I first ready about OCM in a natural living community on Livejournal. I haven’t had the means to get my hands on the necessary tools, and now being in Portland has allowed that to happen. I would have purchased online, but I really wanted to get smaller amounts to test before investing. The How-to article outlines using Castor Oil and Extra Virgin Olive Oil for this method of cleansing, though later posts suggest Jojoba Oil because it’s closer to the natural sebum produced by our bodies. Other tips have been to be sure to use Cold Pressed Castor Oil, because the other methods may use chemicals which can cause the skin to react badly.
The mixture depends entirely on the skin type. More Castor Oil should be used for oily skin, while more Jojoba Oil for dry. It’s a completely experimental situation, which is why I opted to purchase small amounts to play with at first, though it’s recommended to start with a 50/50 mix and adjust from there. Other oils and things can be added, but I like to keep it simple during the first testing phase. Also, because I am not much of a spa-type girl, I opted not to steam my face. Many of the users on the LJ community I linked to also opt-out of this, and have still had success with the OCM. I didn’t see any reason why I shouldn’t.
I made my oil purchases at New Seasons. The Castor Oil is The Palma Christi, and is listed as “Pure, Cold Pressed, Top Quality Oil” on the bottle. It also states “Hexane-free and Certified”. The Jojoba oil I bought is Desert Essence. The bottle reads that it has “no alcohol, artificial detergents, color or synthetic perfumes” and also the ingredient list only contains Jojoba Oil. Having the purest of ingredients is essential for this experiment I believe, because then I can base my analysis on the products instead of wondering if some outside source is causing the reactions I experience.
As for my face, it seems to be about average. When I was younger, I had horrible acne, but in my adult years it has been one or two a week. They are also smallish pimples, since I have small pores. I do have a lot of discoloration on my face, and patches of dry skin. I find that the area just under my lips get kind of crusty and dry, no matter how much moisturizer I use. My nose and sometimes my forehead also get flaky and dry. I am mostly concerned about the chin/lip area, because it starts to turn brown and I seriously look like I’ve been eating mud or other perverse and unpleasant sounding activities. It has plagued me for many years. While I don’t buy into the whole beauty standard, I also don’t want my skin to look like it’s cracking and dying. I don’t wear make-up, and I don’t put a bunch of crap on it. I would like attractive skin that I have to mess with as little as possible. My husband has, and will always, take longer to get ready than I do.
I think that is a good primer for the first post. I did a mixture of 25% Castor oil and 75% Jojoba oil. Of course this is a rough estimate, I didn’t measure with instruments, instead opting to eyeball it. I massaged the mixture into my skin for a few minutes, until I felt like it had good coverage and was able to sink into my pores. Then I used a warm reusable shop towel (they’re more sturdy than paper towels) to wipe off the mixture. Afterwards my skin felt smooth and soft, and while it felt moist, it didn’t feel greasy or tight. The area under my lip still felt a little crusty, so I rubbed some plain Jojoba oil onto it and then onto my nose where I notice the most dryness.
I admit even after one application, I feel a difference in my skin. I also see a difference, as does my husband. His description, I kid you not, was “it used to look like gloss paint, but now it looks like semi-gloss. It’s nice”. I found this a rather odd description, not being much of a handyman but I’ll take what compliments I can get. I even noticed the chin/lip area didn’t feel crusty anymore, nor did it have the dark complexion. I will likely wait until the end of a month’s time before taking another picture. I plan to do the OCM method once or twice a week until then. I will apply the Jojoba oil whenever I feel my face is tight or crusty.
EDIT: The morning after my skin still felt supple and smooth. The chin/lip problem area felt like normal skin, and still didn’t have any discoloration. So far, OCM for the win!
