It was a long time coming, but I finally got around to putting together this post on The Oil Cleansing Method, after receiving a few requests when my skin was having a hissy fit.

It took a while to compile all the research I'd done on various carrier and essential oils into an easily usable document. But now it's ready for you to download

Ta da!

Download PDF:

Best Oils for The Oil Cleansing Method

Okay, so now you've got the oil info, but how do you use them to cleanse your skin?

And, more importantly, why would you want to? Haven't we been told our whole lives that oil + skin = bad?

Yes, if it's mineral oil, but – as the pdf shows – some plant and essential oils are rich with nutrients and properties that are hugely beneficial for our skin.

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So how does it work?

We're probably all familiar with that tight feeling after washing our faces, particularly with foaming cleansers. That's because a lot of cleansers strip all the natural oils from our skin. Not just the excess greasies, but the natural oils that moisturise our skin from the inside, keeping it supple, smooth and healthy.

So what do we do? We go out and spend a fortune on moisturisers to try and put back what our cleansers stripped away.

Doesn't really make a whole lotta sense.

The OCM works on the principle that oil dissolves oil.

Blackheads are just natural oil (sebum) that's gone hard in the pores and oxidised to a darker colour. And you probably already know how hard they are to shift.

The beauty of the OCM is that the oil softens up that hardened sebum, dissolving it and causing them to slip out of the pores much more easily than any other method you've tried.

No squeezing that bruises skin, stretches pores and can cause infections. No ripping pore strips or masks off your delicate skin.*

Even if you don't have blackheads (lucky you!) the OCM is a very gentle way to remove excess sebum, dirt and makeup.

And it's so nourishing to your skin. Whenever I stick to the OCM, my skin just glows.

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So how do I choose an OCM blend?

You can buy oil cleansers, but it's actually much cheaper to blend your own. And using the info in my pdf, you can customise the oils to your own skin's specific needs.

You might like to buy your oils at the health food store, but they are often much cheaper online.

Some good stores are iHerb and New Directions.

This is the blend I'm using:

• 20% Castor oil
• 40% Macadamia oil
• 40% Sweet Almond oil
• 10 drops Lavender oil

I'm not sure where I got this very small funnel – pharmacy maybe? – but it's perfect for mixing up my blend.

I also use an amber glass dropper bottle because a) the amber bottle prevents the light oxidising the oils, and b) the dropper is much less messy than pouring oil straight out of a bottle.

Okay, now that you've got your oil blend, the only other thing you need is a soft flannel facewasher.

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How do I use the OCM?

1. Remove eye makeup first

You don't have to do this, because the OCM will completely remove all your eye makeup, but I don't personally like rubbing all my eye makeup over my face with the OCM.

Some people remove the rest of their makeup first as well, but since I only ever wear mineral foundation, or a little bit of concealer and powder, I don't bother. If I'm wearing heavier makeup, I just do the OCM twice.

2. Put about a 50c sized puddle of oil in your palm.

Rub your palms together, and then gently spread the oil over your face. I also do my neck, and at times my decolletage.

3. Massage your face

Now is your time to relax

I sit down somewhere comfortable and close my eyes, and gently massage the oil into my face, concentrating with my fingertips on any areas where I get congestion, like around my nose and chin.

You may start to feel the oil get a bit "sandy" under your fingers. This is great! It means all those little plugs of dried oil and dried skin in your pores have been loosened and are being cleared away.

I massage my skin for about 2 -3 minutes, but sometimes up to 5 if my skin is particularly congested.

If you've added any essential oils to your blend, the OCM is also a wonderful aromatherapy experience. Lavender is very relaxing, especially at bedtime when it will help you get restful sleep.

4. Steam your face

Now you want to cleanse the oil and dirt away.

Run your facewasher under a very hot tap until it's steaming, and wring it out. Make sure it's not too hot to touch, though. You don't want to scald your hands or face.

But you do need it to be hot enough to steam your face. This helps open up the pores and get all that dissolved oil out, and then clear it away.

Hold the hot facewasher over your face, pressing it gently all over until it cools down. Usually just 30 seconds or so.

Then use the cloth to gently wipe away the oil.

Rinse the cloth in hot water and repeat – hold it on your face until it cools and wipe your face.

I find that two steamings is enough to get all the oil off.

If you wear a lot of heavy makeup, you may feel like you need to do the OCM twice to get it all off. Everyone's skin is very individual and you will know what works best for you.

5. Moisturise.

For me, the OCM is finished here. I find that my skin feels so lovely and smooth and plump, I don't need to do anything else.

It may look a bit splotchy for a few minutes afterward, but it doesn't take long to settle down.

The reason I don't need to moisturise is because I've worked out the best ratio of oils for my skin (more on this later), and don't find the OCM drying at all.

But if you're just starting out, or have too much castor oil in your blend, you may feel like your skin needs a bit of moisture after steaming.

Often just 2 or 3 drops of your cleansing blend smoothed over your face is perfect to add a bit of moisture back into your skin.

Or you may like rosehip oil. Or your regular moisturiser.

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Things you need to know about the OCM

• It can be drying

But didn't I say earlier that OCM doesn't dry your skin like other cleansers do?

Well, believe it or not, castor oil is the "cleansing" part of the OCM. In too high quantities, it will strip your skin like other cleansers. So you need to work out the best ratio for your skin.

I always thought I had very oily skin, so I started out with 50% castor, 25% almond and 25% macadamia. That was way too drying.

So I dropped it down to 30% castor. And, to my surprise, even that was still too drying.

Now that I've dropped it back even further to 20%, it's perfect.

So play around with your castor oil quantities and you will find the ratio that's perfect for your skin too.

• Don't overdo it

You may be tempted to do things like massaging for too long. Or doing the OCM twice a day.

This will probably result in dry skin. When I massaged for 5 minutes, like I mentioned earlier, I did end up with a bit of tightness that needed moisturiser.

When I do the OCM at night, I don't need to cleanse in the morning. I just rinse my face in the shower, or gently wipe with a facewasher if it feels like it needs it.

Some people find doing the OCM every day is too much, so do it every second day.

Again, you will work out what's right for you.

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So, there you go.

That's the Oil Cleansing Method.

If you have any questions at all, please feel free to ask me in the comments

xx Kiki

* Though I'd be lying if I said I don't find these methods strangely satisfying, even if they're not as effective overall as the OCM.

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