The Oil Cleansing Method Benefits.

Recently, my bad habit, junk food binges seem to be catching up with my skin in a big way! It seems I can no longer eat an innocent Mars bar, donut or packet of crisps without paying the price in red, protruding zits the next day. Not so lovely, but, the show must go on! And seen as how anything but flawless skin is socially unacceptable, I cover these red invaders with make up which only lends to the problem and makes my breakouts worse. If this sounds like you, then I encourage you too read on!

This covering of imperfections (and consequently worsening of them) is a common problem a lot of women (and men) in their teens and twenties seem to face. Yet, it is a problem often skirted around. No one wants to admit to being anything but what society expects them to be, but, the fact of the matter is that skin problems such as acne affect up to 50 million people annually in the USA alone. That is a large number of people suffering with an uncomfortable condition, and the question I would like to know the answer to is why? "Why?!", you might find yourself asking the next time you look in the mirror only to see another spot has angrily appeared overnight.

Well, there are many answers to that question, such as, diet, environment and stress, but another contributing factor and the one I will discuss in this article, is what you're putting on your face. In our modern era we are surrounded by advertising and TV commercials telling us to ''...buy the latest age reducing serum.'' or ''...the face wash to beat all face washes.'' and unfortunately, as marketing would have it, we do buckle and fall for the promises of perfection. The problem arises here; in that we trust advertising.

Surely we should know better than to take the words of an airbrushed celebrity (getting paid more than we earn in a year by a large cosmetics company for one commercial) that their product will cure our skin problems at face value? Surprisingly though, we do take it at face value and far too often we purchase the product without paying much attention to the ingredients. Only to be let down a fortnight later when, loe and behold, it doesn't work! I could go on and unravel the long lists of damaging chemical ingredients commonly found in most face washes, cleansers and scrubs today, but instead, I will use this time to tell you about something that actually does work. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I give you; The Oil Cleansing Method.

Oil has been used for centuries by many cultures to cleanse the skin and is still used in India today for its cosmetic benefits. Ancient Roman bath houses also employed oil to clean dirt from the skin before the invention of soap. Somewhere along the road though, this ancient wisdom was lost in translation. Perhaps, when the industrial production of soap began in the 19th century.

With the popularity of holistic skincare on the rise however, the internet has been abash with vloggers and bloggers all talking about the benefits of oil cleansing for the skin. Having suffered with exzema and dry skin for years and being a holistic skincare enthusiast myself, I jumped right on the bandwagon and decided to give it a try. I was hesitant at first, but after only four days of the oil cleansing method I was pleasantly surprised and relieved.

There are countless benefits of the OCM, clearer skin being but one of them. What follows are an example of the benefits you could reap by using the OCM;

• Moisturized skin. If like me your skin has a tendancy to be on the dry side, never fear, the OCM is here! By using oil to cleanse, you are replacing the skins natural lipid barrier and therefore helping to seal in any moisture.
• Suitable for ANY skin type. If you have oily, sensitive or combination skin, the OCM WILL work for you and here's why...
• It's Completely natural. No harsh chemicals or parabens that potentially damage skin.
• Cost affective. 500ml of Lucy Bee, cold pressed, organic cocunut oil will cost $9.00 on amazon.com and you could expect that to last at least 3 months cleansing twice a day!
• Cures skin conditions. Google the OCM and you will see hundreds of accounts that oil cleansing has ''finally cured'' acne, exzema, psoriasis, you name it!

The list goes on and on... After all that, if you think you're ready to don your foamy face wash and give the OCM a go (which I hope you are), keep reading below for instructions and what oils to use!

After witnessing first hand how well oil cleansing worked for my skin I wanted to know more. How does it actually work? What is the science behind it? Unfortunately, little experiments have been undertaken to explore the benefits of oil cleansing because it is such a variable treatment. The oil used depends on the persons skin type and this makes it hard to create a non-subjective experiment. So, I went ahead and did a little research.

First lets talk about the skin. The skin is made of two layers; the dermis, and the epidermis. The dermis (the inside layer) contains blood vessels, nerves etc while the epidermis is the outside layer that protects it. Water or H2O makes up about 50-70% of the bodies total weight and so too, the skin. The epidermis is made up of various molecules such as carbohydrates and lipids. Lipids are fats which protect the outer membrane (layer) of the skin. Most of the cells on the surface of the skin are dead and lipids hold them together. This is why it is so important that our skin has sufficient oil helping to avoid dry or flaky skin.

Oil is also mainly made up of lipids. Lets take Almond oil, for example. Almond oil has a high fatty acids content and emollient power (softening or soothing), which favour the restoration of the skin's lipid balance. Studies have shown that increasing the levels of these essential fatty acids in the skin, in turn increase the production of beneficial eicosanoids with anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative effects. These eicosanoids are essential for maintaining healthy skin barrier structure and functions. Almond oil in particular is also very well tolerated, and so, suitable for people with sensitive skin and childrens skin.

So, how does it work?

If you've ever mixed oil with water you will know that the two do not mix at all. The oil will simply sit on top of the water. Well that is exactly how the lipids on your skin work, by creating a barrier on the outer layer. You will probably remember from your high school chemistry classes the phrase; 'Like dissolves like.' So, when your pores get clogged by dirt and some of the oils from the surface of your skin are pushed into them, how do you get that oil back out? By using oil. Make sense? By using oil to draw the trapped oil out, you are not only cleaning your pores, but also, making sure no moisture is lost from the skin. Replacing the dirt and oil with clean oil is the perfect way to restore balance to your skins protective barrier.

You will need: Oils, a wash cloth and warm water.

For Oily Skin: Mix 1 /3 castor oil with 2/3 olive oil (or oil of your choice).

For combination skin: Mix 3/4 olive oil (or other) with 1/4 castor oil.

For dry skin: Almond oil alone.

1. Prepare oil required for skin type.

2. Massage face with oil (no need to wet face beforehand) in upward circular motions for at least one minute.

3. Soak a wash cloth in warm water.

4. Place wash cloth on face until cool.

5. Wipe excess oil from face using wash cloth.

6. Splash face with cold water to close pores.

7. Follow with moisturizer if you wish.

Follow steps ones or twice a day, morning and night.

Note: Sometimes it can take a while to get the right mixture of oil for your skin. If you start to break out in the first week DO NOT PANIC! It may take a few weeks for your skin to adjust to this new regime but when it does your skin will thank you!

Enjoy! :)

If you found this article helpful and tried the OCM please leave a comment below. I sincerely hope this helps you in your quest to beautiful skin!