It may seem counter-intuitive on the surface, but this method is making true believers out of women across the world. Amenakin fills you in!
Ever since Allah (Great and Glorious is He!) cured my teenage acne via homeopathy, I have been a believer in unconventional skincare methods. Don’t get me wrong – I have seen brilliant effects from traditional creams and lotions, but something about the unusual ingredients and the ‘underdog’ product intrigues me.
Enter the ‘oil cleansing’ method (OCM).
Before I tell you about oil cleansing, I’d like to insert a little precautionary tale here. A few years ago, I dabbled in natural oils with the mindset to implement a new routine with vitamin E oil – without careful testing.
I ended up with horrible cystic pimples near my cheek, which took weeks to clear up. Out of the fear of re-living the teenage acne days, I steered clear of natural oils for a long time. That is, until I found a much better approach to using natural oils: make sure to test out one method at a time, slowly, keeping a close eye on results. Any breakouts should be a sign of ‘don’t go there’, as opposed to ‘stick with it because your skin is purging’. I had adopted the latter approach with pure vitamin E oil and my skin ended up in trouble.
So if you try the OCM, be sure to make small amounts of the cleanser to begin with, and gradually establish which quantities work best for you.
What is the OCM?
The OCM is something that’s been around for a long time. Its basic premise is to mix two oils together to form a facial cleanser that is suited for all skin types. The variation occurs with the actual oils and the proportions used. I’ve been using castor oil and olive oil, though any Google search will show you that it is possible to substitute either of these for other oils such as sunflower seed oil or avocado oil.
I settled on using a mix of 1/3 castor oil and 2/3 olive oil, and then recently changed to about 1/4 castor oil and 3/4 olive oil. My skin is usually normal but can sometimes get on the dry side (thanks to central heating!).
The ingredients
How to cleanse using the OCM
Once you have figured out the proportions of the oils that best work for you, store them in a bottle in a cool, dark place, out of direct sunlight. Then cleanse your face with it every evening using these steps:
- Dispense a generous amount of the oil in the palm of your hand. Rub your hands together to warm up the mixture
- Massage the oil into your face for 30–60 seconds. Try to relax and focus on massaging, which improves blood circulation to the skin on your face
- Take a hand towel or muslin cloth (wash cloth) and wash it with hot water. The water must be as hot as you can handle it – but not scalding!
- Wring out the water and place the cloth on your face. Relax and let the steam from the cloth open up your pores and loosen all the oils
- Once the cloth has cooled to room temperature (a few seconds later), wipe off the oil from your face.
- Repeat if you’re wearing makeup and it hasn’t been fully removed
Effects
You should notice the effects of the OCM within a couple of days. I noticed a reduction of black heads, breakouts and dry skin patches. It has worked amazingly and I can’t wait to try out different oils. It is usually recommended to switch up your skincare every three months, so that the skin does not get ‘used to’ a certain ingredient and stop responding to it.