Oil Cleansing Method (OCM)

Before starting this, I had 1 zit. I was just trying to get rid of my blackheads. 1 month in, I started getting a few pimples on my cheeks, very unusual for me. Then, my whole face erupted in acne. I stopped using the oil cleansing method because the steaming was further irritating my raw acne and I figured this had to be the only thing that could have caused it. I didn't change anything else to my routine. I have been trying to clear my face for two months now. I have severe acne and I never had acne this bad even as a teenager. I had used olive oil, castor and tea tree oil. My pimples pop by themselves and I have cystic acne (never had before this). I have to put gauze on my face at night to keep pimples from popping on my pillows. I have spent over a hundred dollars already on products trying to correct it and my face isn't responding to anything, not even pills.

Beware! If you see first sign of increased acne "JUST STOP" .2 years ago winter time I decided to try the OCM method mostly to soften my skin .I was 33 years old and only would get one or two pimples around that time of the month, every few month.The first time I did the OCM ,my skin looked great and felt soft but few days after I saw pimples coming! I had read that my skin is just adjusting to the method and that it's detoxing and...so I continued. I have had severe acne for 2 years now! at times I've had 15 actice acne on my face!! + previous pimple's red marks .I can't get rid of it! even though I stopped the OCM after 2 month. I used organic oils, clean towels( I even boiled the towels to make sure they're clean,I'd let it cool down of course!). If you see first signs of increase acne,don't continue hoping a miracle is on the way...

Oh, how I wish the OCM had worked for me. I was completely committed for over 2 months. I'm 30 y/o and have combination oily/dry skin. I tend to only breakout on my chin (leads me to believe it's hormonal). Before starting this new method, I had just switched to using from using Proactiv to an organic blend of black african soap w/ a tiny amount of salicylic acid. Then, I'd use Clinique moisturizer. I wanted to try to wean myself off of these acne products, thinking, hey, now I'm 30, I probably don't need these chemicals, I'm probably just reliant on them. I did that for 3 months and would have maybe 1 small zit a week, sometimes maybe a cystic pimple, treatable with on the spot Proactiv lotion. So, I was pretty please that my skin was doing decently without needing daily acne treatment. I wanted to take it a step further and eliminate the need for the lotion (has some harmful chemicals in it and just thought it would be simpler, less products). Here's how it went: Week 1: Coconut oil 2Xday, no steaming...beautiful skin Week 2: Coconut oil 2Xday, not steaming...horrible huge cystic zits...3-6 at a time. I understand the whole purging thing, but this was insane. Then I read coconut oil bad for acneic skin so I then I switched to jojoba. Week 3-4: Jojoba Oil 2Xday...getting better Week 4-5: Jojoba Oil 2Xday ...horrible huge cystic zits, again only on my chin, tried adding the steaming method Week 5-6: Jojoba Oil, Castor Oil, Tea Tree Oil and Tamanu oil blend, with steaming method 2X day...mostly tons of zits again, sometimes I'd have a couple days of freedom, and I'd think my skin was finally adjusting. Week 6-7: continued Jojoba Oil, Castor Oil, Tea Tree Oil and Tamanu oil blend...realized that I now I 25 (yes 25) new ugly acne scars on my face. I started spot treating them with Proactiv again as it was just out of control. Week 7-8: Did OCM only 1Xday, back to African black soap in the morning. Still breaking out. Week 9: I quit. It was destroying my chin. This scarring is going to take months (years?) to heal (I have fair skin and it heals slowly). I'm now trying baking soda as my face wash, using a jojoba oil blend as a moisturizer for everywhere but my chin, proactiv on my chin, and my old Clinique moisturizer (just bought a Derm-e moisturizer today with NO oil...again, this Clinque moisturizer has some questionable chemicals in it.) Been 5 days and totally zit-free. So there's my (probably way too) detailed account. I have gone totally DIY/organic with all my cleaning and body products my last few months, so believe me, it hurt to give up on the OCM. But you know what...these chemicals, that I've been using my whole life, never did even a fraction of the damage that the OCM did. I'm going to just hope this new organic moisturizer doesn't cause break-outs and call it a day. I really tried my best here with troubleshooting. Would I recommend the OCM? Well, it works for some people, and I'm not sure I even regret it as it could have been great, but maybe I should have quit sooner. Maybe it just sucks for people with hormonal acne on their chin and jawline? Fair skin? Everyone's different.

The OCM is pretty much hit or miss. If you're willing to take the risk and you happen to react badly be prepared to deal with visits to the dermatologist, spending lots of money and all the tears that come with cystic acne. JUST DON'T DO IT. Use a regular moisturizer, natural if you want to, but not oily stuff. You have been warned.

I have tried OCM for three days, developed the most terrible irritation and breakouts I have ever encountered in my life (had relatively clear skin before, except some breakouts because of makeup) and here is my review on it: (I have Master's degree in Biochemistry. If you don't agree with something I'm going to say or provide, you can leave a comment below and we can figure out it together. Also, English is not my first language, so I can make mistakes. Sorry.) Many people use oils (ideally cold pressed organic 100% pure) as a replacement of skincare. Yes, such words as organic, all natural, full of vitamins and minerals sound really good and people leading organic lifestyle propagate the usage of those. You know, there are oils that can clog your pores. They do so by increasing follicular hyperkeratosis'"an increased production of keratin in hair follicles. Over time, this leads to clogged follicles and comedones. Thus, oils with the low comedogenic score are safe to use. This is nothing I'm going to talk here about. So, what are these beloved avocado, rosehip seed, grape seed, hemp seed, olive, safflower, coconut, etc oils? Well, 60% of each are fatty acids. Among these, in the vast majority of cases, 95% are linoleic and oleic acids. Thus, oils are concentrated chemical solutions. Linoleic acid (18:2) is scaled by NFPA 704 as level 2 hazard to health (0-4), meaning intense or continued but not chronic exposure could cause temporary incapacitation or possible residual injury (e.g. diethyl ether, ammonium phosphate). The next point on the scale is this one: 3 - short exposure could cause serious temporary or moderate residual injury (e.g. liquid hydrogen, carbon monoxide, calcium hypochlorite). Oleic acids (18:1) is scaled 1 by HMIS: - exposure would cause irritation with only minor residual injury (e.g. acetone, sodium bromate). Safety data sheets in chemical/biochemical labs state: Adverse Human Health: Material may be irritating to the mucous membranes and upper respiratory tract Effects and Symptoms: May be harmful by inhalation, ingestion, or skin absorption. May cause eye, skin, or respiratory system irritation. Indeed, 1 of 2 people is sensitive to even organic cold pressed natural oils and develop the worst irritation and breakouts they have ever had in their lives even because low or non-comedogenic oils. WHY? WHY ARE THEY SO IRRITATING TO SOME PEOPLE AND WHY DO THEY MAKE OTHERS SKIN VERY SOFT AND SUPPLE? Answers hide in the nature of fatty acids and how they act when applied topically. Studies show that even micromolar concentrations of palmitic (C16, saturated acid) and oleic acids incorporate into the sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane (an inner cell organelle, surrounded by lipid bilayer) and reduce the content of phospholipids in the membrane. (Leo G et all, 1983) A consequence of enhanced skin permeability and/or toxicity with fatty acids is increased transdermal water loss (lauric, oleic acids). The intercellular lipids (permeate through the whole membrane) have an important function in maintaining the barrier to water permeation through the skin and for holding water in the skin, removing of intercellular lipids produced chapped and scaly skin. Maximum permeation enhancement was observed for fatty acids of 9 to 12 carbon atoms and for fatty alcohols of 10 to 12 carbons. Among saturated fatty acid, the maximum enhancement was shown by lauric acid (C12). (M. Loden at all, 2000) Remember, when tests say the maximum or elevated score they don't say other substances scored 0, as permeation ability was shown for many other fatty acids, as myristoleic, palmitoleic, linoleic, oleic, lauric and many others. Let's be clear. The skin permeation effect of fatty acids indeed depends on the chain length and saturation. But the thing is oils do not contain very short fatty acids or contain only trace amounts of those (chains of very very short fatty acids are too short to incorporate into the lipid bilayer, therefore didn't show irritation reactions). Also, it's not the deal with a specific membrane, as all of them have the same basis. In an irritation test in nude mice, 10% oleic acid caused severe irritation. Oleic acid was also evaluated in guinea pigs, with 5% producing significant epidermal damage. Various fatty acids have been examined in humans by applying for 3 h under occlusion using concentrations 0. 16 M. Oleic acid resulted in an elevated score and visible erythema and edema. (M. Loden, 2000) Another study shows linoleic acid produced significant irritation on human skin (Michael A et al, 1975). Also, prior studies on the relative irritancy of free fatty acids revealed the saturated C8 to C14 fatty acids and a C18 unsaturated fatty acid to be the most irritating. Another study says that among saturated free fatty acids from C3 to C18, and unsaturated C18 free fatty acids that were applied daily under occlusive patch tests to human skin until detectable erythema appeared, the most irritating fatty acids were C8 through C12. Of the unsaturated fatty acids tested, only linoleic acid produced irritation ( it was the only tested, though). Also, notice that different tests evaluated different fatty acids and therefore one can say the most irritating was this acid/only this acid showed irritation, while an another test names different acid due to different samples included. Studies say they applied oils until the detectable erythema occurred, thus erythema occurred in all applied saturated fatty acids. Among these, they evaluated the most irritating samples. SO WHY OILS ARE SUCH GOOD CARRIERS? All people say oils are good natural carriers of vitamins and minerals to the skin. Oh yes, they are very good carriers, as they disrupt lipid bilayer (membrane that surrounds our cells) incorporating in it and therefore make it easier for other substances to penetrate through it. But our skin is not designed as frogs skin, which consume near 10% of oxigen within it. Our skin is a barrier, nourished by minerals, vitamins and fatty acids, etc. supplied by blood, thus there is no need to disrupt the natural barrier in order to deliver minerals and vitamins topically. But even people that develop skin irritation and breakouts can safely consume different types of oils. Even mice like food flavoured with oil more. What's the secret behind it? The thing is our digestive tract has a layer of mucus that protects it, also it regenerates really fast and digest all sort of organic compounds starting from our mouth. WHY DO SOME PEOPLE DEVELOP IRRITATION AND OTHERS NOT? Let's look at one example. There is a compound called PTC (phenyltiocarbamide). It has extremely bitter taste. Evolution gifted us an ability to detect bitter tastes bacuse at the most cases bitter means toxic. So, when you can distunguish many bitter substances, you have better chances of survival. But turns out that we vary in the ability to taste PTC and among different nations and populations only certain amount of people can taste it (from 16% to 40%). But it doesn't mean for those who can't distunguish the taste, it's beneficial and they can eat it without councequences. The same is with topical irritation. Not everyone develope the reaction, but it doesn't mean it's beneficial for those (we are not talking about allergies here, just irritation!) Most people experience some sort of reaction after some time of continuous application, as irritation may be induced by repeat disturbance of barrier function. Maybe you also wonder how oils helped some people to battle acne(especially oil cleansing method) It turns out, they aren't sensible to the mechanism in which fatty acids act. Okay, fatty acids act the same on their skin, they just don't develop a visible reaction to it. Thus, fatty acids could dissolve makeup traces that can irritate their skin, or dissolve natural sebum that clogs pores and not to cause irritation by itself. WHY DO PEOPLE

Tried this method after reading the "Highly Recommended" post on acne.org ([link edited out] I only read about 2 pages that were filled with positive reviews, but I should have looked further into it. A little background: I had almost completely clear skin prior to using this method, but I use around 5 products per day including Tazorac, Aczone, Sulfur Wash, Birth Control, and Clindamycin (sp?)... so I thought "Wow, this would really lessen my routine and since I'm basically clear, it shouldn't be too bad..." After about 3-4 days, I noticed my pores looked clogged and bigger around my cheeks and forehead AND I have whiteheads and small pimples on cheeks/jawline (haven't had to deal with this since my teens [now 22 y.o.]). I now know that this method just clogs your pores and yes, initially, I had high hopes and it made my skin feel awesome/moisturized/ what have you... I am glad I stopped after 4 days, since I am super afraid I will get cystic acne (never had it before). Wish I never tried it, not for everyone, it may work for you, but if you are acne prone/oily skin, I really don't think this would be beneficial. If you have somewhat clear skin now, don't try this... seriously it took me so long to get clear and now I wish I had stayed with my routine. As someone else said: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." P.S. For anyone thinking I was doing it wrong- just stop, I did everything as instructed- used all natural ingredients, organic, clean towels, the ratio, etc. etc. You don't need to tell me that I wasn't doing it right.

I'm 20 years old and never had skin problems until I got off the pill with the age of 17. I started to break out quite badly. I used some conventional skin treatments and anti-acne-cremes. After about two years my skin got a lot better and I only had some spots. So I wanted to get rid of those spots - I always had two to ten pimples on my face. I decided to stay away from harsh remedies, so I searched for natural treatments and came across the oil cleaning method. At first - aside from some really big spots - it went well, but after about five days I started to get small closed comedones on my whole face. Every part of my face was suddenly bumpy. The spots weren't inflamed and I thought it was only the process of the so called "purging". Due to the fact that I always read to just stick to it and wait until the purging-phase is over, I did so. After one month my skin was a total mess. Some of the small bumps got inflamed and I even got some cystic acne, which I never had before. I had to go back to taking antibiotics. I would never ever suggest to trying out this treatment! STAY AWAY FROM OIL!!! Especially if you have oily skin as I do. And yes there are people, who have oily skin and no, it's not only dehydrated skin, which needs more moisture to get less oily... FYI: I did a lot of research about the oil cleansing method! I nearly read every posting/feed/forum about this topic. I also tried different oils (all with a rating of 0-1 on the scale). I never used the same washcloth twice.

I've been seeing a particular user commenting on the lower rated reviews here and encouraging people to continue with the OCM method even if it's not working, or giving 'helpful suggestions'. If it's not working for you, STOP. YOU are the one who has to deal with the nasty effects of the OCM, not some random user bleating about how great it is. Fact of the matter is, like every product on the planet, this method won't work for everything. If it does, great. If it doesn't, don't psyche yourself out thinking it will suddenly and magically work. That being said, I did this one time. I went to the Oil Cleansing website and followed their instructions. I forgot what I put in my mixture specifically. Let's just say it didn't work very well and I wasn't interested in trying again. Not to mention I also tried using coconut oil as a moisturizer because of all the rave reviews random people online gave it. I used organic, cold-pressed, unrefined virgin coconut oil as an evening moisturizer, and hell hath no fury, seriously. I had the worst breakout of a life time. I used it for several months before calling cold turkey on it. Never again. I even tried hemp oil for a bit, but that just didn't agree with me. Oils just don't work with my skin. And I'm not a huge advocate of Paula's Choice, but she does discuss oil cleansing on her website. Myth: The combination of oils and hot steam used by the oil-cleansing method will 'deep-clean' skin in a way that no other product can. Hot steam is irritating in every way possible. Irritation stimulates oil production directly in the pore and makes pimples look even redder. Using hot steam on a regular basis also can cause small blood vessels in your skin to rupture, over time creating a network of surfaced red capillaries. So, keep that it mind guys. Be gentle to your skin. I would also like to add that oils cannot purge your skin. The 'purging' phase is a hideous, ugly myth that people love to perpetuate on the internet. True purging is caused by peels, scrubs, AHAs, BHAs or retinoids. If the oil is breaking you out, that's because it is clogging your pores and your skin is more likely irritated if anything.

I wish I could give this negative 1 million stars! This gave me the worst acne of my life at 27 years old. I tried this horrible cleansing method for a couple months and it literally clogged up what seems like every pore on my face. 1 month after stopping and I'm still dealing with the consequences. Cystic acne all over my cheeks and neck, and just a very bumpy, splotchy overall appearance. My face never looked like this in my entire life. I started the OCM with mild acne. I don't even know if it was mild, it was pretty much non-existent compared to what is now sitting on my face. THIS is acne. I could star in one of those Proactiv commercials as a "before" picture. I probably have moderate-severe acne at the moment, and it is really depressing. Anyway, the OCM started pretty well. I would feel little grains come out, my face would glow, etc. After a few weeks however, I would notice my face had a very bumpy texture. It looked like there were hundreds of bumps just underneath the surface. I was worried but continued on thinking that it was just a phase to get past. WRONG. The bumps emerged over the upcoming weeks as very cystic, pus-filled lesions. I had some of the biggest zits of my life all over my cheeks and jawline, even on my neck. I immediately stopped the OCM, but even 1 month later I'm having trouble clearing up the damage. I wouldn't be surprised if I clogged up every single pore on my face with oil. It now hurts to move my face and I wouldn't dare be in the sunlight. It's just horrible. Please do NOT try this cleansing method unless you want a face full of acne. I truly wish I could turn back time and NOT try this. UGH!

I would urge no one to try this. After going on Roaccutan and having very clear skin, I thought I would try achieve radiant glowing skin with the OCM. It worked fine for the first few weeks, but this literally has ruined my skin. I have such awful scars left behind from the OCM. I used it twice a week, and believe the castor oil is the bad ingredient for me. It clogs rather than cleanses. I also think any harsh scrubbing/exfoliating with hot flannels and cloths aren't too good for acne sufferers. If you really wanted to try it then I would recommend only patch testing it on a very small area of the face, testing it for a month or so, then deciding whether it works for you. Please don't try over your entire face. I am still cleansing with Jojoba oil, but just on it's own (only twice a week, and Cetaphil the rest of the time), as it seems to cleanse and moisturise my dry/combi/oily skin. Jojoba oil does not seem to cause any problems for me either. It's all trial and error, so just be careful. This seems like it can easily be too much of an error. It really isn't worth it.