Oil Cleansing Method Update

I know know, it has been way more than two weeks! BUT on the plus side, this you will actually see results. 

When the end of my two week challenge was up, my skin was worse than before I had started. I almost did not want to continue because of it. Ultimately, I decided to do some more research and found that the new breakouts I was having were not because my pores were clogged, but that my skin was purging itself of everything I've put on my face from before. About two weeks after that, my skin started improving. I know that for me, my skin takes about a month to get used to something before I start to see progress or not. 

**Keep in mind that we all have different skin types. So what works or doesn't work for me, does not necessarily mean it will or will not work for you.

   The picture that you see here is from my first cleansing post (which you can read here). As you can see, I have pretty pronounced breakouts on the contours of my cheeks, as well as some cystic acne on my chin. 

I forgot to take a picture of my chin, but so far that is the only spot that has completely cleared. Both sides of my cheeks have definitely improved, though not entirely clear. As you can see however, the progress is certainly there!

Another thing that I had noticed while doing the OCM, my super oily skin, is not so oily anymore! My skin got sooo used to me using harsh oil stripping cleansers, toners and even moisturizers, my glands had to work harder everyday and night to produce enough oil to keep up with me stripping them squeaky clean. 

They worked so much they were overproducing far more oil than my skin actually needed, causing my face to become a grease ball. Eventually, causing horrible breakouts.  The OCM  has allowed my skin to slow down on production, leading to more of a proper amount.  Now half way through the day, my skin for once does not feel like I slathered grease all over it (ironic right?) 

I am still working on the perfect ratio blend of oils but I plan on sticking with this for awhile! 

Did you take the challenge? 

What was your outcome?

Oil Cleansing Method: What is it? + 14 Day Challenge!

Hello everyone! First off, I just want to say, the next few weeks are going to be very hectic since I move IN TWO DAYS!!! (Insert overly happy dance here! Hehe(; )

With that being said, I won't have as much time to blog, but stay with me, I'm not going anywhere!(:

Moving on. Pinterest was the culprit for this odd find, but before I get into that, let me tell you a little about my skin.



From the time I hit puberty, till the summer before my freshman year of highschool, I had horrible, horrible acne. I mean, you could spot them from a mile away.. It was bad. And no matter how many products I used from drugstore, to what my dermatologist prescribed, down to Proactive. Absolutely nothing worked, and I wish I was exaggerating. 

However, once highschool rolled around, I swear the magical blemish fairy came to me one night, waved her magic wand, and I woke up with perfect (or almost perfect, minus discoloration) skin! So for the next several years, I rarely had a blemish. In fact, it's been so long, once I started breaking out again, I had no idea what to do.. 

Only this time, they are not just blemishes, but cystic acne (awesome, right?) Thankfully however, instead of being all over my face like my puberty years, they seem to only remain on the contours of my cheeks and chin. Getting rid of them though, has been a complete and utter battle. It's embarrassing. So what does this oil cleansing have anything to do with this, you ask? Keep reading!

Oil Cleansing Method 

All our lives growing up, we are told that oil is bad, it clogs our pores and causes nasty breakouts, use oil free products, etcetera etcetera. Especially those of us with oily skin. Never once do you hear that oil is good for your skin, or anything of the sort. Oh no no no. Which, of course, when I first stumbled upon the Oil Cleansing Method (OCM), I was like "what? You want me to what?"

If you remember from chemistry, you learned that like dissolves like.
So in terms, oil dissolves oil.

How to do the OCM

The idea is, you create your unique mixture of natural oils, slather it on your face, and rub for a couple minutes. While you are continuously rubbing, the new oil you put on your face is now "pulling" the old hard oil from your skin and replacing it with the new fresh oil. This also is awesome for removing makeup, so no need to do that before hand!

Basically:
⚫ The natural oils will clean and moisturize,
so need for a traditional moisturizer.
⚫ You're skin will thank you for not using harsh
chemicals, or stripping away all its oils!

There are a variety of oils to use, but since I am new to this method, I suggest you do your own research to find out which oils are best for your skin type, and a good ratio to start off with. Here are a couple blogs I found to be very helpful:

Troubleshooting: The Oil Cleansing Method & What you need to know

What You Need To Know To Make Oil Cleansing Work For You

What Oils To Use For Your Skin Type

My OCM Blend

Now, remember it's really important to do your research before using anything on your face. You may have to experiment with your oil blends. I'm still learning myself.

The oil blend I am experimenting with consists of Extra Virgin Oilve Oil (I started using this before I had come across the second link above), Sweet Almond Oil, Jojoba Oil and just a couple drops of Tea Tree Essential Oil. 

To mix them, I do:

⚫ 2 spoon fulls of EVOO (I just use an actual spoon).
⚫ 1 spoon ful of Sweet Almond Oil.
⚫ 1 spoon full of Jojoba Oil.
⚫ About 4-5 drops of Tea Tree Essential Oil.

And mix mix mix!

Now For The 14 Day Challenge!

I decided to take a challenge of using the OCM for two weeks, to see if this really makes any difference in my skin, and to see if I can actually ditch those nasty harsh chemicals once and for all!

Of course however, you probably won't find the perfect blend right away (but if you do, awesome!). So take your time and listen to your skin!

I will be periodically checking back (or making a new post) to document how my skin is doing, and I will continue on after my 14 days.

And now, I challenge you!

Have you heard of the OCM or tried it before?
Will you be taking the challenge?