Acne.org Products
i'm highly interested in trying OCM but I have a couple of questions.
I have very oily skin and acne from inflammation. I'm wondering what type of oils are best for my skin type.
Also, I'm wondering if I need to do a double clean. If so, can someone recommend a good ph balanced cleanser. Any at the local drugstore? Along with the cleanser, is there also a lotion/moisturizer someone can recommend for afterwards?
Thanks so much!
Tried this before and suffered a few days of greasy skin and weeks upon weeks of deep under-the-skin type pimples.
I'm never ever EVER putting oil on my face ever again.
I always wonder if some of the people who post outrageous claims of this site are associated with acne-treatment companies. It would be a very unique and subversive way to boost sales by intentionally trying to get others to make their skin break out horribly and in desperation buy their products.
Not pointing fingers, just wondering out loud.
Hi
My 15 year old son has very bad moderate acne which sometimes becomes cystic. His skin is dry and dehyrated - mostly from the treatments he has been using.
We have been able to reduce the cystic acne by removing wheat from his diet and eating very, very healthy. He has a strong intolerance to wheat.
So after reading all 12 pages of this post we decided to try this treatment on just his forehead.
I wanted to take photos to show you but he wasn't keen.
But to give you an idea his forhead had 1 cyst and about 12 pussy pimples, and it was very red.
Being a lazy teenage boy I suggested he rub the oil on his forehead for 2 mins then shower, whilst placing the warm cloth over his forehead, warming the cloth again and repeating 4 times.
He did this the first morning. That day the cyst was smaller and he had about 6 pimples with no puss, and the redness was reduced by about 70%.
He did nothing that night.
The 2nd day he was so enthused (without telling me) he used the oil all over his face and massaged for 5 mins. His forehead was even less red, the cyst was now half the size, and the 6 pimples were smaller. His chin and nose area before was covered in pussy pimples. That day there were no pussy pimples, there were 30% less pimples and the redness was about 30% better.
He decided on the 2nd day to do the oil at night as well and he massaged for 10 mins.
He then repeated it today the 3rd day. His forehead has the cyst which is reduced by about 70%. 3 very small and not pussy pimples, and virtually no redness.
On the chin and nose area everyhting was 50% smaller in size, no puss, 50% less red but very dry in patches.
We have been using a ratio of 75% Castor Oil (not cold pressed as I couldn't find it), 25% jojoba oil and 3 drops of tea tree oil. I think I will try a 50/50 ratio tonight to help with the dryness on the chin.
Apart from the couple of dry spots his skin feels beautiful.
So, I hope this helps some of you.
I think it is worth trying on a small area and see how it works for you.
I will keep you posted 
Hi Chipperf
When I read through all 12 pages of this post it seemed a lot people broke out using EVOO. So I chose jojoba oil because it is apparently the most like our own oil in our skin.
I am not sure about you need oil to remove oil - I hated science at school. But it did make sense to me to not strip the skin of the oils, which tells the body to pump more oil. So if by using oil to cleanse and moisturize maybe that will trick the body not to pump so much extra oil. I am no scientist but we thought it was worth a shot and my son is very happy so far with the results.
good luck.
But it did make sense to me to not strip the skin of the oils, which tells the body to pump more oil. So if by using oil to cleanse and moisturize maybe that will trick the body not to pump so much extra oil.
Sorry, Julesh, but washing the oil off your skin doesn't tell your body to pump more oil. I see you're a newbie here, and you need to get up to speed on how sebaceous glands work: washing has no effect on sebum production.
.
But it did make sense to me to not strip the skin of the oils, which tells the body to pump more oil. So if by using oil to cleanse and moisturize maybe that will trick the body not to pump so much extra oil.
Sorry, Julesh, but washing the oil off your skin doesn't tell your body to pump more oil. I see you're a newbie here, and you need to get up to speed on how sebaceous glands work: washing has no effect on sebum production.
.
Question for you, Bryan: are the sebaceous glands the only source of skin oils?
I have no idea why this is working - as I said science was not my thing at school. But it is working and no other treatment we tried has helped.
Day 4 Forehead
Cyst has completely gone. 3 small non pussy pimples. Almost no redness.
Day 3 Chin & Nose
Acne at same amount but less red and smaller. No pussy pimples and not dry today.
Now using 50/50 castor oil and jojoba oil, & 3 drops of teatree oil.
Bryan you can debate the science of this until the cows come home but as a mum watching her beautiful son's skin start to scar I am relieved to find something other than drugs that works for him. So we will continue with it and I will keep you informed of his progress.
Day 3 Chin & NoseAcne at same amount but less red and smaller. No pussy pimples and not dry today.
Oh my god...I'm just DYING to make a joke here, but I'll make a valiant, superhuman effort to avoid doing so! 
Bryan you can debate the science of this until the cows come home but as a mum watching her beautiful son's skin start to scar I am relieved to find something other than drugs that works for him. So we will continue with it and I will keep you informed of his progress.
I'm not really "debating the science" of what you're doing, I'm just telling you about one simple aspect of sebaceous gland physiology which has been soundly proved and demonstrated by very competent doctors and scientists, and you need to understand it.
If you think your son is doing better with his acne because of whatever it is he's doing, then more power to both of you. I wish him continued good luck.
.
Question for you, Bryan: are the sebaceous glands the only source of skin oils?
Nope. Some skin oil is of purely epidermal origin. If I recall correctly, something like 95% of skin oil is from sebaceous glands, with the remainder being epidermal.
.
Yes, that's what I thought, although I had not run across that particular ratio .... and I assume that must vary from individual to individual.
My understanding is that sebum is not necessary to epidermal barrier function, because the epidermal lipids are sufficient.
But if the lipid barrier is compromised ..... is it not possible that the production of epidermal lipids might increase as a result? When surface skin is damaged or removed, that increases the rate at which skin cells regenerate. Couldn't there be a similar effect on epidermal lipids that would account for increased oiliness when the skin is under stress due to harsh cleansers, over-scrubbing, or topicals such as retinoids that compromise the barrier function?
My understanding is that sebum is not necessary to epidermal barrier function, because the epidermal lipids are sufficient.
That must be true. I keep going back to the palms of the hands, which can be very useful when considering these theoretical questions: they have no sebaceous glands and no sebum at all (assuming you keep them clean and don't wipe them on other parts of the body), yet they don't seem to have any particular problem with their own barrier function.
But if the lipid barrier is compromised ..... is it not possible that the production of epidermal lipids might increase as a result? When surface skin is damaged or removed, that increases the rate at which skin cells regenerate. Couldn't there be a similar effect on epidermal lipids that would account for increased oiliness when the skin is under stress due to harsh cleansers, over-scrubbing, or topicals such as retinoids that compromise the barrier function?
Are you saying that the increased oiliness on the skin (from the increased epidermal lipids) would be insignificant and unnoticeable, because those epidermal lipids constitute only about 5% of the total? I dunno....I suppose that could be possible. I certainly can't deny that possibility categorically, because I haven't seen anything about it, one way or the other.
It seems like it would be really difficult to test whether or not epidermal lipids increase with skin washing! It seems like if it could be done at all, it would have to be done on the palms of the hands, or the soles of the feet. 
.
My understanding is that sebum is not necessary to epidermal barrier function, because the epidermal lipids are sufficient.
That must be true. I keep going back to the palms of the hands, which can be very useful when considering these theoretical questions: they have no sebaceous glands and no sebum at all (assuming you keep them clean and don't wipe them on other parts of the body), yet they don't seem to have any particular problem with their own barrier function.
But if the lipid barrier is compromised ..... is it not possible that the production of epidermal lipids might increase as a result? When surface skin is damaged or removed, that increases the rate at which skin cells regenerate. Couldn't there be a similar effect on epidermal lipids that would account for increased oiliness when the skin is under stress due to harsh cleansers, over-scrubbing, or topicals such as retinoids that compromise the barrier function?
Are you saying that the increased oiliness on the skin (from the increased epidermal lipids) would be insignificant and unnoticeable, because those epidermal lipids constitute only about 5% of the total? I dunno....I suppose that could be possible. I certainly can't deny that possibility categorically, because I haven't seen anything about it, one way or the other.
It seems like it would be really difficult to test whether or not epidermal lipids increase with skin washing! It seems like if it could be done at all, it would have to be done on the palms of the hands, or the soles of the feet.
.
Actually, I'm saying that the increased oiliness COULD be noticeable. In fact, the 5% ratio could change. I'm saying that maybe the reason people think their skin looks oilier is because it actually IS oilier ... it's just that this increased oiliness has nothing to do with the sebaceous glands at all.
It seems to me that it's possible that the level of epidermal lipids might increase because the skin is trying to repair the lipid barrier.
I have been searching for studies and/or articles on this topic, but no luck so far. Let me know if you run across anything!
Actually, I'm saying that the increased oiliness COULD be noticeable. In fact, the 5% ratio could change. I'm saying that maybe the reason people think their skin looks oilier is because it actually IS oilier ... it's just that this increased oiliness has nothing to do with the sebaceous glands at all.
How could it be noticeable? How would you explain the experimental findings that it is NOT noticeable? That would include Kligman and his colleagues' experiments, and LabGirl's company's experiments, and my own experiment (see my thread "FINALLY: a more direct test of the 'feedback theory' "), all of which showed no increase in lipids (apparently regardless of the source of the lipids, since I don't think any of them were capable of distinguishing between sebum and epidermal lipids) with increased washing.
BTW, you did remind me of one small but important point which I should have remembered to mention before: those figures I mentioned before (that skin lipids are about 95% sebum, with the remainder being epidermal) are specifically for areas of high sebum production, like the face and scalp. In other areas of the body, the proportion from sebum will obviously be considerably lower.
It seems to me that it's possible that the level of epidermal lipids might increase because the skin is trying to repair the lipid barrier.
I suppose that could conceivably be true, but it would still be quite a modest increase in total lipid.
I have been searching for studies and/or articles on this topic, but no luck so far. Let me know if you run across anything!
I'll let you know if I find anything about that, one way or the other!
.
I'm stumped. I didn't realize that the tests would not have distinguished between sebum and epidermal lipids .... so maybe this line of thinking is a blind alley.
I think it probably is. I really do think that the most likely explanation for why some people claim that there's an increase of oil on their skin after washing has to do with what I've already talked about a few times: washing helps remove the outer dead skin cells, making the skin feel SLICKER later, even with only a minimal amount of sebum on the surface.
I noticed that phenomenon myself with the very first Sebutape test that I did here. That was the one I documented in my thread "If you stop washing your face, do you get MORE oily, or do you get LESS oily??", which I did as a definitive response to my pal balabala, who insisted that you get LESS oily if you stop washing. But the Sebutape test-strips clearly showed that I got MORE oily with each succeeding day, at least for the duration of my test (which lasted for about 10 days, if I recall correctly). But I did notice that my oily skin didn't FEEL particularly oily near the end; I attribute that to the fact that the surface felt a little rough, from not having been washed during all those days. The rough feeling of my skin helped camouflage the presence of all that extra oil, I believe, but it didn't fool the Sebutape. The test-strips continued to accurately report the presence of sebum, even if my skin didn't feel all that greasy.
LabGirl reported the very same thing in one of her posts about the experiments her company did with their Sebumeter: she said that when they had her stop washing her face entirely for a period of time, it didn't feel particularly oily, even thiough the Sebumeter did report the extra sebum.
This is why I always have to tell people that if they believe the old myth that washing stimulates sebum production and they've supposedly seen it happen themselves, they have to test it scientifically with Sebutape or Sebumeters, they can't just go by casual day-to-day observations! There are serious pitfalls in those casual observations which can fool them! 
.
Is there any SCIENTIST or DOCTOR who says that rubbing your face with oil will help? Because I've tried DRYING my face and using lots of moisturizing products and there's no difference...my skin is still oily as hell.
I don't think you'll find any reputable doctor or scientist saying that, because it goes against what we know about sebaceous gland physiology.
.
I agree with you. So what CAN we do to get rid of some of the oil our skin produces? Because I've tried everything. Have you done anything that has helped you? I know you do those sebum gland tests.
My skin got super oily and I found the only thing that worked was a glycolic cleanser 2x per week. Drying out your skin will only make it produce more oil, believe it or not. I dont even need the mattifying gel anymore now that I am on the glycolic cleanser. I use an oil free moisturizer and an oil free non waterproof sunscreen. On the off days from the glycolic I use cetaphil and a light alcohol free toner. My pores have shrunken and i no longer have the noontime shine through my makeup.
I'm starting today.
70% Castor oil
30% Cold Pressed extra virgin olive oil
Just had my first go, skin feels excellent. Feels really smooth. I felt like it brang out a couple small pimples, hoping I don't break out tomorrow, haven't had a bad break out for months. I think it was just a couple zits that were on their way anyway. The hot press just brought them out faster.
Fingers crossed. Just hoping for more even coloured and even skin.
Thanks
I'm starting today.
70% Castor oil
30% Cold Pressed extra virgin olive oil
Just had my first go, skin feels excellent. Feels really smooth. I felt like it brang out a couple small pimples, hoping I don't break out tomorrow, haven't had a bad break out for months. I think it was just a couple zits that were on their way anyway. The hot press just brought them out faster.
Fingers crossed. Just hoping for more even coloured and even skin.
Thanks
please watch it with the castor oil. ANY amount of castor oil dries my skin out completely and leaves it dehydrated
What can I say???
Can only speak for myself but been trying OCM for a week and my skin has been transformed in that time.
I use only castor oil and follow the method. I then moisturise lightly with grapeseed oil. I think EVOO was giving me small pimples so by eliminating it, I seem to have found the right balance.
I can't believe how effective a cleanser the castor oil is. I actually like the consistency.
The grapeseed oil is visibly reducing my acne scarring which is all over my forehead and chin.
I have ordered pure Vitamin E oil and will dab that on scars to see if they fade further. Of course I'll do a skin test with Vit E first.
It's so refreshing to try out something so natural that works. I've been plagued with moderate acne most of my adult life and I'm in my 40's. I'll post when I've used the vit E.
