Oil cleansing method Part-2: The process of Oil cleansing and My modified oil cleansing method for healthier and better looking skin

Now that you are acquainted with what is oil cleansing method? How does it work? The benefits of oil cleansing method lets move on the actual process shall we?

Why Different Processes?
There is no universal process for oil cleansing. Different people use different oils in different quantity. It all depends on the availability of the oil, skin type, skin condition and allergies. And also what works the most. It all comes down to that, the method that works the best for your skin. So what works best for me may not be the optimal one for you. If you are not getting all the benefits of oil cleansing, it may be that you just haven’t found your perfect blend of oil and process yet. So keep reading and researching until you manage the one. I can just show you how to start...

Standard Practice: 
The most common practice of oil cleansing method is perhaps to use a blend of castor oil and sunflower seed oil. It is described in the acclaimed The Oil Cleansing Method website by The Beauty Bottle. You can also use other oils like olive oil, almond oil, avocado oil, grape seed oil, hazel nut oil, hemp seed oil, essential oils depending on the availability, preference, allergic condition etc

That is a lot of oils, right? Notice any oil missing? A very common one? Yes, coconut oil. Do not use it for oil cleansing because it has a high probability of blocking pores and causing breakouts.

Oil Cleansing Method Recipe: 
So anyway, the recipe goes like this, use a blend of castor oil and sunflower/olive/whatever else oil you want for oil cleansing method. Now, castor oil plays an important part and thus mentioned specifically because even though it is oil, it works like an astringent. That is, it removes oil like nothing else. This is why you should never use castor oil alone on your skin, it will dry it out. But mixed with some other conditioning oil (olive/sunflower seed /and so on) it will take effectively clean up your pores; get rid of blackheads/whiteheads/cysts/pimple/dry patches/everything that’s stuck on your pores the whole ten yard.

So since it can be kind of drying, the ratio of castor oil to other oil will depend on your skin type. It is a trail an error process really. But according to most of the skin care website/blogs etc the standard ratio is something like that

• For oily skin use 30% castor oil and 70% other oil
• For normal and combination skin use 20% castor oil and 80% other oil 
• For dry skin use 10% castor oil and 90% other oil.

That is unless you are allergic to castor oil, in that case feel free to use any other oil/blend of oils. Like I said trial and error. For example, I do not like sunflower seed oil so I opted for olive oil instead.

 

Step by Step Standard Oil Cleansing method:
Now for the actual process :

1. Take some of your blend of oil on your palms. A quarter size amounts will do.
2. Rub your hands together; it will warm the oil blend up a bit. Then apply it all over your face. 
3. Start massaging your face in a circular motion. It will dissolve the pre-existing oil and loosen blackhead/white heads and other impurities. Do not put too much pressure on your skin. The time for massage varies from 5 minutes to 30 minutes but if you really want optimal result try to do it for at least 12 minutes. 
4. After your massaging is done, take a warm washcloth soaked in hot water. The cloth shouldn’t be scalding hot or something just as warm as you can stand. Put it over your face for 10-15 seconds or until cold. It will lessen the blackheads/whiteheads/other impurities even further. Gently wipe off the oil from your face using the washcloth 
5. You can repeat the step-4 2-3 times. Use different washcloth though

That’s it. You are done cleansing. No need to use face wash, exfoliate or even moisturizer later. If your skin feels a bit dry you can totally use a drop or two of the oil and that is it.

My Experience with Standard Oil Cleansing Method: 
So there goes your standard procedure. I tried it twice using a blend of 30:70 of castor oil: olive oil. While it did what it was supposed to, took of my make-up plus impurities (really no blackheads from first use!!!) and didn’t give me any breakout or anything, I had other problem. Primarily the warm wash cloth. I am really, really uncomfortable with anything warm on my face. I can use luke-warm water but never but never something warmer. It does not do anything physically, I do not mean really hot water or anything, and it just make me feel kind of suffocated.

So instead of 10-15 seconds of warm washcloth, I did a 5 minute of steam and achieve the almost same result. I think the purpose of warm washcloth was to steam your face anyway.

But it didn’t take off the oil like warm cloth would do. And of course warm cloth did not take of 100% of the oil. And this was recommended for dry skin and skin problems that the oil residue that stays on your face after washing off with the warm clothes stays on. In fact it was vital for the skin recovery.

But I do not have any such problem. And I do not like the glowing dewy skin. And I did not need to use any moisturizer but also could not use my favorite facial serums and creams because the leftover oil residue created a barrier between my skin and the product for it to be totally absorbed.

So next time I used a really gentle cleanser after steaming. It took off most of the oil but not all of it. My skin was not dry at all in fact I barely felt the need to moisturize but when I used a facial serum and moisturizer it was easily absorbed since there were no more oil to create barrier. There were no dry patches and my skin never felt better!

I also changed the ratio to 40:60 of Castor and Olive oil since I have really oily skin. Plus I took some undiluted castor oil and massaged it on my nose over the oil blend. It totally took of my blackheads from single application.

So this is how I am doing my oil cleansing method. I am doing this once every week plus when I am trying to remove a full face make-up which is not very often. (I do not use this blend to take off my eye make-up, mainly waterproof; mascara and liner with little shadow because the skin around eye is delicate and does not that that deep cleansing. I use only olive oil to do so)

Again, I can not stress this enough, this is not the standard practice. This is not even recommended. It is recommended that you follow the standard practice. That you steer clear of all commercial cleanser and use only oil cleansing method every day or every other day to clean your face. Only then you can achieve any special result, like getting rid of acne or other skin problem. It can even supposedly normalize your skin that is turn oily or dry skin into a normal one.

But right now I just do not have the time to do 20-30 minutes of oil cleansing everyday. Not ready to give up my facial cleanser, serum and moisturizer and other products. Not liking the dewy glow because it kind of turns my skin a shade darker. But of course this is totally my personal choice. Right now it is working for me. Maybe someday I will totally convert to traditional oil cleansing method. Or may be not. Either way, it’s amazing. I can personally vouch for that. I have been telling people, my sister, cousins, friends about oil cleansing method and its working for them too. They have also personalized the whole process one way or another.

So try oil cleansing today, experiment, personalize, modify…I am sure once you get the hang of it, it will work for you too. And you will never look back again. I know I won’t.

Have you tried oil cleansing method yet? Are you going to? Do you modify it someway? Share your thoughts…

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