OCM

I'm going to talk about some lady stuff.  Some lady beautifying stuff.

Have you heard about the Oil Cleansing Method, or OCM?  I've recently heard of it and I'm giving it a try.  Basically, instead of using a face wash that has too many chemicals that I can't pronounce, I'm using oil to wash my face.  It sounds counter productive, but it's not.  You clean oil with oil.

I've only been doing this since Saturday, and I'm clearly not an expert, but I've already noticed a huge improvement in my skin.  My face is a lot less oily and my makeup looks fresh.  I started reading about this on Pinterest last week and it went from there.  I haven't noticed a decrease in any acne blemishes, but a blemish I did have yesterday morning is gone today, which is very rare.  I've been struggling with adult acne for the past year or so.  It's been as bad as it was when I was a teenager.  I went to the dermatologist last summer with little to no results.  Cleansers that used to work for me, no longer do.  My skin is changing as I'm aging.  Womp womp.  So, I thought to myself, "Let's try this OCM thing.  Clearly, it won't hurt because nothing else is working."

I've been pleasantly surprised.  When I went to wash my face pre-shower post workout last night, it looked like I had just applied my makeup for the day.  No oily face for me. 

Let's break down what types of oil I'm using on my skin.  First and foremost, OCM calls for Castor oil because of it's cleansing properties.  Over at theoilcleansingmethod.com, it says various ratios and some suggested oils to mix with the Castor oil.  I read in my research this weekend that jojoba oil is a good oil to mix with the Castor oil because of its moisturizing characteristics.  So, I went to Trader Joe's and picked up some jojoba oil.  I found the Castor oil at Walgreen's.  I mixed a 3:2 ratio.  Three parts Castor oil to two parts jojoba oil.  I mixed it in a travel sized shampoo/soap container.  I think next time I'm going to try a 1:1 ratio.  I've read that finding the right oil to mix with the Castor oil and the oil to oil ratio varies from person to person so there is a bit of trial and error associated with it.

Here's what you do at night before bed time.  You wet a wash cloth with super hot water.  Wring it out carefully without burning yourself and lay the wash cloth over your face for a minute or until it starts to feel cold.  Next, you massage about a teaspoon of the oil into your face for a minute or two.  Then, you take your wash cloth and wipe your face off and pat dry.  Boom.  Done.  Easiest face washing ever. 

My face is super soft after doing this.  I've been using the prescription retinoid I was given last summer at the dermatologist as well.  Apparently the retinoid is supposed to help with adult acne and aging skin.  We'll see how long using that lasts...  Then, in the morning in the shower I just rinse my face off with water and apply some moisturizer like normal post shower.

Anyway, I wanted to fill you in on a new nightly routine.  I'll keep you updated with any major results, but so far, it's pretty fantastic.