OCM users - help me please!

[twolittlemonkeys]

Hoping some of you can advise me. I read about the oil cleansing method on here and thought it was worth a shot so went out and equipped myself with castor oil and extra virgin olive oil. Have been religiously following it about 3 weeks and if anything my skin is worse. Not only do I have my usual few angry looking spots but loads of smaller ones brewing under the surface on my chin and forehead. Is it normal for skin to get worse before it gets better? How long should it take for my skin to settle down a bit? Or should I just give up on the OCM?

Skin looks worse than it ever did when I was a teenager :( I'm sick of having such awful skin and contemplating getting a fringe cut next week as my forehead is such a state and no amount of make-up seems to disguise my blemishes effectively.

This is known as the "purging" stage I think. All the dirt and nasties are being drawn out to the surface.

Some people just battle on through this stage - can maybe take a couple of weeks?

Personally I started adding an emulsifier to the mix and that sorted it out for me. My main reason was that my face never Telt that it was cleaned properly, no matter how much I steamed and wiped.

If you are just using oil with no refiners,emulsifiers etc you will get break out. A fabulous cleansing oil is Shu Uemura,in particular the green antioxidant blend.

At the risk of sounding really dense, what do I add as an emulsifier? [hblush]

I'll try to link the other thread for you, (and its not dense at all!)

Here it is

m.mumsnet.com/Talk/style_and_beauty/1276720-Oil-cleansing-method-oily-skin-how-long-should-I-give-it

Icelolly I've never heard that before and have been using OCM since July.

Twolittle, this is the classic purging stage. Make sure you are thoroughly removing the oil with your flannel and only add moisturiser if you really need it. Also, only OCM as many times a week as you need it (me personally, 5 times a week as have horrid clogged oily skin and have to keep on top of it but others use it 2/3 times a week).

Drink tons of water to help your skin too and a Vitamin B complex tablet will help this stage.

My advice - keep going. I'm using BareMinerals makeup now and it's incredible for coverage and staying power - maybe use that whilst your skin settles.

But crucially - wipe clean (theres only been one other MNer who has mentioned an emulsifier) - the rest of us just steam the cloth and wipe over and over again. Like 5/6/7 times. Then brush your teeth and if you can feelresidue still, clean again.

HTH :)

Pinot that's cos the other MNers give up before trying an emulsifier!

Twolittle like Pinot says most people are fine with just the straight oil mix but some are not, and no matter how much I wipe/steam it made no difference. Adding an emulsifier did make a massive difference. Everybody has different skin.

Another thing you could try is changing the oils you use, maybe find oils that suit your specific skin type.

Sounds like the purging stage but it could also be that EVOO is not agreeing with your skin. (Jojoba oil is good for OCM - nice and light.)

If things don't improve, try a different oil added in with your castor oil. I only use a tiny bit of olive in my mix. I don't use an emulsifier or refiner and have had no problems other than the initial purge.

OCM is not an exact science if you are making your own oil mix from scratch. There is some trial and error until you find the right oils for your skin. Make sure you are cleaning it off thoroughly, and persevere!

YY true. I use jojoba 80% and castor 20%.

w...hat is an emulsifier///

I found that extra virgin olive oil was too heavy for me so I switched to the cheapie olive oil that you buy from the chemists, which imo is a lot lighter and suited my skin a lot better. Used 80% this and 20% castor oil, this combination works for me, but I must admit every couple of days I just clean my face with warm water (days when I haven't been wearing makeup!) just so as I don't overload my face with oil .
Persevere my skin has never looked better, yours will too.

thanks for that i have decided to do oil every 2 days and use a mild wash in between,think my face looks a bit "brighter"though,but wait for little "bumps"to down...probably the purge stage..hey ho i will give it a few more weeks

I really tried with the OCM but gave up and started using the Aloe anne from The Body Shop and have never had such good skin.