I popped into the drugstore yesterday to pick up a tube of the Neutrogena Visibly Clear Oil-Free Pink Grapefruit Foaming Scrub (yes I had to type that! lol) and saw a bottle of castor oil on the shelf. I've been meaning to try the Oil Cleansing method for some time now and as my Clarins melt gel is almost finished, I decided to mini-experiment with mixing the oils in preparation for long term use (if my skin likes it).
Oil. On my face. My already oily face. As much as this thought irked me the first time I learned about it, I'm actually thankful for my oily skin as it means the aging process will be slower. But still...oil?? On my face??? But, it does make sense. The OCM relies on the theory that like attracts/dissolves like and that using oil to cleanse your skin would rid it of the oil and gunk on your skin!
So why castor oil?
Castor oil is the primary oil and recommended to keep in the mix because it’s the cleansing oil out of the mix. Castor oil however can be quite drying to the skin, which is why you need to use less of it if you have dry skin. You also don’t have to use castor oil in the mix. You may find that using olive oil (or another non-comedognic oil) on its own is okay.
Following a few tips that I saw online, I mixed one part castor oil to three parts Olive Oil (recommended for oily skin) and massaged it into my face for three minutes. I then placed my face cloth into a bowl of hot water, squeezed it out and placed it on my face, allowing it to steam until the rag got cold. Then I wiped away the oil and repeated that step about three times. Ladies. This thing removes makeup like nothing else I've ever used!!! Even eyeliner and mascara which usually takes forever to get off. I then hopped in the shower and used a bit of my Neutrogena Grapefruit scrub (which smells heavenly) to get rid of any residue oil that was left behind.
I found that my face was a bit dry and to my horror 3 little bumps had appeared on my cheek. Mortified, I moisturized with my night cream and went to bed. Woke up this morning....looked in the mirror...and the bumps are gone!!! WTH??? So now, I'm not sure what caused the breakout nor what caused it to go away...I'll have to try each product on its own to see but apart from that little scare and the fact that the OCM is messy and time consuming...I don't think I'll have a problem incorporating it into my skincare regime.
Will keep you posted!
