Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Calling All Mixtresses: Want to Ditch Your Store Bought Facial Cleanser?


For the past few months, I have been experimenting with more natural alternatives to incorporate in my skin-care regimen. As some of you may remember, I ditched my trusty store bought cleanser some time ago, and started relying solely upon the use of natural oils, plants, and extracts. - So far so good, my face has never looked better, and my pocket-book thanks me.

Gather your bottles, some oils, and read on for the deets!


A More Natural Alternative - The Oil Cleansing Method

Cleanse Using The OCM Method: Simply put, this method involves cleansing your skin with oils versus surfactants. Cleansing with oil is a gentle way to remove dirt, bacteria, and excess oils from your pores. Did you know that water does not dissolve oils [however, oil does]? This is why most facial cleansers on the market today are comprised of harsh surfactants. It is worth noting that products containing these surfactants can strip your face of it's natural sebum leaving your skin dry, and irritated.

Most oil cleansing formulas are 50% Castor Oil to 50% Extra Virgin Olive Oil, however you can pick the best ratio/oil type for your skin. Castor Oil is used as a base in most OCM formulations because it helps to draw out toxins, slough dead skin cells, excess sebum, and dirt from your pores, while the secondary oil acts more or less as a moisturizer, and carrier oil to deliver therapeutic properties deep into the skin. - I have very oily acne-prone skin so I use Hazelnut Oil in place of the Extra Virgin Olive Oil because it is much lighter than Olive Oil, and acts as a natural astringent/moisturizer. Hazelnut Oil is also purported to tighten and tone your skin, which is also a major plus.

My formula consists of: 60% Castor Oil, 20% Grapeseed Oil, 20% Hazelnut Oil [I also add several drops of Lavender, and Tea Tree Essential Oil]


Oils For Certain Skin Types
Oily, Acne Prone Skin: Grapeseed Oil, Hazelnut Oil, Jojoba Oil, Flax Seed, Neem Oil
Dry, Mature Skin: Evening Primrose Oil, Olive Oil, Avocado Oil, Apricot Kernel Oil
Sensitive Skin: Meadowfoam Oil, Apricot Kernel, Rosehip Oil

Extra Additives [Essential Oils]
Acne Prone Skin: Tea Tree Oil, Bergamot Oil, Clove Oil, Lavender Oil, Rosewood Oil
Dry Skin: Cedarwood, Rose, Myrrh, Chamomile, Patchouli
Oily Skin: Lemongrass, Clary Sage, Frankincense,


How To Do The Oil Cleansing Method
1. Gently massage oil mixture into your face
2. Place a clean towel under a stream of hot, running water. Lightly wring towel, and drape it over entire face for about 1-2 minutes. This opens your pores [and gives you a mini steam treatment] allowing the Castor Oil to draw the toxins out of your skin, while the secondary oil/essential oils permeates deep into the skin, lending it's moisturizing and therapeutic properties.
3. Remove towel, rinse thoroughly, and begin to wipe excess oil from face
4. After removing oil cleansing mixture, rinse face with cold water to close pores!
Cleanse face using OCM in the morning, and repeat at bedtime. 


Tone Skin
Here are two of my favorite toner recipe's:
ACV + Green Tea Toner
2oz Apple Cider Vinegar
2oz Distilled Water
3 Green Tea, teabags [high in antioxidants]
5 drops Tea Tree Oil [anti-fungal/microbal properties]
10 drops Jojoba Oil [a wonderful moisturizer that closely resembles the sebum in your skin's structure]

Boil water, add tea bags, and allow to steep for 20 minutes. Allow tea mixture to cool, and pour into a spray bottle. Add ACV, Tea tree Oil, Jojoba Oil, and mix well.

Tea Tree Toner
2oz Witch Hazel
5 drops of Tea Tree Oil
10 drops of Jojoba Oil

Mix all ingredients well, and pour in a spray bottle.

Moisturize Skin
I use about a dime-size amount of Grapeseed Oil to moisturize my skin; you can use any of the oils mentioned above that are best suited for your skin-type.

Where To Find The Materials?
Essential Oils - Texas Natural Supply - From Nature With Love - Whole Foods
Carrier Oils - Texas Natural Supply - From Nature With Love - Whole Foods


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32 comments:

  1. Girl i tried the Grapeseed oil after discovering your blog...LOVE IT! even after I get a blemish, it speeds up the healing process and it seems to fade the dark spots on my face. This stuff is something to swear by and it's cheap!

    oh and love your blog!

    ~L~
    www.AvidAccents.blogspot.com

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  2. I believe madinaonline.com carries a lot of these too...in BULK. =D

    Thanks for the info. I was doing this OCM all wrong. LOL.

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  3. do you use any type of spf at all? or is the grapeseed oil enough?

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  4. I've been making my own facial products for over a year now and my skin has never been better as well. I don't use the oil method for my facial cleanser but it sounds interesting. I use the same technigue for the my tea tree toner mix. For my facial scrub once a week I use brown sugar and olive oil and for my face mask I use honey, oatmeal and plain whole yogurt. My skin is quite wonderful!

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  5. Thank you for posting this. I'm going to try the oil cleansing method and the toner mixtures :)

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  6. I luuuuv the oil cleansing method. It has done wonders for my (oily) skin and I too save so much money. My face didn't care for the castor oil in the mix after a while so now I just use grapeseed or coconut oil with great results. I go back and forth with toner. My toner recipe is 1 part ACV to 4 parts water. Works great for me.

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  7. I will definitely give this a try! I've never done anything to tone, so I'm anxious to see how it all works out!

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  8. i have been utilizing the OC method and green tea+ ACV toner with amazing results for the past 4 months or so. I use grapeseed & castor oil mix plus i add a few drops of tea tree oil. it does speed up the healing process if i do get a blemish and my skin is not as oily and shiny by the end of day like it used to be and my pores are smaller. I had EXTREMELY clogged large pores, oily skin, breakouts and just overall not healthy skin. it's still a work in progress but my skin has improved so much, i wish i had known about this sooner. my skin has a healthier glow and does not look as dull as i thought it did. although my mom and boyfriend told me that my skin was not nearly as bad as i thought it was, lol. i guess sometimes i can be too critical of myself. i may try adding the hazelnut oil to my mix.

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  9. Found you via Alicia(InnyVinny) - I use OCM with straight jojoba oil and it works SO well for me. I've got combination very oily (well - it used to be, it's a lot less oily now than it was)/very dry, *very* sensitive skin, and my skin looks the best it has in ages using the OCM instead of conventional face washes.

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  10. I love the OCM, been doing it for 3 weeks now and haven't seen a blemish since i switched to it! I follow up with a ACV toner, my skin has never looked better!
    I'm going to try some of the other oils you've listed too.
    Thanks girlie!!

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  11. Great Toner recipes def will use these..

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  12. Do you feel it's as effective for removing all of your makeup? I can be a little bit of a clean freak and I'm concerned it wont get the residue my makeup leaves behind. If you have any other tips I would love to hear them ;)

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  13. What exactly does the grapeseed oil do for your skin? I've been using it in my hair and it's amazing but I'm hesitant about applying it to my already oily skin.

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  14. what about sunscreen?

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  15. I use the OCM and the ACV/Green Tea Toner and both have done wonders for my skin.

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  16. Thanks for doing this. Ive been using the OCM and facial massage technique. Definitely noticed a huge difference. Check out oxfordjasmine.blogspot.com. She's got really great and informative videos on skincare etc.

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  17. I used the OCM for about 2 weeks and it tore my skin up. I normally have clear skin so I probably should not have tried another method since the one I was using has been working great. If it ain't broke don't try to fix it...

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  18. Just found out about your blog. I LOVE IT. Keep the good work coming!!

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  19. I love the OCM.
    A few tips I've learned: If your water doesn't get that hot, put the wet washcloth in the microwave for a couple seconds. Be careful not to get it too hot because you can burn yourself.

    Also, always use a new towel each time.

    Also, you may go through a skin purging phase where you get more zits. I found that if I kept doing OCM, they cleared.

    Nik -the toner recipes look great! What is their shelf life?

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  20. For Grapeseed Oil also check smaller supermarkets... I just found a huge cannister at my local Associates....they always have fresher fruits and more culturally diverse products. So check your spanish, caribbean, or asian supermarkets. Its great for taking make-up off too, thx for the recipe. Oh and when do you use one toner over the other??? And have u used or heard anything about mineral sunscreens like bare minerals? I saw someone else mention sunscreen.

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  21. Love you blog, style, hair and face lol I will have to try these and see if they work. Since moving out of my teens my skin as suprisingly balanced and with good nutrition it keeps getting better, smoothing, and creamy
    http://fullbodytransformation.wordpress.com/

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  22. I definitely want to try the oil cleansing.

    Here's my natural skin care regimen:

    To cleanse I use Dr. Bonner's Castile Soap (Baby Mild formula). It's organic, no additives, perfumes, dyes, etc.

    To exfoliate I use baking soda. I sprinkle about a quarter size amount into my hand, add enough water to make a paste, then gently massage it into my skin. I do this 3 times a week.

    To moisturize I use pure coconut oil. It makes my skin very smooth and soft. I rarely get breakouts.

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  23. I think I will try the virgin olive oil method but is it possible that by using Shea butter it can also contribute the same benefits? Someone told me that it makes the skin smooth but I was wondering if applying it on the face will also produce flawless skin. -http://coilymystic.blogspot.com/

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  24. I tried this some time ago, but it didn't work for me. I tried a different combination based on your recommendations and it worked for me. thanks for the info. I now do a 50/50 of grapeseed and castor which I love.

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  25. I'm going to try out this toner, I make my own with some of those ingredients but I think it's time for something new. I love that you're doing it yourself and getting great results. I think our tribal ancestors had it right. Simple natural ingredients are amazing and it shows in your skin! :)

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  26. Can you mention some oils specifically for dry skin that evens skin tone as well?

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  27. I am thoroughly enjoying your blog.

    Do you use an SPF after you moisturize with Grape Seed Oil?

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  28. how long is the toner good for?

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  29. LOVE UR BLOGS!!!!!!!!!
    I GOT MY PRODUCTS TODAY SO IM READY TO START UR SKIN CARE REGIME........

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  30. Thank you! This is interesting. But I still need help!
    In regards to your individual recipes for Oily, Acne Prone Skin and Dry, Mature Skin, what do you do if you have both? Mix them all together? The problem is that I have some acne but I also have dry patches. What do you do then? Mix both recipes together? Suggestions?

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  31. Thank you so much for posting this information. I have been using this for about 2 wks now and can see and feel the difference. I just received the bentonite clay and made the clay/sour cream mask. Superb results. My skin LOVES IT!!! Keep up the great work! Thanks again!

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  32. A friend recommeded the OCM to me after I mentioned my new environment (the desert) was wreaking havoc on my skin. Tonight was the first night I tried it, and I'm looking forward to seeing great results!

    Thanks girlie!

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