A few weeks ago I shared some of my favorite DIY cleaning recipes with you. Today I would like to share one of my personal care favorites.
First off, my reasons for making many of my own personal care products are as much about safety as saving money. I’ve become increasingly uneasy about the synthetic chemicals and additives used in commercial personal care products.
That said, here is the the recipe for a personal care product I’ve used everyday over the past five weeks: oil cleansing method (OCM).
Oil Cleansing Method (OCM)
I was first introduced to oil face-washing method on SimpleMom.net. At first it seems counterintuitive to slather your face in oil rather than soap, however this has been my favorite DIY personal care product to date!
I have sensitive, fair and acne-prone skin. Needless to say, trying a new face wash is never something I look forward to. This cleansing method has proven to be the gentlest, most cleansing face wash I’ve EVER used. It easily removes makeup, never leaves my face feeling tight or oily and leaves my skin with a healthy glow.
You can experiment with different oils (grapeseed, sunflower, apricot seed, flaxseed, almond oil, etc.) Since I’ve only used castor oil (draws out impurities) and extra virgin olive oil (nourishes skin), those are the two I’m listing in the recipes that follow.
You can also try adding a drop or two of an essential oil (like tea tree or lavender), but I prefer to keep my oil face wash fragrance-free.
I truly hope you have the same glorious results with this recipe as I have!
Oily Skin Recipe
2 parts castor oil
1 part extra virgin olive oil
Normal Skin Recipe
1 parts castor oil
1 part extra virgin olive oil
Dry Skin Recipe
1 part castor oil
2 parts extra virgin oilve oil
Directions for use: pour oils into the palm of your hand and then massage into your dry face (I typically have puddle that’s a little larger than a quarter once I’ve combined both oils). Once you feel that each pore is sufficiently saturated, take a very warm, damp washcloth and hold it on your face until it starts to cools. Once partially cool, use the washcloth to gently wipe the oil from your face.
Rinse the washcloth and repeat the warm washcloth steaming one or two more times.
For extra moisture, massage a few drops of extra virgin olive oil, vitamin E, jojoba oil or other oil of your choosing into your face.
Sleep well and wake up with radiant, glowing skin!
*Since beginning this face care routine, I have also stopped washing my face with soap in my morning shower. I’m so happy with the improved clarity and balance in my facial skin.
Additional Resources:
Have any of you tried this face washing method? If so, what did you think?
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Just posting a photo of my two skincare products on my Facebook page with a link to this post. I’ve minimised the facial one further by just going with the olive oil… I’m also using it on my hair!
I just saw it Jo!
That’s great that you’re able to get by with only the olive oil. I haven’t tried the olive oil as a hair conditioner, but I’ve been using coconut oil. I just rub a dab into my dry hair and then wash it out. It leaves my hair nice and silky without any oily residue.
I’m loving all these new (or old), natural personal care discoveries!
I loved your DIY cleaning recipes, and am loving this DIY oil cleansing method even more.
I’ve a very dry skin which bothers me a lot during the winters. I think following your method will help me.
Thanks for sharing.
-Jenna
Hi Jenna!
Good luck with the oil cleansing method. I was having a problem with dry skin this winter and this completely took care of it. I hope it does the same for you!
And I’m so glad you enjoyed the DIY non-toxic cleaning recipes!
I used to use a little almond oil, or a little olive oil, instead of lotion or moisturizer. I always felt a little oily. This is a good routine to try though. I like the steaming step. I toss a damp cloth in the microwave for 30 seconds a time and it works fine. I like the mix of castor and oilve oils too, along with a few drops of grape fruit oil. Now I need to think about what to use in the morning after shaving.
Hi Max!
Thanks so much for sharing your tips with us. I like the idea of microwaving the wash cloth for 30 seconds.
After shaving, you might have good luck applying a little bit of EV coconut oil. I was using it as a nighttime moisturizer over the warmer months, but I found that it wasn’t moisturizing enough once the humidity left Ohio for the winter. Coconut oil is less moisturizing than olive oil. The key is to apply it while your skin is a little bit damp. For me, it soaked right in and didn’t leave an oily residue.
Hi, Jenny,
Thanks for teh tip on the coconut oil. I like it for cooking but I have never tried it on my face. I will give it a go!
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Can you please let me know what is castor oil?
Hi Joyce,
Castor oil is the oil extracted from castor seeds. It’s great for drawing our impurities in the skin, but it can be drying. You can usually find it at health food stores and in the pharmacy section of your local grocer.
I tried combining aloe vera and jojoba oil. It did gave my hair some good result. And once way back, I used to have a slow growth in hair, but when I was using these two, I noticed that when I cut my hair short I wasn’t expecting to grow it fast.
Just my opinion though,
Amira
Drying hair is the one problem of hair care. Many times I put a chemical on my hair. And now I see the result of using it. My hair gets, dry, frizzy, tangled and sometimes I was experiencing hair loss. I was great pleasure that there are natural product that can repair my damage hair.
This method works awesome! Thanks for outlining the steps. Perfect skin is the result of the OCM. I have had acne for years and now my skin looks amazing. Super cheap skin care too!