Oil Chews Away Oil

My skin is just so dull. I have acne too. And scars. Oily.

My brain is screaming silently right now.

Over the years, my hard earned money has contributed to the financial growth of a number of companies AROUND THE WORLD. I don’t even know what all chemicals I have applied. The so called “natural” stuff I’ve used has just been a shade better than the chemicals-I-can-not-pronounce.

And when PCOS came along, the hormonal jazz made things worse. I added more chemicals-I-can-not-pronounce to my daily regime. When I got pregnant, I used to smile at myself “Oooo FINALLY that GLOW will come”. 9 months went waiting for THAT GLOW. I battled with duller skin that broke into pimples like it were going out of fashion. Post delivery, there was a glow that last one month. And now, am back to looking.. BLAH.

The screams are getting louder.

And then I stumbled upon the OIL CLEANSING METHOD. The more you dwelve into it, which is not too much by the way, the more convinced you’d get.

I am. And as I am already home, trying out the poo-less regime, there is no harm. It’s just oils after all. If my skin breaks out… Well, I’ve seen worse days.

WHAT’S THE FUSS?

Like our scalp, the skin too secretes. Sebum is this oil. And it’s there to protect the skin from the harsh environment. And all, I mean ALL, skin types produce sebum, the OIL. Now, when we use all these soaps and cleansers and toners and et al to clear our faces, we strip the skin of sebum, signalling the body to produce more. The state of natural balance, remember? Water does not dissolve oil. Soap does. BECAUSE soap has a hydrophobic portion which mixes with oil, and a hydrophilic portion that mixes with water. So all these face cleaning products have soap (in some form or the other) to dissolve the sebum and CLEAN the skin. This leaves our faces drier, and so then we have to re-moisturize with more chemicals-I-can-not-pronounce.

So how will an OIL cleanser HELP? Won’t it ADD OIL to the skin?

No.

Wikipedia puts it very simply “The oil cleansing method, often abbreviated to OCM, is a system for cleaning a human face using oils“.

It is based on the junior school Chemistry principle of ‘like dissolves like’ = ‘oil dissolves oil’.

WHAT I STARTED AND PLAN TO STICK TO FOR MY OILY SKIN

3 Part – Castor Oil – It is an antiseptic and anti-inflammatory oil.

1 Part – Almond Oil – Nourishes and moisturizes. Plan to replace this with Extra Virgin Olive Oil when I get around to buying a bottle.

Few Drops – Tea Tree Oil – Is a natural antiseptic.

I’ve made a mix and kept it in a bottle.

1. At night (ideally), pour a dollop of this mix on your palm and massage your face with it. Don’t wash your face or bother removing the makeup. Just chill and massage.

2. Wet a face towel with really hot water and put it over your face. Steam! Repeat this about 3 or 4 times and then wipe of your face with the towel.

3. Go sleep.

RATIOS – CASTOR OIL : OTHER OIL

– For a normal skin type, 1:1

– For an oily skin type, 3:1

– For a dry skin type, 1:3

Feel free to experiment with the ratios and oils to figure what is best for you.

I started this 2 nights ago. Yesterday morning, Singh said my skin was looking clearer. Blush blush.

I will be use OCM over the 30 days and observe and update my progress.

OCM UPDATE – 25 March 2012 – 3 Weeks

It feels wonderful! My skin looks clearer and the tone is even, those dark patches are gone! And each time I rub the oil in, I can feel the blackheads coming out!

And Singh too says, “Nice you’re looking!”