The photos from this week are not impressive...to be honest they're a little sad...but I am going to to embrace being zit free. Soooo yay for that.
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| Left |
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| Right |
Soooo as you can see, bummers. BUT, zit free. Small victories, right? <3
Showing posts with label Oil Cleansing Method. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Oil Cleansing Method. Show all posts
Friday, March 1, 2013
OCM - Week 3 Update
Oi...this was a rough week for my skin. Not only have I eaten like a freaking pig this week, I have been drinking soda like its going like its going out of style. In addition to a crappy diet, its the end of the month so I have a bunch of reports due at work that stress me the heck out. Its clearly showing on my skin. However, I am pimple free and that in itself is pretty freaking cool. I did refill my oil dispenser this week so its entirely possible that I got the mix wrong. I think I need a touch more Castor oil...I am feeling pretty 'hydrated'.
The photos from this week are not impressive...to be honest they're a little sad...but I am going to to embrace being zit free. Soooo yay for that.
Soooo as you can see, bummers. BUT, zit free. Small victories, right? <3
The photos from this week are not impressive...to be honest they're a little sad...but I am going to to embrace being zit free. Soooo yay for that.
Soooo as you can see, bummers. BUT, zit free. Small victories, right? <3
Monday, February 25, 2013
OCM Update - Week 2
Sorry this post is a little late. I took the photos Thursday night and then Mr. Fox Claws and I went out of town this weekend so I just now got the chance to sit down and write.
Sooo if you couldn't tell by the title, this is my week 2 update about using the Oil Cleansing Method. (You can read about Day 1 and Week 1 here.) Most of this week I've just been fine tuning my routine to fit my skin. Quick oil blend recap: I started with 1/4 Castor Oil and 3/4 EVOO and found it to be a bit drying so I added a little bit more EVOO and that seemed to help tremendously (Jennie, I am still searching for that Avocado Oil you rave about!) I am also using a tiny bit of my oil blend as a moisturizer after I cleanse if I feel like I need it. After applying the oil as moisturizer I pat my face down gently with a clean towel to remove any excess. Annnd thats it! The money its saving me so far is ridiculous.
Heres what I was using prior to the OCM:
Clinique Acne Solutions Cleansing Foam $19.50
Clinique Clarifying Lotion (2-Pink) $22.50
Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel $25.00
Clinique Moisture Surge $37.00
Total: $104.00
Here's what I'm using now:
Bertolis EVOO $6.89
Castor Oil $5.98
Total: $12.87
This isn't calculated per month, but when you consider that I went through a bottle of my DDMG a month and in 2 weeks I am not even half way through my bottle of Castor oil...the savings are obvious. It honestly kind of freaks me out at how much I was spending. So I am really, really hoping that this cleansing method works better for me in the long run. My wallet is hoping so too.
TMI moment incoming before I get to the photos. Its about 'That Time' of the month for me and usually that means my face is like spring break for acne - Everybody is popping up, chillin' with their homies, partying in the warm sun...pissing me off. I got a couple of pimples (you can see in the left photo below), but nothing like I would normally see so far. The ones that I did have were small and close enough to the surface that they healed pretty quickly. Melissa at Pinked Polish had warned me that her skin went kind of crazy during the 2nd week so maybe this is my 'crazy'. We'll see. Over all I am still very optimistic about the OCM, more optimistic than I was after week 1 even.
Edit: I forgot to add that the blackheads on my nose are noticeably diminishing. I wish I would have gotten a before/after pic for reference but I didn't. Oh well, who wants to see blackheads anyway? Yuck! LOL
Photo note: These photos were taken under the same lighting conditions to preserve the integrity of the results; in my bathroom, with the vanity light on, and doors closed to block out additional light.
TL;DR
- OCM still a thumbs up!
- Price comparison from previous skin care routine to this one is scary.
- Skin still looking noticeably less angry.
- Photos are in no way retouched or enhanced other than adding the border and water mark. Parts of my face look smoother because they are.
Sooo if you couldn't tell by the title, this is my week 2 update about using the Oil Cleansing Method. (You can read about Day 1 and Week 1 here.) Most of this week I've just been fine tuning my routine to fit my skin. Quick oil blend recap: I started with 1/4 Castor Oil and 3/4 EVOO and found it to be a bit drying so I added a little bit more EVOO and that seemed to help tremendously (Jennie, I am still searching for that Avocado Oil you rave about!) I am also using a tiny bit of my oil blend as a moisturizer after I cleanse if I feel like I need it. After applying the oil as moisturizer I pat my face down gently with a clean towel to remove any excess. Annnd thats it! The money its saving me so far is ridiculous.
Heres what I was using prior to the OCM:
Clinique Acne Solutions Cleansing Foam $19.50
Clinique Clarifying Lotion (2-Pink) $22.50
Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel $25.00
Clinique Moisture Surge $37.00
Total: $104.00
Here's what I'm using now:
Bertolis EVOO $6.89
Castor Oil $5.98
Total: $12.87
This isn't calculated per month, but when you consider that I went through a bottle of my DDMG a month and in 2 weeks I am not even half way through my bottle of Castor oil...the savings are obvious. It honestly kind of freaks me out at how much I was spending. So I am really, really hoping that this cleansing method works better for me in the long run. My wallet is hoping so too.
TMI moment incoming before I get to the photos. Its about 'That Time' of the month for me and usually that means my face is like spring break for acne - Everybody is popping up, chillin' with their homies, partying in the warm sun...pissing me off. I got a couple of pimples (you can see in the left photo below), but nothing like I would normally see so far. The ones that I did have were small and close enough to the surface that they healed pretty quickly. Melissa at Pinked Polish had warned me that her skin went kind of crazy during the 2nd week so maybe this is my 'crazy'. We'll see. Over all I am still very optimistic about the OCM, more optimistic than I was after week 1 even.
Edit: I forgot to add that the blackheads on my nose are noticeably diminishing. I wish I would have gotten a before/after pic for reference but I didn't. Oh well, who wants to see blackheads anyway? Yuck! LOL
Photo note: These photos were taken under the same lighting conditions to preserve the integrity of the results; in my bathroom, with the vanity light on, and doors closed to block out additional light.
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| Left - Week 2 (Day 14) |
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| Right - Week 2 (Day 14) |
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| Comparison day 1 to day 14 |
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| Comparison day 7 to day 14 |
TL;DR
- OCM still a thumbs up!
- Price comparison from previous skin care routine to this one is scary.
- Skin still looking noticeably less angry.
- Photos are in no way retouched or enhanced other than adding the border and water mark. Parts of my face look smoother because they are.
Thursday, February 14, 2013
OCM - End of Week One
Oil Cleansing Method (OCM) Week 1 - Daily Diary
Day 1 (Friday) - You can read about day 1 here.
Day 2 (Saturday) - Did my OCM in my morning shower. Skin felt a bit dry after the shower but was not nearly as dry as usual. With my Clinique 3-Step system my skin felt completely sapped and tight (like I couldn't wait to put moisturizer on), but this was tolerable. I debated putting a teeny bit of moisturizer on, but decided to use a little tiny bit of my oil blend instead. I rubbed it in my hands to warm it up and patted it on my face. Soaked right in, no oily feeling left :) Splashed my face with water before bed and dabbed on a little big of my oil blend for moisture. No pimples to report.
Day 3 (Sunday) - Felt a little dry when I woke up so I put half a pump of my Clinique Dramaticaly Different Moisturizing Gel (CDDG) onto my nose and cheeks. I'm thinking the dryness around these areas is because I am sicky sicky and blowing my nose like every 3 minutes. On the plus side, blackheads seem to be coming really easily (overshare?) Did my OCM this evening, again, a little dry in the cheek area. Patted a little bit of oil on my face and then splashed it with water and patted it dry. Seems to have done the trick. Not noticing any miracle changes.
Day 4 (Monday) - Splashed my face when I woke up and patted a little bit of my oil blend on for moisture. Melissa over at Pinked Polish has been doing OCM for awhile now and mentioned that he skin went crazy after the first week, but evened out again after the second one. She loves OCM so it seems like its worth sticking with. I don't know if its the placebo effect or what, but I noticed a pimple starting to come up on my cheek in the evening. Did my OCM in the shower and dabbed on a bit of acne cream on the zit, then patted face with oil blend for extra moisture.
Day 5 (Tuesday) - Felt a little dry this morning but my face looked fantastic! Dare I say today is a good skin day!? My skin tone was very even. I patted my face with oil blend for moisture. Note to self: I need to keep the oil blend moisturizer to the center of my face, the sides and jaw don't need any extra moisture LOL! My pimple from last night is just a red spot, not even raised...has it healed already? WTHell? Never thought a zit could puzzle me.
Day 6 (Wednesday) - Nooo another zit. Smaller than usual, but bigger than the tiny ones I'd been getting. This one is in a pretty normal place though, along my jaw where I hold the phone to my face. GRR. STILL, better than I expected. I definitely think that I need to add more olive oil to my mix because I am still getting a little bit of dryness.
Day 7 (Thursday) - I don't know if its just in my head or if its a legit benefit, but that pimple seems to have gotten smaller overnight. I dabbed a bit of Neutrogena On The Spot acne treatment on it and its nearly gone. If this method helps my skin faster then I am sold for life.
1 Week Assessment - I am relatively pleased with the OCM. I was totally expecting to have a face full of acne by now but so far my skin has reacted much the same as it did when I was using my Clinique system. Sooooo how about some comparison photos? I took the photos under the exact same lighting conditions - Closed doors in the light of the bathroom vanity. What do you think?
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TL;DR
- Oil Cleansing Method - Decent. Worth a try.
- Not oily at all!
- Will do another update at week 2
Day 1 (Friday) - You can read about day 1 here.
Day 2 (Saturday) - Did my OCM in my morning shower. Skin felt a bit dry after the shower but was not nearly as dry as usual. With my Clinique 3-Step system my skin felt completely sapped and tight (like I couldn't wait to put moisturizer on), but this was tolerable. I debated putting a teeny bit of moisturizer on, but decided to use a little tiny bit of my oil blend instead. I rubbed it in my hands to warm it up and patted it on my face. Soaked right in, no oily feeling left :) Splashed my face with water before bed and dabbed on a little big of my oil blend for moisture. No pimples to report.
Day 3 (Sunday) - Felt a little dry when I woke up so I put half a pump of my Clinique Dramaticaly Different Moisturizing Gel (CDDG) onto my nose and cheeks. I'm thinking the dryness around these areas is because I am sicky sicky and blowing my nose like every 3 minutes. On the plus side, blackheads seem to be coming really easily (overshare?) Did my OCM this evening, again, a little dry in the cheek area. Patted a little bit of oil on my face and then splashed it with water and patted it dry. Seems to have done the trick. Not noticing any miracle changes.
Day 4 (Monday) - Splashed my face when I woke up and patted a little bit of my oil blend on for moisture. Melissa over at Pinked Polish has been doing OCM for awhile now and mentioned that he skin went crazy after the first week, but evened out again after the second one. She loves OCM so it seems like its worth sticking with. I don't know if its the placebo effect or what, but I noticed a pimple starting to come up on my cheek in the evening. Did my OCM in the shower and dabbed on a bit of acne cream on the zit, then patted face with oil blend for extra moisture.
Day 5 (Tuesday) - Felt a little dry this morning but my face looked fantastic! Dare I say today is a good skin day!? My skin tone was very even. I patted my face with oil blend for moisture. Note to self: I need to keep the oil blend moisturizer to the center of my face, the sides and jaw don't need any extra moisture LOL! My pimple from last night is just a red spot, not even raised...has it healed already? WTHell? Never thought a zit could puzzle me.
Day 6 (Wednesday) - Nooo another zit. Smaller than usual, but bigger than the tiny ones I'd been getting. This one is in a pretty normal place though, along my jaw where I hold the phone to my face. GRR. STILL, better than I expected. I definitely think that I need to add more olive oil to my mix because I am still getting a little bit of dryness.
Day 7 (Thursday) - I don't know if its just in my head or if its a legit benefit, but that pimple seems to have gotten smaller overnight. I dabbed a bit of Neutrogena On The Spot acne treatment on it and its nearly gone. If this method helps my skin faster then I am sold for life.
1 Week Assessment - I am relatively pleased with the OCM. I was totally expecting to have a face full of acne by now but so far my skin has reacted much the same as it did when I was using my Clinique system. Sooooo how about some comparison photos? I took the photos under the exact same lighting conditions - Closed doors in the light of the bathroom vanity. What do you think?
Day 1: (Right / Left)
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End of Week 1: (Right/Left)
Left Comparison:
TL;DR
- Oil Cleansing Method - Decent. Worth a try.
- Not oily at all!
- Will do another update at week 2
Friday, February 8, 2013
Oil Cleansing Method - Day 1
A little background on my skin: In high school it was awful. Awful waffle awful. Looking back now I am really lucky that I didn't end up with terrible acne scars. I didn't do much in terms of skin care. No matter how much my mom told me not to, I slept in my make-up every night. I splashed my face with water in the morning (maybe) before I put more make up on. I tried ProActive but couldn't get into it. I tried Clinique and never kept up with the routine. I hated the greasy feeling of moisturizer or sun screen so I never wore it. My skin care plan was simple: Dry it out as much as you can so it won't be oily.
But that's not the craziest part....Wanna hear the craziest part? I know you do. I PURPOSEFULLY SUN BURNED MY FREAKING FACE (Tiffany, my most favoritest (former) Clinique person evar...I am so sorry) BECAUSE THE PINK/REDNESS EVENED OUT MY SKIN TONE. I'll give you moment to let that sink in....
Eeeeyah. So sometime around my senior year of high school I ended up with a pretty long term boyfriend and wanted to be safe and responsible (and without child...) and all that jazz so I got 'the pill'. Hallelujah it wiped out most of my acne in just a couple of months. Finally I was on the path to clearer skin, but still no real skin care routine. Since high school I have probably used every drug store brand out there, along with brands like LUSH and Philosophy all with mediocre results. I'd even been prescribed pills from the dermatologist in combination with the BP cream. Nope.
Fast forward 10 years and I still battle acne but most of the time its just hormonal/stress related stuff. I have been using Cliniques 3 step system - Foaming Acne Wash, #2 Clarifying lotion, and the DD Gel - for close to 3 years and while I'm overall pretty happy with it, its killing my wallet. Side bonus: since I am just about out of all of my 3 Step system, I figured now was a good time to pursue other avenues. Enter...the Oil Cleansing Method.
I did a bit of research on different oils and combinations (Crunchy Betty is a great site to help choose your oils), but essentially decided to just use what I had around the house before I started looking into additional oil blends and stuff. My skin is Normal to Dry (I think) so I went with 1 part Castor Oil to 3 parts EVOO since Castor oil is the drying part of this combination. I tried it out for a few nights on my hands to get a feel for how oily it might be, and to see if I would have any negative reaction to the blend. So far so good. I was pleased that I didn't smell like an Italian restaurant when I was done.
Now seriously, before I post these next pictures I have to stress that this is not an easy thing for me to do. I am not 'proud of my skin', and I am aware of the copious amounts of damage that I've done to it. But this is a necessary evil, and will hopefully kick start some really awesome before/after shots later down the road. (Can you tell I'm psyching myself up to actually post these...*sigh* I'm such a chump)
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| Left Jaw/Cheek - Day 1 |
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| Right Jaw/Cheek - Day 1 |
I washed my face with oil last night - massaged in a quarter sized amount for about a minute and then put a hot, hot, HOT wash cloth over my face and let it steam until it cooled. Rinsed the wash cloth out and gently rubbed my face to remove the excess oil, and examined my results. My face was definitely soft. It felt a little dry around my chin area but not nearly close to the dryness and tightness that I get with my Clinique system before moisturizing. I skipped moisturizer and went to bed. When I woke up I had 2 teeeeeny tiny little pimples (like..the kind that aren't even worth mentioning but for the sake of the blog topic I figured I should include any and every little weirdness thing). It was extremely difficult to pass up my desire to wash my face this morning (most people recommend only using OCM a couple times a week to start with), and I didn't want to splash it with water and then have to cheat and use some oil free moisturizer so I left it alone. When I got home from work though I really needed to wash it. It just felt...unwashed! LOL! So I did. Again, a little drier than I prefer it to feel but not dry like its going to flake up and fall off. I put just a tiny tiny bit of my DDMGel around my nose (I'm sick so I'm blowing it a lot and it hurts), and on my chin where it felt dry last night. Still, its soft and it looks okay. There is no oily sheen on my face. Meh. I'll keep it up. It should take about 2 weeks for my skin to get totally adjusted to it since I have been using Clinique for so long so we'll take some more pictures later in the week and see how it goes.
If you use the OCM, or used it and went back to store bought skin care, then I wanna know! Leave me a message beloooow! <3
TL;DR
- Oil on mah face! But not an oily face.
- Miss J nails it
- Self conscious skin pics!
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