesome :)
Glad to hear Gabie!! Most of the skin care products out there contain parabens and chemicals which ultimately damage your skin. 'Nature-all' is the ONLY healer.. and the younger you start to take care of your skin, the better!
Thanks for the vote up hun :)
Great information, Ashantina! I presume that this hub was mostly directed towards women's skin care, but it is great for men. We need to take better care of our skin as well. Just great!
Hey Dexter! Everyone, men included should take an interest as to how to maintain their skin. Men generally have really good clear skin which is ironic because they dont use much, if anything, apart from exfoliating when shaving, [another beauty tip!!].
Do give this a try, and experiment with different oils to see which works best.. and let me know how you get on :)
Take care!
Thanks for another up and useful hub.
Lavender essential oil is another perfect ingredient when you have blemishes or sores.
Thanks for the up and the tip almasi!! I have yet to try lavender oil :) Cheers
Awesome hub! I love using olive oil for skincare. I use it about two times a week at night before I go to bed. When I wake up my skin is so soft and smooth. I love it! I will have to try some of the other oils too.
Hi betsuz, and welcome beautiful lady!! You know, I tried the OO to start with but I've noticed it doesnt work so well with my skin... am currently using grapeseed oil with a lil bit of castor oil which is just amazing :) But as you say, that silky smooth skin when you wake up feels awesome!!
I'm with you on the oil front! Absolutely agree that oils make for effective cleansers and much more. Rosehip oil is one of my favourites, the Chilean variety is the best in my experience - I've tried lots! Voted up!
Hi Germaine
Thank you. I know natural/essential oils are your forte!!! And, yes Im so lovin Rosehip too!! Will definitely have to try out that Chilean variety :)
I am ready to make the switch from using regular cosmetics to clean my skin to your oils you have suggested. My skin is so very dry, plus I'm not 40 anymore :) Thank you and keep these types of hubs coming! Rated up, UAB
Hey vc, if your skin is dry, you would benefit greatly from using a more dense oil such as avocado or grapeseed which will really absorb into your skin. And make sure you use a good moisturiser after to seal in these wonderful oils. Let me know how you get on :)
And you look great by the way!!
Freaknfunktastic Ashantina!!!! I'm going to give this a go. I too have noticed changes in my skin. Dry spots, and at times dullness. I don't care for over-the-counter cleansers, and realize that they were doing more harm than good to my skin. Now I just have to get the castor oils, my essential oils, and I'm on my way! The essential oils you mentioned are good for all over hair and/or body care, so I can use them in many other ways. Thanks so much!!!!
Hey imatell, always a pleasure to see you!! As you do have dry skin, a sugg, make sure to cleanse 2x, so oil on face then warm flannel, repeat. And you can do this morning and night whatever feels right for you.
And let me know in a few weeks how much youre skin has improved!!
Take care sweetie!!
great hub. I haven't tried this yet but I learned a lesson from your hub. Thanks ashantina for sharing.
And thank you for visiting masmasika. Always a pleasure!
Can I use one oil alone for OCM? I started oil cleansing just yesterday and I have been using almond oil alone. I wonder if it's still as effective as a 50:50 combination?
You certainly can Rehana! And its still as effective :)
Thank you savingfaceserum!
Fay Paxton 14 months ago
Ashantina, this is wonderful. I mix my oils all the time. I didn't see it on your list...you've got to try adding a little Geranium to your oils. And don't stop at your face...do your whole body! Keep these coming.
voted way up and very useful