My Oil Cleansing Method Experience: Part One

Ever since my first pre-pubescent pimple popped up on my nose at the ripe old age of 10 or so, I've tried about a gazillion products to get that glowing, smooth and blemish-free complexion so often envied in fashion magazines and films. For most of us it's an impossible goal - heck, even supermodels and actresses have the added benefit of professional makeup artists, designer facials and post production airbrushing, but that doesn't mean that we simple folk don't do our damnedest to reach it as well! So, after reading mixed but generally positive reviews on the oil cleansing method, I decided to give it a try. If you are unfamiliar with the process, the basic premise is this: most products out on the market today, specifically those targeting "troubled" skin that is prone to breakouts, contain ingredients that strip the skin of its natural oils. Oil is viewed in our society as a harbinger of evil, you see, laying waste to our hopes and dreams of flawless skin. But some people are starting to realize that these same products could in fact be one of the contributing factors, if not the primary cause of these same skin outbreaks, since the skin is stripped of its natural defense against bacteria, subjected to synthetic fragrance (which in itself can be an irritant) and becomes a veritable oil well to compensate for what it has lost.

Cue the oil cleansing method. What this hopes to do is in fact battle fire with fire - by massaging the skin with natural oils that simulate the skin's sebum (ahem, oil), proponents of this method claim that it helps to reverse the negative effects of these commercial products, restoring the skin to a natural balance without undue irritation. This goes against everything we've been taught (oil is bad and clogs your pores like a mofo!) and more than likely creeps out the majority of people who read about it, but the promise of a natural remedy to my monthly breakouts was way too alluring for me to pass up. If you would like to read more about this method, please visit this site: http://www.theoilcleansingmethod.com/ - you can read a full list of directions near the bottom of the page.

So, what has my experience been so far? Well, I wish I could say it went well and my skin is the best it's been in years, but unfortunately...well, let's just say that OCM and OCD tendencies do NOT mix. I got so excited about this method that I went a bit overboard, mixing about 30% castor oil to 70% sunflower oil (organic, unrefined and cold-pressed, of course) and massaging like mad for 10 minutes a day. At first I was pleased with the results. My skin glowed (probably due to my overzealous massaging) and felt soft and smooth. The few spots I had on my cheeks and jawline (hooray for hormones!) seemed to get less irritated and angry looking. Then, about a week into the process, I had a very rude awakening. You see, the massaging portion is oddly addictive, as you can actually feel the little sebum plugs in your skin coming out as you massage, so I added a bit more castor and rubbed, and rubbed some more...and once I was done, my skin literally felt like I had been out at the beach all day without sunscreen. It was tight and dry and...well, angry with me.

I woke up the next day to find not only that my skin had not improved since the day before, but that I had broken out with a fresh row of red, inflamed bumps, bumps that I do not normally get even during my worst hormonal moments. And not only were they along my jawline and cheeks, but I also had small raised (red!) bumps all over my forehead and nose. Which then decided to turn to whiteheads. Oh joy.

It's now been three weeks since the unfortunate OCM "incident" and my skin is just now returning to normal thanks to my new Garden of Wisdom routine (I'll be sure to post a review of that soon). I don't want to give up on this method yet, as I do believe it can have some definite benefits for anyone struggling with combination, sensitive or acne-prone skin, but the learning curve is so daunting and there are so many factors involved that can have a direct positive/negative effect that I'm not exactly eager to jump back in to a process that could potentially leave me with worse skin than I started with. So, last night I decided to give my skin a quick massage with pure sunflower oil (no castor this time) to see what happens, but I did follow that immediately with a tea tree oil cleanser to make sure that all oil residue had been removed. I'm not taking any chances from here on out! I'd love to hear if anyone else has had an experience (good or bad) with this method, and I will definitely continue to post my results here as well.

My parting advice is this: if you decide to do this, or any other skin routine for that matter, listen to what your body is telling you. There is no method that works for everyone and your skin will let you know if it likes what you're doing or not. There are no quick fixes, no matter how much we wish they existed. The path to clear skin, especially when using completely natural products, is a long one full of missteps and experimentation. I wish you all the best of luck - I'll certainly be needing it as well!