Skin Care Tip

I didn't invent this one, but I've tweaked it some, and they've been talking about it in the skin care forums for quite a while. If you missed it, I promise it's well worth trying. It's called OCM (Oil Cleansing Method); it's simple and inexpensive, especially compared with some of those $200 cleansing potions they're also touting in the forums. I've been using it for about a year, and I'll never go back to store bought cleansers.

As the name suggests, it's made from oils. Of course, the better the oil, the purer the cleanser, and I buy organic extra virgin olive oil for the base and organic Castor Oil to add. I've also tried some exotic oils, like grape seed oil, but I can't really see a difference. Just to get started, though, use whatever you've got around the house. I also tried adding a drop of rose essential oil, but I'm too sensitive to smells, and I ended up dumping the whole batch, which is wasteful, and I'm anything but wasteful.

I make mine up in a glass pump bottle that I got at Pier 1, but any sort of bottle will do for starters. Fill it 3/4 full of the olive oil and finish up with the Castor Oil. I only use it at night. In the morning, I either just splash my face with water or use an Oil of Olay disposable cleansing cloth. For best results you'll also need some micro-fiber cloths. They'll tell you in the forums that you need the expensive ones, but that's just not true. I've bought those and ended up putting them in my kitchen drawer for dish cloths. The ones I like came from Wal-Mart, a big bag over in the auto cleaning supplies, and they're bright yellow. You've probably seen them. I took about half of them and use those for hand towels on my side of the bathroom, and the others I cut into quarters for cleansing cloths. It makes quite a nice supply, and I keep them separate from other bath linens, washing them together on sanitize.

Here's how to cleanse: I put a couple of pumps of the mixed oil into my palm and begin stroking it over my dry face; I do this while I'm watching TV so I don't rush through it, and it's relaxing. The oils will slough off the makeup and dry skin as you gently massage it in. As our skin ages, it stops sloughing off, and the cells get glued together, and when those layers accumulate, we've got skin that looks old and weathered. As I massage, I begin to feel flakes of dry skin, makeup, all the accumulations on my skin coming off. After 15 minutes or so, I'm ready to remove the oil with a micro-fiber cloth that has been wet and squeezed about half dry. Fold it so you can wipe in sweeping strokes. I follow with more of my routine that I may get around to talking about later, but for now, your skin will be clean, dewy and soft, and with regular use, you'll start to see a more youthful appearance, and skin flaws like blackheads will disappear.

Comments are welcome; let me know if you try it and like it, or if you don't. Also, ask questions or talk about your own skin care tips.