The Oil Cleansing Method

What is the oil cleansing method? Simply put, its washing your face with oil! What is this crazy talk, you ask? Why, its all the rage! Seriously, the Oil Cleansing Method has worked wonders on my face. No longer do I have painful pimples or ugly blackheads on my nose (where they once were prolific!)

The Oil Cleansing Method is extremely easy, and cheap. It does cost a bit to get started, but I guarantee it will be less than a lot of us spend on expensive facial cleansers and lotions. Before the OCM I was spending around $50 every couple of months. I was using "Simple" and while yes, it was effective nothing compares to "all natural." I was using the face wash, the scrub, the toner, day time lotion, and night time lotion. That is FIVE products. Now I am down to one!

Here is my routine:

My OCM oil consists of 1/4 sweet almond oil, 1/4 jojoba oil, 1/4 avocado oil, and 1/4 castor oil.  I have the oil mixed together in a little amber colored glass dropper bottle. It is extremely convenient.

I pull out my little dropper bottle from my medicine cabinet, and turn the water faucet on HOT. Once it's hot, I fill up a little plastic pink tub that I got from the hospital when my daughter was born. Hey! Repurposing anyone? Once its filled up, I turn the water off. Then I throw three cloth wipes into the hot water.

I dry my hands, just because I don't want the oil mixing with any water that's on them. I then squeeze out a dropperful of oil onto my hand. Maybe two. I then rub it all over my face. I make sure to massage it in really well, especially on my nose. My nose has always been a problem area for me. I get dermatitis there, and it is extremely flaky. Since starting the OCM the dermatitis has disappeared!

Once the oil has been massaged in, I take one of the HOT wipes from the tub and wring it out. Then I lightly drape it over my face. The idea is to "steam out" the impurities on my face. Once the washcloth has gone luke-warm, I gently wipe the oil off my face. Then I go on to the next clean wipe and start the process over.  I use about three of the cloth wipes during my routine.

Ta Da! That's it. I just gently pat my face dry, and I'm done. Why would anyone want to wash their face with oil? As the old adage goes, "like attracts like." While I am in no way a chemistry major, I can see what they are talking about. The clean oil pulls the dirty oil from your face, and then you just steam and wipe.

The problem with commercial cleansers and lotion is that it strips your natural oils from your face. Yes they do get rid of the dirty oil as well, but your skin is designed to have some oil in/on it! When I was using commercial cleansers and lotions my face was always horribly dry. There was nothing that I could slather on it that would keep it from being a flaky mess. Long live the OCM, you have saved my poor poor skin from its flaky anguish. I am super happy.

Whether this post convinces you to try the Oil Cleansing Method (you should!) or not, I just wanted to share my wonderful experience with it. I'll never go back to commercial lotions and cleansers. My four bottles of oil (4 oz each) mixed together will last me a good year. I bought each bottle on amazon for about $5 each, that's $20 for a year!

Here's to being Frugal, Fun, and all Natural!

No 'poo!

"...I like granola." Says my husband as I step out of the shower. *Sniff Sniff* I guess he's skeptically checking me over to see if I reek of apple cider vinegar. After he assures me that I don't, I wrap my hair up in a towel and patiently wait for it to dry.

My hair has always been a sore spot for me. My younger days were filled with hot pink mohawks, and raven colored tresses despite my natural chestnut color. I've had my hair more colors than the rainbow, and its really done some damage. I've never been able to get a comb through my hair without some serious conditioner saturation.

So what was going through my head when I decided to forgo that special bond between my hair and its chemical laden treat? Hope. Hope that one day I would be able to forgo the use of all product and have my hair look like the sparkling white mane of a unicorn. Okay maybe not white, but you get the idea.

What is no 'poo?  Well in its simplest form, its not using shampoo to wash your hair. Instead, I'll be using baking soda, and apple cider vinegar (with the occasional coconut oil treatment.) You're thinking, gross...right? Well what do you think people did hundreds of years ago before shampoo was invented? I'm pretty sure the social elite of ancient Egypt didn't run around one stinking pile of grease. So here begins my experiment. By the end of this year, I fully plan on being a "Rinse Only Method" girl. That's an extreme form of the no'poo movement where you only wash your hair with WATER! By January 1st, 2015 I will never again use a single product on my hair. (Other than a hair tie/headband.)

How am I going to manage this? Here's how: Your scalp is just like the rest of your skin. It produces oil from your sebaceous glands. Shampoo is designed to strip away all of that oil (and dirt) from your hair. While removing dirt is a good thing, taking away all of the oil is not. It leaves your hair frail and dry. Your natural oils are there to protect your hair! Conditioner is a synthetic substance designed to mimic the natural oils in your hair. Why remove something natural if you're just going to replace it with something synthetic? The more you wash your hair, the more it strips away oil. Your scalp then goes into panic mode and makes MORE OIL! Then the vicious cycle continues, and you yet again wash your hair.

The trick is to get your body/scalp to make the correct amount of oil to protect your hair...naturally. Once you stop shampooing your hair, your scalp will realize you have too much oil, and will calm down and produce less. Voila! Just like the ancients used to do.

Today was my first full day of no 'poo. I'm also combining this with my regimen of "The Oil Cleansing Method" and "Oil Pulling." More on those topics in another post.

Here's what I did:

- I turned on the shower to get it nice and hot.
- Put my closed jar of coconut oil on the shower floor to heat it up.
- Filled my large plastic cup with hot water, and stirred in two tablespoons of baking soda.
- I then placed my bottle of apple cider vinegar next to the shower.
- I took out my Avacodo, Jojoba and Castor oil mix.
- Slathered that stuff all over my face.
- Took some HOT washcloths and wiped it all off!
- I got undressed and hopped into the shower, saturating my hair with water.
- I then slowly poured the baking soda water over my head.
- Time to "scritch" my scalp and lightly dig up any excess oil or product residue.
- Then you Rinse, Rinse, Rinse!
- I opened my jar of coconut oil and put about a tablespoon in my mouth. Swish, swish swish!
- I kept swishing...
- Next, I poured about two inches deep of ACV into my large cup. Finished it up with water.
- Slowly poured the mix onto my hair.
- Again...Rinse, Rinse, Rinse!
- I then turned the water off, and stepped out to dry off. Still swishing,
- I spat the coconut oil into the trash, and then rinsed my mouth out with some warm water.
- Next, I brushed my teeth...with water.

And that's when my husband came in to perform the sniff test. All in all, my no 'poo shower/oil cleansing/oil pulling combo took me about twenty minutes. Which is what a regular shower would take me. Sometimes it would even take me longer because I would be struggling to rinse out the gross conditioner from my hair, only to find that my hair was gross and slick...after I had already dried off. I'm hoping that I never have to feel that "ugh...do I really have to hop back in and try to rinse this gunk off" feeling again. It isn't pleasant.

So what does my hair feel like, after a day of no 'poo? Oh baby, does my hair feel soft! It didn't take me very long to comb out my hair. Usually it feels dry as straw and has a bunch of tangles. Not a tangle in sight. Of course, this could be that magical day before everything hits the fan (and it will, I already know transitioning can be a cruel, cruel mistress.) It feels sublime today, all fresh and clean.

Remember, your hair WILL transition. Its so used  to being chemical laden that once you take  those chemicals away its going to go into "withdrawal." You are going to be greasy and scuzzy feeling for probably a good month or so, but there is light at the end of the rainbow. And I cant wait to see what that looks like!

Oh dear...It's been a YEAR!

Its been a year since my last post, and boy can I tell you how much my life has changed. A LOT! As it turns out, a miracle happened. And here is that little beauty...

 

 

 

Her name is Rowan, and at present she is about a month and a half old. I cannot express the amount of happiness that she has brought my family. My two older children are ecstatic. My daughter is constantly remarking on how she "is a great big sister!." I would have to agree. My older daughter has been a very helpful little girl, and is always there when I yell, "Rebekah! I need a diaper!" :) She is always happy to oblige.

 

 

 

 

Here are my three gorgeous beasts. Rebekah, Remy, and Rowan. Don't ask about the obsession with the "R" names. Honestly, I don't know how it happened. I named my daughter Rebekah because it is Hebrew, and I am exactly half French Jew. My son was called Remy because of my love for Gambit, one of the Xmen. :) He just also happens to be French! My latest (and sadly last) little ball of sunshine was named Rowan because the other half of me is Irish. :)

 

As my children are all part of me, I felt it necessary to impart a little bit of my heritage into them. My spiritual path emphasizes ancestor veneration, and by giving my children the names that they have I feel I am doing exactly that.

 

Hail to my ancestors for giving me strength...mentally, physically and spiritually!

Hail to the nature spirits for allowing me to take part in the creation of something wonderful!

Hail to the shining ones for giving me the patience to fully realize my dreams!