Oil Cleansing Method (OCM)

I see that it's a hit and miss with this OCM thing. I included the list of oils you should avoid below. Hope it helps! I tried it about a year ago and it worked and then I stopped(stupid me) because I came back with bad acne. now I am going to start again. I think depending on the oils you use. It may not work for everyone because everyone's skin is different. but at least it gives you a better guidelines to which oils you should be using instead of splashing your face with just anything. I will NEVER use coconut oil on my skin, i have tried it without researching it, it's horrible for oily skin(at least my skin) so I did so much more research and I came across this article that talks about the different oils and their properties. so basically oily/acne prone skin people need to stop using Oils high in Oleic Acid(see list below) and start using oils high in Linoleic Acid(see list below). Our oily skin is so unbalanced, that is why we break out, we produce more Oleic acid than Linoleic acid. so we need to find a balance. If you are curious, I have used Hemp seed oil a year ago(which did not break me out) and now i am trying the Evening Primrose oil. I stay away from oils that have more Oleic acid thank Linoleic acid. I have heard great reviews on Pumpkin seed oil but I haven't tried it. I hope this helps...GOOD LUCK!!! Oils high OLEIC ACID: Avocado Oil, Aprikot Kernel Oil, Hazelnut Oil, Shea Nut OIl, Macadamia Oil, Sea Buckthorn Oil, Olive Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Palm Fruit Oil Somewhat balanced oils high in OLEIC ACID: Jojoba Oil, Coconut Oil, Flaxseed Oil, Tamanu Oil, Argan Oil Oils high in LINOLEIC ACID(best for oily skin): Safflower oil, Black Cumin Seed Oil, Hemp Seed oil, Evening Primrose oil, Pumpkin seed oil, rosehip seed oil, grape seed oil, soybean oil, wheat germ oil(comedogenic oil so be careful) somewhat balanced oils high in LINOLEIC ACID: Castor oil, kukui nut oil, pomegranate oil, sesame oil

I'm 30 and I've been breaking out on and off for about 10-15 years. I have tried a bunch of things, but I am starting to truly belive it's about living a healthy lifestyle. OCM fits into that. I wash with 1/4 Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 1/4 castor oil, and 1/2 jojoba. I put it on my face and steam with a washcoth a few times. Sometimes I'll put AHA on my face for 1 min after and then rinse. Maybe 1nce a week I'll do a honey/asprin scrub if I really think I need to. After I rinse everything off I DON'T put some oil back on, thats my only difference. I kind of switch up my products at night, usually though using neutrogena bp 2.5% and sebamed vitamin e face lotion (which i am obsessed with). I actually had someone say to me just yesterday that I was lucky to have been blessed with naturally good skin. WHAT! I've bawled over my acne before. I could hardly believe it. My skin isn't perfect, but it's SO much better. In the morning I don't wash with anything!!! I just rinse with water a few times. OTHER CONTRIBUTORS (I THINK) Drinking water (I vote for Trader Joe's Elextrolyte water), eating lots of fruits, veggies, whole wheat, grilled meats and fish, easy on the alcohol and sugar, and totally avoiding chemicals and high fructose corn syrup!!! Some people say food doesn't affect it but thats so untrue. I swear if I eat raw cookie dough it's for sure a big new cyst. I also exercise, pray, and enjoy life. I've pretty much stopped picking and obsessing over my face. I believe this has helped a lot. :-) Good luck!

I started using the OCM method after 37 years of battling moderately severe acne (both hormonal and topical). I was able to find a great system on a natural hair website for African-Americans. Since I started using the system 2 months ago, my skin has made a remarkable improvement. All of my friends and family constantly comment on how great me skin is currently looking. Cleanser: 50/50 Castor Oil / Grapeseed oil with some johoba oil and tea tree Toner: ACV spritzer (ACV/tea tree oil/johoba oil / asprin/ green tea / chamomile tea) Moisterizer: Grapeseed oil Mask: weekly honey-lemon mask I will recommend young black girls to try this out before using a more abrasive cleansing system that would strip the natural oils from your skin.

So. Here goes... I'm 25 years old, and I've had moderate to sever acne since I was about 11. I went to dermatologists, used Pro-activ, benzoyl peroxide products, etc. At first the benzoyl peroxide products worked, until I built up a tolerance to them after years of use. Same for the prescription drugs from my doctors. So, for the last few years I've been a little "hosed", but continued to use the benzoyl peroxide washes and creams. Just because I knew nothing else. My skin got worse. My skin became more irritated. I became older and more angry. I also began working at a natural grocery store with wonderful people and products and was told about the "oil cleansing method". So, I said, "oh, what the hell?!" I threw out all of my crap washes and creams and purchased: Grapeseed oil, tamanu oil, tea tree oil, raw honey and a crap load (yep) of vitamins. Now, while my skin is NOT 100% miraculously cured, it is no longer angry. It feels like skin. It isn't irritated or raw, or flaky AND oily at the same time. I have no more cysts, and my tiny "funny bumps" as I call them are minimal. I cleanse at night only with majority grapeseed oil mixed with a few drops of tamanu oil and tea tree oil. I massage it into my dry skin for about 2-3 minutes then wipe/rinse with a hot wash clean (a new, clean one each night). Then I follow with a brief RAW honey wash. A gentle 30-60 second wash just to ensure that the oil has been completely removed (it also puts some other good oils in there). Sometimes I'll use a TINY bit of tamanu and tea tree oil as an overnight spot treatment. In the morning I rinse my face in the shower and spray on some rose water. Because my acne is primarily due to imbalanced hormones (I'm also a vegetarian...which seems like it would help with the hormone issue due to all of the GMO crap in meat) I've also started taking: Evening Primrose Oil - 3 a day at 1,300 mg each. Fish Oil - 2 a day at 1,000 mg each. Zinc - 1 at 50 mg. A women's multi vitamin and a probiotic. Vitamins are extremely important if you have hormonal acne. And again...why not? Just do it. I've been doing this for a little under a month, and while I haven't been "cured" it's a whole hell of a lot better than it was, and I can actually feel myself begin to regulate a bit. So who knows how it will be in six months? I'm shocked that it took me until now to hear about and try. I'm glad I started working where I do with the people I do.

I have been using the OCM twice a week for the last three years. It has worked really well for me so far. I use a mixture of 40% castor + 60% almond oil. I have always wanted to try using safflower oil but never did because almond oil works great for me. Let me just give you some background about myself. I am a 29 year old from India, with a light brown complexion. I have normal skin which turns a little oily in summers. I have had a clear and smooth skin most of my life. I never had a single blemish on my face till the age of 24. Having always been kind of a nerd, I never bothered with my appearance or skin care. I started having little zits on my forehead and around my mouth. When people started commenting on how my skin is not as clear and baby smooth it used to be before, I started experimenting with a lot of beauty products to clear my face - washes, scrubs, masks, creams, you name it. It only made my skin worse. One day I got a big angry tomato red acne on my left cheek, and then another one near my mouth. These were not the harmless zits that went away in a couple of days. They were deep cystic acne. I saw a dermatologist right away. After taking the prescribed medicines, my left cheek cleared. But!! I got 2-3 new spots on my right cheek. Then that cleared up too...and I got more spots on my left cheek. My cheeks started looking like tomato patches. This went on for a while. My mom suggested this could be hormonal. I saw my gynecologist who ran a few blood tests for me. I was diagnosed with some early symptoms of Polycystic Ovarian Disorder or PCOD. My doctor put me on birth control for three months (to regularize the menstrual cycle). She also prescribed another pill for PCOD for the next six months. With that and a LOT!! of lifestyle changes (diet, exercise, sleep, posture), my PCOD was under control. Within a month, my skin started clearing up. My complexion slowly got back to being flawless the way it was. After almost a year of being miserable, I got my clear skin back. I stopped experimenting with face products. I still do not use any commercial wash, cream etc. on my face if it is not recommended by my dermatologist. I do use homemade masks, scrubs made with kitchen ingredients though. I started doing the OCM only when my skin was absolutely clear. I noticed my complexion had started looking very dull and lifeless. I came across the OCM on a beauty blog. I was intrigued and decided to try it with 40% castor + 60% EVOO. The results on the first two days were amazing. I had this amazing glow on my face. But after a week, my skin felt a little dry and started looking dull again. I switched from EVOO to jojoba oil. That gave me tiny white heads on my nose and forehead. So I stopped doing it every day. I started doing it once a week and switched to almond oil. Luckily, almond oil did not break me out. After a few weeks when my skin adjusted to it (NOTE: I did not "purge". I have read many people have had a purging phase with OCM. Not in my case). I started doing it twice a week. OCM has worked out well for me. All said and done, I would suggest people to try this cleansing routine, but with a lot of care. Try once a week. Please do not go overboard while rubbing in the oil. Five minutes are more than enough. If you have perfect skin/complexion, please DO NOT experiment with it. I would definitely NOT recommend this to anyone who has acne, rosacea, or sensitive skin. OCM involves a lot of rubbing in of oil, which might further irritate your skin and worsen your acne. Having dealt with terrible cystic acne myself, I truly understand how upsetting it is and how desperate one feels to try the next new miracle cure. Acne (especially cystic/hormonal) is best treated with the help of a good doctor and important lifestyle changes. I really helps if you stop obsessing over it :). Your facial skin is delicate, treat it with a lot of care. Hope this helps!! and sorry about such a long post.

So I found the OCM 3 or so years ago. And until I found the right balance of oils, it didn't work any better than anything else I'd ever tried as far as keeping my skin clear of big bumps goes. I've read a lot of these reviews... and I notice barely a mention of tea tree oil. Add TEA TREE to your regiment. My skin: super sensitive. a lot of congestion all the time with some bigger obnoxious pimples popping up. Normally do not wear makeup or sunscreen on my face as both made me break out (or did before the OCM) My job: Model, so the makeup artists slather that junk on my face and I always broke out after. Nothing worked to get all the makeup off my face, washing my face up to ten times to try to get it off. Leaving traces of makeup = break out. Over washing face = break out. Until the OCM. (And a side note, hair products can and do cause break outs too. If you don't shower that stuff out of your hair at night before bed, then it's getting on your pillow and you sleep on the pillow all night long. So if don't shower at night, change that pillow case every 2-4 days. More if you have extra.) My regular regiment: Jojoba oil and tea tree oil. I adjust the amount of tea tree as needed. usually I'm at 1/4 tea tree to 3/4 jojoba. But sometimes i up the tea tree if I know i'll be more prone to break outs, like around my menstrual cycle, or extra makeup days etc. In the beginning I did the whole "wash" my face with oil part of the method. After a year I switched to just rinsing my face with warm water, then rubbing the jojoba and tea tree into my face like moisturizer. Adjusted regiment for makeup/sunscreen: I use straight jojoba, rub in on my face, take a warm washcloth and wipe it off, then repeat this for a total of three times. It gets off all the makeup! THEN take jojoba mixed with tea tree and rub that on my face, wipe it off. Dry my face then rub jojoba and tea tree into my face like it was a moisturizer. Works like a charm and I stopped breaking out after photo shoots. I never tried grapeseed, mainly because I couldn't find it in the beginning and then jojoba and tea tree seemed to work pretty well so never bothered to change it. But the OCM is a trial and error process. Which oils work for you, and which don't. I did eventually give castor oil and try and found it too heavy for my skin except for when I visited super dry places in winter and even then only a very very small drop of it added to my oil mix bottle. The right mix for MY skin is key. The ocm didn't magically give me perfect skin, it didn't cure me of breakouts, blackheads, congestion, etc. But it was FAR superior to anything I have ever tried, and I've tried some pricy things. On the OCM I still have some congestion but have less visible acne (less of the big reds, or whites.) I have since tried using another skin care line as I have to start thinking about winkles and what I've found is this. 10% glycolic acid is great. and I like the line okay, but I've gone back to 90% ocm (or my lazy version of OCM), and 10% other products added in. Because the tea tree helps prevent my skin from breaking out.

I've had mild to moderate acne since I was twelve years old and for the duration of this time I have been using solely Proactiv and other similar products containing strong agents such as benzyl peroxide, glycolic acid and so on. While these products did work quite well, eventually my skin began to change and I found that these products were causing quite a bit of damage. My skin is no longer as oily as it once was when I was much younger (I'm 25 now). Instead, it's combination with many areas being quite dry. Recently, I began noticing that my cheeks and jaw line were completely covered in closed comedones. You can't really see them in artificial lighting but in natural light and with the addition of makeup, my skin looked extremely terrible. It looked bumpy and uneven. Nothing really worked to clean this up until I found the OCM. I was extremely hesitant to try this because I've used face oils in the past and they've always broken me out. That being said, I've also struggled with my skin for quite some time now and it's gotten to the point where I will simply try anything. I use a combination of castor oil and grape seed oil (which is known to be okay for acne prone skin). This has greatly improved the overall complexion of my skin not to mention it has greatly reduced the closed comedones. I think the important part is to know your skin. I DO NOT simply wipe away the oil when I'm finished and leave it at that. I always follow the OCM with a gentle cleanser, ensuring that there is no oil left on my face. I then follow this with my regular moisturizer and spot treatments if needed. Overall, my skin is much smoother and it's no longer as dry. I realized that my closed comedones were likely caused by extremely dry skin which can lead to congested pores. I still continue to experience hormonal acne on my chin although the breakouts I was having on my cheeks (where the congestion was mainly prevalent) has greatly decreased. I've also noticed that my acne scars are fading quite rapidly. Not sure if this is related to the OCM or not.

I have had severe acne since i was 13 and it got worse in my 20s. My move to europe for my graduate studies and my skin just took a turn for the worst! My acne scars started looking darker and my skin was insanely dry. I tried everything from prescription drugs, retinoid creams the whole deal. Then i tried using the Aleppo soap, and my skin just was not doing well at all! i am 25 and you would think acne is a thing of the past. but it was making me miserable, and i usually dont fret too much about my appearance. I took up regular exercise, stopped eating anything other that what i cooked and stopped diary as well. Nothing helped. So one day i came about the Oil cleansing method, and i decided to give it a try as well. i mean why not?! The only problem was i didnt have castor oil or any other oil except a good quality bottle of extra virgin olive oil. So i just started lightly massaging some olive oil every night and i would steam my face and wipe my face with a soft cloth. And i did that for a week and i realised my skin was looking so much better. most importantly my skin was soft! no dry, painful patches. its been about 2 months since ive been doing this. And i have go to say, this is the best my skin has looked in a while. i dont have any new pimples. Sure the acne spots are there, but it is definitely better than what it was 2 months ago. Its lighter and looks like its slowly disappearing. And i just use olive oil every night. My skin just feels so good. Definitely recommend this to everyone. This is literally the best thing i have done for my skin. i stopped using all the expensive creams and masks and the only thing i use now is a good bottle of extra virgin olive oil. I would totally recommend it!

I use 2 parts castor oil and 1 part jojoba oil each night and I've been very pleased with the results. I do have more tiny clogged pores than when I was on the heavier medications, but almost no big red pimples anymore - a trade off that I'll gladly take! The challenge has been to refrain from picking, because it does bring impurities to the surface. But my skin is now a more even tone and texture and looks better than it has in months. I've been told that the types and quality of oils used makes a huge difference. The castor oil should be cold pressed and organic oils are recommended. I've read on other blogs that using olive or grapeseed oils led to breakouts for some people (though I had success with grapeseed as well). It won't give you perfect, flawless skin (which, in my mind, is unrealistic for me given my history with acne and my minor scarring), but it has made my skin clear enough to be comfortable with minimal makeup and I don't feel nearly as self-conscious about it anymore. The all-natural aspect has eased my mind about long-term use as well. Sounds like it isn't for everyone, but I have only good things to say about it so far.

I read about the OCM and I decided to try it. I loved it. It made my skin look glowing and toned. I used EVOO and Castor oil. I just eyeballed the ratio, but it shouldn't be more than 50/50, which is a lot. The castor should be about 10-20% depending on your irritation level. I am also switching from EVOO to sunflower oil, because EVOO is rated a 2 on comedogenic and sunflower is a 0. I only did EVOO tonight because it's all I had on hand and I was excited to try this method of washing. I am still working out how often I am going to do this. A lot of people only do it 2x a week. I'd like to do it every day because I can't seem to find a good moisturizer and cleanser that actually aren't comedogenic, despite what they claim on the label. I'm surprised I am the first person to review this since it's been around for awhile and it's all over the web -- even on this board. Weird.