Oil Cleansing Method

OIL CLEANSING.  SRSLY YOU GUYZ!

Ok, so the short story of this post is that I've been doing the Oil Cleansing Method for about 2 weeks now, and my skin has never been happier.  Huzzah!

Recommended Reading
Rather than spending hours typing out instructions and suggestions and whatever, I'm going to instead point you all in the direction of the posts that got me to where I'm at, and then we'll reconvene after you've read them and have a discussion.

• THIS POST from Crunchy Betty is all about how to get started, including a "how to do it" and "why you should do it" and is a great jumping off point.  (Crunchy Betty is the source I've been using most often for OCM help; there's a great OCM community discussion happening on her page, and I find her posts to be easy to understand and pretty frank while still tactful.)
  
• THIS POST from Crunchy Betty addresses some of the problems people were having (including using olive oil; I stayed away from olive oil because it's rarely as pure as packages claim it is, though pure olive oil is supposed to have a nearly identical PH level as skin).
  
• THIS POST from Crunchy Betty is about essential oils add ins (if that's your thing; I personally left my oils as-is, though I'm not opposed to experimenting in the future).  I personally don't mind the smell of the sunflower oil I'm using and haven't don the research to justify adding in any extras.
  
• THIS POST gives you an idea of how comedogenic (acne causing/pore clogging) different oils are supposed to be.  DEFINITELY give this a glance before deciding which oils to use; I'd recommend those with a 1 or a 0 rating.

The Backstory
So now that you have an idea about oil cleansing, let's get down to business.  I've struggled with a variety of skin problems for most of my life.  My cuts and scrapes heal slowly.  I've had dandruff problems for years that is really only kept at by thanks to Head and Shoulders.  I still have acne at 26, and it doesn't confine itself to my face.  I have really bad reactions to most facial cleansers; I'd finally resorted to a $50/bottle cleanser that can only be purchased at a limited number of spas (they used to carry it at the spa my mom worked at in IF, but it closed a few years ago; thank goodness they carried it in Las Vegas because it meant that I could still have access to it) and even then my skin was still upset at times.  Buying moisturizer is a total nightmare (looking back, I should have realized much earlier that my skin responds to oil well; the only moisturizer I've liked has a mineral oil base).

I know, I know #FirstWorldProblems

After exhausting the chemically formulated skin care options, and after being occasionally "enlightened" on my fb wall by vegan friends about natural alternatives in skin care, I finally decided to start looking in to natural alternatives.  I immediately skipped anything that looked like it belonged in a "make your own face goop from your kitchen" article in a teen magazine.  No egg yolk or toothpaste on my face, please and thank you.  Some alternatives seemed to complicated, and with my lifestyle I needed something I don't have to keep refrigerated.  It was at this point that three or so separate people mentioned oil cleansing to me (or everyone on their Facebook wall, I guess) seemingly at random.  One person even linked the Crunchy Betty original Oil Cleansing Method post.  So I decided to give it a try. (Side note: asking the universe for an answer to a problem and then keeping your mind open and ears alert really DOES work).

Explaining the "Science"
As already addressed in your reading assignment, the idea of PUTTING OIL ON YOUR FACE seems pretty darn foreign at first.  I mean, that's precisely what you want to get rid of, right?  And, after all, it's oil that clogs pores and creates zits and makes the whole world a less awesome place, right?  Wrong.  There are a lot of reasons your pores get clogged (dead skin cells, dirt, and (yes) oil), and lots more that might cause acne (internal problems like hormones or skin infections, for instance).

Assuming you've addressed medical considerations, though, it might just be that your "super duper oil-removing zit-treating cleanser-of-awesome is causing the problem.  Or that you live in a dry climate. Or both.  (One thing I noticed while I was recently in Hawaii (oh, hey, I went to Hawaii and haven't blogged about it yet) was that most of the people who actually lived there seemed to have pretty clear skin, regardless of their racial ancestry/age/gender.  And while I was there I just used water and a washcloth and my skin was healthier than ever and stopped producing tons of its own oil after about 5 days.)

Go visit http://clairhartmann.blogspot.com/

The idea behind oil cleansing is twofold, and pretty simple.  First, like attracts like (hello science!  and psychology!  and... well, the universe!), so it makes sense that oils are attracted to other oils.  Using oils (like castor oil) that have antibacterial properties and are also cleansing is a great idea because the bad oils are attracted to the good oils and then everything gets washed off.  Viola!  Second, the drier your skin is, the more natural (clogging) oil it produces.  And the more you strip off that oil, the more your skin over-produces it.  Want to stop the whole nasty cycle?  Stop stripping off bad oils and leaving nothing in it's place (chemically-based moisturizers don't count, no matter how "natural" the ingredient list is).  Enter oil cleansing.

How It Went for Me

I decided in late May to try oil cleansing, but that I wanted to wait until I got back from being in Hawaii because traveling with oil in my carry on just sounded messy.  I intended to use my mom's cleanser (we use the same spa stuff) and call it a day.  But my skin responded so well to the heat and humidity (and 3+ times per day of washing the sweat off with a damp washcloth) that I didn't need to use cleanser.  So, luckily for me I got to skip the "hang on while your skin adjusts to this" step.  I might not have survived otherwise.

Product Link

The day after I got home, I started oil cleansing.  I'm currently using about 2/3 sunflower oil (with a comedogenic rating of 0) and 1/3 castor oil (rating of 1).  I need a little more castor oil though I think because my face is a touch more oily than I'd like after I'm done.  Of course, it might also be that I haven't gotten the whole "how to wash it off properly" thing down yet.  It's only been a couple of weeks, after all.  What I've found is that my skin LOVES oil cleansing, but that I still have a need for some kind of spot treatment on my forehead (which comes from having bangs and therefore hair product on my forehead all the time).  I thought about doing something like apple cider vinegar (which is, apparently, all the rage in some circles), but it just seems so harsh and I'm not sure I want to smell like it all the time.  I couldn't find any other suggestion for a natural toner that I particularly liked either.  So instead I went and got the Burt's Bees Garden Tomato Toner today; we'll see if that helps at all (and, if it does, I'll do a quick review on it in a later post).

Pros and Cons So Far

I've only been at this for a week or so, so there's more to come I'm sure, but this is what I know so far.

Pros

• It's SO CHEAP compared to what I was using before.  Like, I seriously walked into a grocery store and got both oils for under $15 (the sunflower oil is in a large bottle, so that was kind of my only option) and they'll last me for a long time.  And since it's cheap, I don't feel like I have to ration myself to little tiny pumps, I can just go crazy with it.
• My skin is so much softer and less greasy already.  I feel like I have the kind of skin other people wish they had.
• My cheeks, which have been red and irritated for as long as I can remember (thanks Idaho dry, windy, bad-for-your-skin conditions!), are getting to be SO SOFT and happy and non-irritated.  Even with my pricey spa cleanser this problem never went away.
• It's pretty adaptable.  Right now, I'm using a 3 oz. bottle left over from Hawaii to store my premixed oil in, so it's easy to just dump into my hand.  But if I feel like I need some extra grease-cutting help, I just add a little more castor oil to my palm before washing.  If my face feels a little drier or more irritated, the just a little extra sunflower oil.  And, as the seasons change and therefore my skin's needs change, I can adjust the base mix accordingly.  This is WAY more cost efficient and instantly responsive than owing multiple products. because making changes is literally in my own hands.
• Even though I still have some acne on my forehead, the rest of my skin really is clearing up.  It's like a miracle.  If you switch to the Oil Cleansing Method, DON'T GIVE UP for at least a month.  Your skin takes some time to adjust from over-producing oil to compensate for your old cleansing method. I believe in you!  It's not the OCM that's causing the breakouts (probably; be sure you use hot enough water to wipe the oil off or it WILL stick to your skin more than it's supposed to), it's your own skin adjusting to a new regimen.  Remember how your skin did this the last time you switched face products?  OCM is no exception to that.
• I don't feel like I have to oil cleanse every day.  I use it when I'm wearing full face make up (not just concealer and eyeshadow, my normal fair) obviously, and on nights when my face feels extra gunky (I'm hoping the toner will help cut back forehead grease).  I use it every time I shower though, which is about every other day.

Cons

• More laundry.  Probably the biggest con there is for me.  Thank goodness I already had a set of six washcloths so I didn't have to buy more.  Once you've used a washcloth once with oil cleansing, it's time to move onto another.  Crunchy Betty suggested using laundry soap additives to combat the problem of getting oil out of cloth, but probably I'll just use Dawn dish detergent.  If it works on my dishes and on penguins, it'll be just fine on my face, I'm sure.
• I don't have that nice "skin and nothing else" feeling that comes from totally stripping the oil off my face.  I'm a little OCD, and it was hard for me to get used to having my face still feel like it had oil on it AFTER washing it.  I just have to remind myself that I'm combining the washing and moisturizing steps that are normally separated out, and that usually helps.
• It can be a little messy around the sink.  I mean, it's oil.  But it usually wipes off with the washcloth I just used, so it's not a huge deal as much as something to be aware of.

Final Thoughts

I really don't know if it's more "green" to oil cleanse or to use regular cleansers.  What's the carbon footprint for oil processing as opposed to chemical processing?  But as I'm striving to get "closer to source" when at all possible, I really feel like oil cleansing is WAY more in line with that than traditional store- or spa-brand cleansers.  And really, my cheeks are the biggest indicator of success.  

I'm still trying to figure everything out, but I feel like I'm making some serious progress towards happier skin.  My next goal is to get some vitamin E oil in there and start healing acne scars, but not until I've done some more research.  Wish me luck!