The ABC of OCM, Oil Cleansing Method

Have you heard about OCM??? Otherwise known as the oil cleansing method!!  This is my favorite way to cleanse the face.  You might be saying to yourself, why would I clean my face with oil?  I want the oil off my face!!! In the holistic viewpoint of skin care we want to work with our skin, supporting it so it will support us with minimal effort and product.  One of the best ways to do this is by using oil to cleanse your face.  Yes oil!

Let’s break it down, so it all makes sense.  First off, your epidermis, the outermost layers of skin, is made up of many things including oil, waxes and lipids.  The other important idea to understand is that your skin also has a protective barrier called the acid mantle.  This helps keep all the unwanted things like bacteria, pollution, dirt and make-up out of your pores. When the acid mantle is disturbed this is one way that skin can become congested.  One of the main ways that this happens is by using harsh cleansers and over exfoliating the skin.    When you rob your skin of the precious oils, waxes and lipids that it needs to protect you, it thinks it needs to produce even more to make up for this loss.  So then your skin produces too much oil to overcompensate and then you think you have very oily skin and you use your harsh cleanser to get rid of it and you are stuck in a cycle.

When you use oil as the cleanser, you are liberated from this cycle.  Because you are giving the skin what it needs along with not disrupting the acid mantle, so the skin does not go into overproduction mode.  And oils are made of lipids and nutrients that the skin needs to be healthy so it’s a win-win situation.  You end up with more balanced, moisturized, glowing skin that feels and looks beautiful.

Another place that oil shines as a cleanser is that you can custom make your oil cleanser depending on your specific skin type as not all oils are created the same.

If you are interested in a Skin Consultation please contact lori@beautifulyouholistics.com

Stay tuned for part 2, where I will show you my favorite way to oil cleanse, that leaves me and my face feeling fresh and full of life!