What is OCM?

Oil Cleansing Method (OCM) is becoming very popular right now. Here's what you do: quit using facial cleansers and start smearing oil on your face instead. Yes, really.

There are TONS of blogs out there that go into great detail on the hows and whys of it all so my post is going to be like how I tell my friends about it...because isn't that how we prefer to hear about new stuff? Especially when it sounds absurd?

mmK so oil dissolves oil which is why you're going to massage it onto your face. If it helps you'll look like a shiny plastic girl and then you can sing I'm a Barbie Girl by Aqua into the mirror while you steam it off your face. Like, totally. I dare you. It's so fun.

You'll need cold pressed castor oil and another oil: I chose olive. I ordered my castor oil on Amazon because it was faster/cheaper that way and just use Giant brand EVOO out of my cooking cabinet. It's three parts castor to one part olive. In the beginning I mixed a very small bottle because I was very skeptical but now I mix it in a large pump. I'm sold! OCM works! I've even added a little tea tree oil as an astringent.

Every night I pump a large amount onto my hand and then massage it into my skin while watching whatever series I'm currently obsessed with on Netflix (Angel). It's very relaxing and it takes off all your make up - even the hardest, thickest waterproof stuff! Truly.

I'm saving so much money with OCM by not buying make-up removing wipes and searching for that perfect blend of chemical soap that will make my skin glow...lotions, potions, all gone! Mostly. Let's be reasonable.

But seriously, I have a mixed skin type and this just takes care of it all. I even rub it into my cuticles and legs before steaming my face - now I rarely need hand cream or other lotions!

Once you've done that get a steamy washcloth and place it on your face; I concentrate on my problem areas and repeat this all over three to five times then I rub off any excess oil with a cold cloth, give a splash of cold water and either air or pat dry. YOUR SKIN WILL GLOW! immediately.

Some people say it takes a couple weeks to adjust but mine took right to it - no more blackheads and blemishes are rare and not as bad. IT'S A MIRACLE. No, it's just OCM and it makes sense.

It's kind of like how I used to think that I had to wash my hair every day and occasionally someone would try to tell me that I was making my hair need to be washed every day by washing it every day, etc, etc. I was like NO. YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND. I NEEEEED TO!

I didn't.

I had gross, greasy hair for about a month while my skull adjusted and now I only have to wash it every week or so...nifty, because long hair is a much bigger process than the shorter bobs I was used to having.

So now my face is glowy (and I hear castor oil is so good for your lashes!) and my hair is healthy. I wear a headband every night so that my hair won't be pressed against my face, too. When I had Japanese roommates in college they always slept on fresh cloths (like washcloths) which is a good idea, too.

Just some tips from my medicine cabinet to yours!

More on OCM here and here...and all over the interwebs. Just Google or find it on Pinterest like I did.

Life in plastic, it's FANTASTIC!