Got pesky blackheads? Slather oil on your face!

Sounds counterintuitive doesn't it? It's called the Oil Cleansing Method. I've been doing it for a week now and I notice a big difference in the look and feel of my skin. I've had blackheads on my nose and chin since I was about 12 years old and I could never get rid of them. I'd wash my face and they'd be right back. I could still see them. Even masks didn't really work. With using this oil stuff they are starting to go away! I keep running to the mirror to check and yeah, it's seriously working. My pores are still big, so I have empty holes in my face but I suspect that will change once all the gunk gets out.

I have acne prone skin that's oily, dry, and normal in some spots. Though I haven't had a problem in awhile, I get cystic ance too. It's only been a week but so far so good, no pimples no nothing execpt glowing skin and empty pores.

I use Extra Virgin Olive Oil (yes, the stuff you cook with) mixed in with a little Castor Oil (yes, the stuff that makes you poop). I also mix in a little tea tree oil because that's always helped with my skin.

So who's going to try this?

http://www.theoilcleansingmethod.com/
http://www.thebeautybottle.com/index.php?opti on=com_content&task=view&id=6&Ite mid=2

edited to add the following

Okay, for those of us who are having problems here are some Trouble Shooting tips.  I would add this to the first post but since it's been edited by a mod it won't let me.  Boo.  Maybe I'll add it to my second post. 

Anyway, everyone's skin is different.  You have to find what works for your skin.  Same thing when you use commerical facial cleansers...you have to figure out what works for you.  If you're having breakouts that you believe are related to OCM try these Trouble Shooting Tips:

1.  Your skin doesn't like EVOO (or whatever oil).  Try different oil.

2.  Your skin doesn't like Castor Oil.  Does it work without castor oil?  Some people do a modified version of OCM without castor.  Some people have luck with just EVOO or Jojoba (or whatever). 

3.  Your skin doesn't like the ratio of EVOO (or whatever oil) to Castor.  Change your ratios around.

4.  You're not spending enough time rubbing the oils in.  Give it at least 5 minutes.  Take some you time and enjoy.

5.  You're not getting enough dirty oils off your skin.  Spend more time with the rag on your face and take more care to get the oils off.

6.  Your skin does not like your washing off technique.  Lay a hot rag across your face.  Hold it in place.  Let it sit there until it cools a little.  Gently wipe your face.  Repeat.  Don't scrub.

7.  Your skin doesn't like the hot rag approach.  Try doing OCM in the shower and forgo the hot rag.  Instead, rub your oils in for AT LEAST 5 minutes then wash with water only.

8.  You're not soaking your wash cloths in dish soap and very hot water for a long time before sending them through the washing machine.  Laundry detergent cannot get the dirty oils out of your rags.  Dirty oil rags can cause you to break out.  Only use a rag once. 

9.  Your skin is too dry.  Try using plain EVOO (or whatever oil) as a moisturizer.  Or try bumping down your % of castor oil.

10.  Are you over washing your face?  Are you using your normal harsh cleanser in the morning then doing OCM at night?  Try washing your face with just water in the morning.  It's not gross, trust me.

11.  Are you under washing your face?  Are you washing your face with water only in the morning and doing OCM at night?  If you have time, do OCM in the morning and at night.  If you don’t have time, try using a light cleanser in the morning.  Look for one that's oil based.  You could probably find something good at a health food store.  

12.  Are you doing OCM everyday?  Try doing it only once every other day.  Maybe everyday is too much for your skin.

13.  Are you NOT doing OCM everyday?  Maybe you should try it.

14.  Maybe your skin needs extra pimple busting power.  Try adding a few drops of EO to your mix.  I highly recommend tea tree oil.  Other all around skin helpers include lavender, rosemary, geranium, and rose.  Do some research and see what might help you.

So after my little rant the other day I'm going to try the OCM again but a little differently this time.  I have been using proactiv off and on for the last few years and it has helped clear up my current breakout but for the most part I get just as good results with neutrogena since my skin is usually pretty clear to begin with.  OCM did get rid of several whiteheads on my check I have had for months.  I have a few more that popped up as part of the purging with OCM and the proactive is not doing anything for them.  I also have some little ones on the sides of my chin.

So this is what I'm going to experiment with: I'm only going to do OCM 3x/wk to help clear the gunk.  The rest of the days I will be using a blemish control face wash I have.  I figure if I only do the OCM a few days per week it will be enough to slowly get rid of the build up and any pimples it causes in the mean time will be taken care of with the other face wash.  I think that was my problem when all i used was OCM, when a pimple got angry the OCM did nothing to reduce it (tea tree didn't help either)

Will post an update next week

I don't think my reaction was an allergic one nor was it hives. Ibelieve that the mix of castor and tea tree oils was just far too drying. Tea tree oil is harsh stuff to start with, at least for my sensitive/dry skin, so to add castor to it was too much. Then when I'd break out a little I'd go into overdrive trying to clear them up, which just made it worse. My downfall was a combination of user error and being uninformed.

Like Liz, I'm going to wait for this to clear and then use an EVOO/vitamin E/mineral oil mix once or twice a week, no tea tree or castor for me! I did have good results for the first few days, lots of gunk coming out that I never knew was there. Unfortunately, after a few too many uses it stripped all my naturally occurring oils leaving me too dry. The hot cloth soaks also dissolve the good oils produced by your skin, not just the ones you've introduced. Another good way to dry it out and leave it unprotected.

I told a good friend about this method and when I started having problems I warned her too. So far she's not had to stop.

Wow, I've been using OCM since the original post here, and my skin has never looked better! My blackheads haven't necessarily cleared up one hundred percent on my nose, but they are definitely 75% better.

 As for the rest of my skin, I started seriously breaking out after about two days of using coconut oil, but, then again, I was using Swad Coconut oil, which is kind of low quality; it's the kind you can get at the supermarket for like $3...the kind I cook with is Nutriva 100% Organic unrefined cold-press extra virgin coconut oil....so, I bit the bullet and started using that stuff on my face.

Within days, not only did my breakout clear up, but my skin tone evened out and my fine lines I was starting to develop went away. I've been massaging oils into my neck, too, and I still use the cheap Swad coconut and almond oils to moisturize by body, which has been working like a charm. I'll only use the really good stuff on my face, though, because I have dry, sensitive skin and rosacea to boot.

But yeah, basically, I use OCM twice a day, and I only use coconut oil (moisturizing and cooling, good for sensitive skin and rosacea), and I use the really good organic unrefined stuff. That's what's been working for me!

Hello all!!

I've been using OCM every other day for a week now (so basically, only used it 3x now). I can say that my face is extra soft, but it is bringing up the gunk and my face is breaking out worse than before. I am using EVOO, tea tree oil, Vitamin E, and threw in some lavender for smell.

I am going to give this a month. I figure it is just bringing up all the dirt and grime that is backed up right now. Also, on the days I don't use OCM, I will continue with my face wash.

I'll let ya'll know how it goes :)

yeah, as an update, the coconut oil actually started drying my skin out something mad, so made a mixture of extra virgen olive oil and coconut oil, and I've been using that. Seems to be getting better. anyone else have drying out problems?

I'm cutting out OCM all together.  Forget my little plan of 3x/week.  After my last post I have down OCM twice and guess what.... 3 more cystic pimples.  My skin has never ever been this bad...ever!  I used to get compliments on my skin before using OCM, I just had the occasional cystic pimple (1 every 3 months around TTOTM) but now it's going to take months to repair this damage.  I have tons of tiny whiteheads on the sides of my chin that were brought up because of OCM.  OCM does seem to be the best thing to get rid of them but at the same time always turns several of them into cystic pimples!

If you already have pretty clear skin apart from occasional breakouts or a few clogged pores try this at your own risk, you may end up worse, i did.

I tried using this once or twice a week like I'd planned to after the breakout it caused. No good, broke out the morning after using it. This is now so bad that I've made an appt for a derm visit on Thursday. I'm back to my Olay wash and vitamin e oil ONLY ON DRAINED BREAKOUTS, never on my entire face, and spot treatment on new ones. I've used vitamin E oil for years just to help heal them and it's done me well. I'm going to print off this method and take it with me to the Dr's as well as my own little mixture to see what he says about it. I'll pass it along to you guys too. He's the best dermatologist in 3 states so here's hoping.

On a side note I want to say that I am in no way trying to discourage anyone from using this, I'm just sharing my experience. I've read as many good reviews about it as bad (google it and you'll see).This is just not for me, that doesn't mean it can't be a life saver for someone else. I have read reviews by multiple people who've tried it both short and long term and have advised that it takes about 3 months for your skin to get used to it and then you get the best results you can. That sounds standard for any regimen. In the meantime it can, obviously, get worse before it gets better. I just can't convince myself to continue to wage war on my face in the hopes that it *might* get better.

I have however used the evoo and vitamin E on my sunburn as well as my daughters, with soothing results. It wasn't extensive/extended use and that made all the difference!! The friend I spoke about also had to stop using this due to massive breakouts. She had nice skin before, dry with minimal flaws, and now she's as bad as me. Serves us right for not appreciating what we had to start with LOL!

Lajohnson1982, I see your not using castor oil.  Castor oil is what does the "cleansing" in OCM.  I would try it out.  Basically what you're doing now is only moisturizing on your OCM days.  If the bad results have you freaked out only use 10% castor oil 90% EVOO/other oils.  I'd give it a go at least.

Shakti, I've heard that coconut oil is pretty drying to the skin on it's own.  Are you using virgin coconut or refined?  Try using just EVOO as a moisturizer afterward.

Update from me:
My skin looks and feels better than ever!  The blackheads on my chin just will not budge.  They are better than they were before, but I want all those suckers out!  I've noticed the pores on my nose are shrinking.  Guess that means those pores are 100% empty, WOOT!  I'm thinking about switching up my oils, like adding sunflower or jojoba or something.  Maybe I could get rid of the blackheads on my chin with a different oil base.  We'll see.  I need to pick up some more tea tree oil (I use it for dandruff too) so maybe I'll get to shop around for some oils.

yah jewels, I just made a little batch of 50% EVOO and 50% coconut oil...the only time I broke out was when I was using the cheap swad stuff, now I use Nutriva unrefined extra virgin coconut oil, and it helps. I've also been 'slathering' EVOO on my dryest parts and avoiding cleansing them for a couple days until the scaliness goes away...

So far, I've slathered EVOO on my forehead like five times today without wiping it off...it soaks right into my skin then feels 'tight' again. So I've just been moisturizing like hell.

Where did you hear about coconut oil being drying? Just curious, I couldn't find too much info online about it being used for OCM...I just LOOOVE the way this stuff smells and feels and I would bathe in it if I could...I figured if I have that strong of a positive reaction about it, it can't be half bad for my face! Being Italian, however, I love EVOO too, so I can't really go wrong here!

Thanks!

There are a few other forums that I visit where people have been doing OCM for years.  These forums are where I heard and read about it.  A quite a few of the posters there have commented that coconut oil made their skin freak out.  If you're really interested PM me and I'll tell you the other forums.

I'm sorry to see some people having breakouts :0

But for me this has worked fabulously !!  My skin looks really really good, I have only been doing it in the evenings, and just a rinse in the mornings, sometimes a wash with cetaphil.  I still use moisturizer in the mornings because I need my SPF (i'm outside a lot).

seriously, i'm sooooo glad i tried this.  Oh and I don't use a new washcloth every singel time, only change once a week. Mine don't get really oily, I guess i am using way less oil over all.

next i'm excited to try adding an essential oil to the mix!

thanks jewels!

Alright I visited the dermatologist this afternoon and this is what he had to say about this method:

He warned me against using any kind of olive oil EVER on my skin, not just because I have dry skin. Apparently the only 'cleansing' you get is from the massaging, which isn't a bad thing either. It sloughs the dead skin cells off, but you can do the same thing with plain water and not risk the break out. The actual massage can irritate, burst and even tear any little thing in your pores causing breakouts (that's me) and lead to infection (that puss stuff that builds up), of course this is with aggressive massaging for your skin type and condition. Not good, and using a wash rag to massage is even worse for the tearing factor.

Like Jewels warned it's very difficult to get bacteria out of these things when you've got oil wrapped around the bacteria kind of protecting it. Bacteria live and breed rapidly in warm, moist, dark areas, like your laundry basket, then you wash them and if the temp of the h2o and dryer aren't high enough for long enough, you haven't killed the germs. Then you use this rag to wash your face with open pores and whammo, introducing infection in the form of a zit. I always wash my towels in hot bleach water, takes the fun out of color coordinating when all the towels are white, but it kills the bacteria.

He also said that lavender, vitamin E (dang it I love that stuff!!), linseed oil/extract, coconut oil, grape seed oil, sesame oil and mink oil not only induce acne, white heads and black heads, but over 75% of people DEVELOPE an allergy to them! So even if you've never had a problem for years, your skin can suddenly disagree with these substances and have a horrible reaction or just stop responding to it at all. 75%!!! I found that interesting and yet scary. There's a whole list of compounds to avoid in make up and facial products, email me and I'll send you a copy if you're interested. Almay is usually a good bet.

He did highly, highly recommend mineral oil use all over your body as a moisturizer! I was surprised by this after his reaction to the OCM question. He suggests using it after your shower on damp skin and massaging until absorbed. A little goes a long way. I guess it's the safest and cheapest thing to use and great for any and all skin types.

I'm apprehensive but on board. Then they put me on antibiotics 2/day, mineral oil in the AM and retinol at night. I'm going to try this for 2-3 months and if it's working I'll stick with it and also switch to yaz for my BC, they also recommend that. After having acne for almost 15 years (it's not terrible but it's irritating and makes me self-conscious) I think this visit was long overdue and I have no reason not to follow his advice. I'll be 26 in a couple weeks and adult acne sucks, I should be worried about wrinkles, not pimples.

To be honest, I'm super jealous of you chicks who've found relief with OCM! I wish my face would be less stubborn. Please be careful with that evoo though, maybe try safflower or something else so that you don't end up worse off than you started. I say that if it's working for you, run with it! But run with caution, these dr visits are spendy and embarrassing.

I'm Italian, and I have relatives who have been using EVOO as a skin moisturizer since the beginning of time...great, great, great, great grandparents.

I can see what your dermatologist is saying; there's definitely truth to a lot of it. But I could supply an equal amount of data against birth control pills like yaz and antibiotics in general, data that is contrary to popular medical beleif but what I beleive to be valid.

I think obviously dermatologists (a lot of them anyway) don't reccomend OCM, because if they did, a lot of skincare products and medication companies would be out of a job. Or at least we'd be selling 'dermatologist approved skin oils.' All I'm saying is that I'm not surprised a dermatologist would be against something like this. But then again I've had terrible experience with doctors in general, and I've come to not trust them. That's my personal path. I beleive they're not trying to harm people, but I beleive they've lost faith in the human body's own healing abilities, and have begun synthesizing everything from women's natural horemonal cycles to the immune system response to stimuli to the body's reaction to biotics.

But that's a separate discussion. I think it's good you posted that because some people may have problems with OCM for some of the reasons you stated, especially if they don't follow the ocm website's directions about soaking rags in bleach or hot soapy water before going in the wash.

It's also really interesting what he said about mineral oil; I'd be very interested in knowing why mineral oil is okay but plant oils aren't? What does he think of jojoba? Just curious!

I was just reading about mineral oil, and I found some sources that say that it is made from petroleum and doesn't soak into your skin; it pretty much sits on top of it and 'suffocates' it, not allowing toxins to exit the skin...Now I really wonder why your doctor reccomended it! I'm probably only getting half of the story. I think Jojoba is probably the best as it mimics the skins own sebum. But yeah just thought I'd share that for people who were into the granola crunchy 'non toxin' type of thing.

Don't misunderstand my intentions with that last post. I'm just passing along info. I am in NO WAY implying that the OCM is bad or evil or even consistently detrimental. I do believe that for some skin types it's actually quite helpful when over the counter and even Rx methods are not. I'm very jealous believe me.

However, I don't fit into that catagory. Could be a number of reasons for that, from my dry, sensitive skin to the climate I live in or even dietary and health influences. My body just doesn't respond as well as others do. I like to be informed from every angle in order to make an intelligent decision and I assumed others reading this would as well.

The Dr I saw didn't charge me a dime nor did he submit my visit to my insurance. He saw me for free (I did not request this nor did I expect it), gave me a Rx that cost me all of $4 and then gave me 9 months of retinol free of charge. The Rx and retinol were generic so I have a hard time believing he got any benefit from it. He didn't do this because I can't afford to pay for it, not by a long shot. I understand why some people are skeptical of physicians and I can't vouch for many that I know and work with/for, but this guy was legit.

As far as the mineral oil this is how he explained it to me:

Despite what cosmetic sales people would lead us to believe, dry skin isn't lacking 'essential oils', 'skin proteins' or 'skin nutrients' - it's only lacking water.

In other words moist skin has a high water content and dry skin doesn't. Common sense really. He likened skin to a natural sponge; when dry it's hard and rough but when moistened it's soft and pliable. If you wrap a sponge in plastic immediately after taking it from water it will remain soft and supple, the same is true with skin. In water (the bath or shower)your skin rapidly absorbs water (pruney hands anyone?), but soap washes off the protective oils and upper layers leaving it dry and exposed to the elements. Mineral oil provides skin with a protective layer. Check the labels on your run of the mill lotion and you'll most likely find mineral oil in the top 5-10 ingredients. It doesn't add moisture however, it only holds in the moisture you naturally aquired during your exposure to water.

He suggested Mineral oil because it's least likely to negatively react with sensitive skin or allergy prone skin. I didn't ask about jojoba mainly because I don't use it. I was only interested in his advice for my skin type and condition. I do have food allergies which might contribute to my sensitivity to other substances. That's my own 2 cents mind you, nothing he told me. After 6 years in the medical field I have a hard time believing that Dr's are idiots. In general that is, we all know one or two that should never have passed their boards. For me it's hard to argue with logic and research. The fact that multiple educated, informed doctors, test subjects and researchers have come to the conclusion that for general purposes some of these oils and routines are detrimental to the functionality of a vital organ (yes skin is an organ) and there are other safer methods leads me to believe that he's not completely full of crap or out to get me. Besides, a face full of zits that cleared when I stopped using this is hard to deny!

To end this long post (sorry!) I'd like to say Go For It! If you have glowing skin because of this method, can't argue with results right? I'm more than happy for you. I wasn't trying to start some controversy or come across as if I were attacking anyone or anything, and I'm sorry if that's how it was taken. I'm not the only one with bad results mind you, I'm just the only one posting outside suggestions. Google this method and you'll see there are just about equal parts good and bad experiences with this.

I hope my post didn't seem like a counter-attack, because it wasn't; I didn't get the impression that you thought ocm was evil or detrimental simply because you said you didn't think that the first time you posted. And I don't think doctors are all money-hungry idiots, either. My personal beleifs are very controversial as well, so as long as we're on the subject, here they are:

I'm somewhat of a Jesus freak...I'm sorry, I never meant to be. Really. I wasn't raised that way. But, over the years, that's what I've come to. And whether or not this relates to God (people always freak out when I bring up God so usually I don't but for the sake of talking about oils, why not? lol), I see a lot of what humanity does in general, and I see a lot of it backfiring, and I start to wonder if nature and our bodies didn't really know what they were doing all along before we started thinking we knew better.

Immunizations are a good example of this; disease is bad. Right? No one wants to die of a horrible disease. No one wants their loved ones to die of a horrible disease. Now, however, after immunizations and antibacterial handwashes and lotions and soaps and liquid hand gels, we are faced with superbugs and more and more new diseases surfacing that attack the immune system itself and have no cure. We think we knew best, and it backfires. When we get immunizations and feed babies with formula instead of breast milk, we don't pass immunity down anymore to our children. Soon, we'll be back to square one because nobody will have natural immunity anymore.

So, I don't know. I beleive what doctors say works, and is with peoples best interest in mind, but I don't beleive that messing with the body's natural cycles with unnatural and man-made stuff is necessarily best for the body in the long run.

So, that's my story. And I've been 'in the medical feild' all my life if you count being seen by numerous physicians every year and meeting my 2500 deductible every year for my heart condition. All that and all I can say is I know my own body best, and it appears you know your own best too, so if oils don't work for you, awesome. I've had to cut back because they don't really work too well for me either (they really dry out my skin) and I think I'm messing with my own skin's cycles too much by slathering oil on it.

But yeah, I'm gonna end this here because it's too long as it is!

I'm not a Jesus freak but I sorta agree with what you're saying.

All is still fine with me.  I just wish I had more wash cloths.  Guess I'm gonna have to go buy some.

Hm, well I guess that's where I went wrong in all this: I'm agnostic. I'm kidding of course, I really am agnostic but God wouldn't punish me with zits right? I don't recall that plague............ : )

For the record, I do agree with what you're saying. People are so obsessed with their appearance and (sometimes imagined) health concerns that we'll jump into anything without doing the required research. Then when it's damaging or we don't get the immediate, ideal results we blame the dr or clinic or internet forum that it came from. All along it's our own ignorance about our bodies and how they work! The complete misuse of antibiotics has created what you've called Super Bugs, ie: MRSA a nasty staph infection that is completely resistant to antibiotics because the patient has taken almostall of the Rx or has lied about the recurrence of the problem or the Dr recklessly prescribed it when he/she shouldn't have to ease a patients mind, many causes and most are avoidable.

Head lice, sadly, is the same sadly. The OTC brands rarely work because the treatments aren't performed properly in order to rid the body of the parasite, thus developing a resistance. Again, this is all ignorance and laziness. Well to be fair a lot of these problems could be partially blamed on commercialism. An ad for a Rx that doesn't tell you what it treats? Way to develop and encourage a society of hypochondriacs who are now 'able' to self diagnose huh?

The human body is capable of healing and preventing a lot of things, but not everything. For instance I have medullary sponge kidney disease which is congenial and nothing my body can mend alone. However, the kidney stones that arise from this can be and have been treated homeopathically with a lot of success. Not totally gone, but as good as it could get via any treatment.

My point is that I agree with you that we under estimate our own bodies ability to care for itself. If we could only trust that in some circumstances our body does know best and use that as a guideline when we seek treatment, we'd all be a lot better off. It's a balancing act all in all.

Also, against the Dr's advice I've continued to use plain vitamin E as a moisturizer and it's working great. The retinol is a bit too drying so I've cut it down to a couple times a week. For me it's a mix of science and common sense just knowing what works for me to make my skin happy.

I was shocked when I tried this (just like OP recommended, about 90% EVOO and 10% castor) how well it's worked.

I'm 30, and I have had problem skin since I was about 12.  I've tried everything on the market that doesn't require a prescription.  For about the past 5 years I've shelled out who knows how much for Proactiv.  It worked ok, but not well enough, in my opinion, to justify how much it costs.  Plus it had the unfortunate and expensive side-effect of bleaching my collars, necklines, and towels.  Once it ruined a really nice Eddie Bauer sweater that I'd only worn twice, I got pissed and decided I'd try this.

So, for about three weeks, I've been doing the OCM at night and washing with water and a washcloth in the morning.  Exfoliating once a week with some kind of scrub.  My skin looks awesome.  I even started losing some of the wrinkles around my eyes and above my nose that I'm old enough to start being bothered by.

I used to make my own soaps, so I learned a lot about different kinds of oils.  Coconut oil is EXTREMELY drying, in fact pure coconut oil on sensitive skin can cause a reaction that's almost like a chemical burn.  I wouldn't use more than 1/2 coconut oil under any circumstances.  EVOO and hempseed oils are some of the more moisturizing ones and are common bases (hempseed oil is full of nutrients, but it's also expensive and goes rancid quickly -- gotta keep it refrigerated).  Tea tree oil is astringent, which people with oily skins sometimes benefit from ... but use small amounts until you get a sense for how your skin tolerates it.

I don't normally post long effusive messages like this but honestly, I was SO pleasantly surprised with how well this method works for me that I just had to pass that along.

Peace.

Hi, everyone. It's been a while since I've replied to this but just read some of the newer replies. I'm an esthetician (skincare therapist) so I've been following this thread for a while. I was reading what some of you were saying about using Mineral Oil on your skin -- PLEASE DON'T! If you're wanting to fight breakouts, Mineral Oil is the LAST thing you want to use. Like someone said above, it's very comparative to petrolatum, which is the main ingredient in Vaseline. If you're going to use Mineral Oil, you might as well rub Vaseline all over your face... and I don't suggest that either. Mineral Oil and petrolatum really do just sit on the skin and completely suffocate your pores = clogged pores that can't breathe = breakouts. Try jojoba oil instead. Jojoba comes closest to the natural sebum (oil) of human skin. I'm not sure why the dermatologist would recommend Mineral Oil... I hesitate to say bad things about dermatologists because they do help people with severe acne and skin problems. However I have seen them suggest some things that are just terrible for your skin... For instance, they tell people with acne to use Dial soap on their skin to dry up the acne. Well sure it dries up the acne, but it also strips your skin of its acid mantle, which you need to keep your skin hydrated properly to protect you from external factors. You should never use anything that strips your skin, i.e. soap and alot of the OTC acne products that are out there (including Proactive!!!).

As far as the OCM, it's okay to use once or twice a week. I would treat it as a "mask" almost. If you're not using a regular cleanser as well, your skin is not getting the nutrients it needs - it's only getting well hydrated with the olive oil. So try using a good organic cleanser every day, and once or twice a week do the OCM at night. OCM should not be a replacement for a regular skincare regimen! Your skin needs vitamins and deeper cleaning that OCM cannot always give. Olive Oil IS good for your skin, but it needs other nutrients and cleansers, as well. If you really want to do OCM every day, do it at night and use a good cleanser in the morning...

I hope this helps! If you have any questions, email me at lisa.roberds@skincaretherapy.net