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Purging from OCM

222K views 241 replies 46 participants last post by  ocres 
#1 ·
How long does it last and at what point to do just say "this is too much"?

Do you just power on thru and keep using the oils or do you stop and wait for the purging to subside?

Do you use your regular anti-zit medication while you are doing OCM?

I have tried various combinations of OCM and every time I get terrible purging...when my skin was good to begin with and clear! Any amount of castor oil especially gives me problems, but even grapeseed oil does this. Plain olive oil...same thing. Olio lusso not so bad, but it doesn't rinse cleanly. I feel like there's a nasty film on my skin trapping the dirt in and clogging my pores. Is this what's happening?

I don't get purging from DHC Deep Cleansing Oil, so I'm thinking that I'm not getting the oil completely off my skin, even tho I rinse for at least 5 minutes with hot water. DHC has an emulsifier that makes it rinse off cleanly with just one rinse. Should I be using a foaming cleanser after the OCM?

Thanks for any advice!



 
#80 ·
I guess it's a case of everything in moderation. I can use just a drop of Olio Lusso on my face and it's just beautiful. What I did was to pour a tablespoon of it into my hand and slather it all over my skin and massage it in. OMG what a mess. I couldn't get it all off! And then the repeated soaking with hot water and then cleansing again with a foaming cleanser just made things worse.

Have you used Karin Herzog ray? It's based on mineral oil. The Professional Cleansing Cream is supposedly a cult thing. Another disaster for me tho.



 
#83 ·
Have you used Karin Herzog ray? It's based on mineral oil. The Professional Cleansing Cream is supposedly a cult thing. Another disaster for me tho.
No, I looked at it when I was younger, but it never clicked with me, the mineral oil+peroxide combination. I should listen to my skincare 6th sense more often, it has never led me astray, I just have the arrogance not to follow it's advice from time to time.
 
#81 ·
Ah, validation! I could NOT figure out why nobody else broke out with the OCM. I had a bad feeling about it to start with, having fought with acne for more than 40 years now, so I did a test patch. Oh, the ugliness that ensued! Nope, I'm sticking to my oil + surfactant (and chemicals I don't like) cleanser.
 
#87 ·
What about using a toner after? I use the OCM every night now, and never had a problem. Maybe those of you who are having lots of purging is because your skin is telling you that you need the impurites outta there? I don't know. But 3 days is not enough to allow all those impurities to come out, IMO.

Anyway, I use Thayer's alcohol free witch hazel toner after, and it makes the oil pretty much disappear. Whether necessary or not, I feel "cleaner" after using the toner.

I really love the idea of OCM, and I love what it does to my skin. But what works for one won't work for another. We all know that!
 
#97 ·
By the time I get a Platinum Visa, global warming will be advanced to a stage where you can drink tropical cocktails on former ski tracks and bath your feet in the freshly elevated Atlantic ocean. Why else do you think would I pick a spot high in the mountains?
 
#107 ·
Aww, Fawnie! Makes me sad to see you're down in the dumps!

Don't know if this will help, but the day I came home with my first prescription of Retin-A (cream 0.05%), I had a monster cyst on my temple/cheekbone area. Any other day it would have taken that sucker a good two weeks (at least) to clear up. But somehow the very next morning after I woke up after my first RA application, the zit was waaaaaaaaaay smaller. It looked like it was two weeks old already, when it was actually only three days old and literally had a pulse of its own just the previous day. SO, not sure what I'm getting at here because I don't know how much differently RA Micro works, but if I were staring at a four cysts tonight with a nothing-to-lose attitude (as I often get when faced with underground zits), I could totally see myself throwing caution to the wind and carefully applying some RA in a thicker-than-usual spot-treatment-type way to the cysts.

Turn that frown upside down
Your true beauty definitely beakons with your warm, welcoming, kind-hearted spirit that I've seen so many times here on SKT!!
 
#122 ·
Fawnie, what a nightmare! I would go back to whatever regime was suiting you before the catastrophe, grab a blue light for your Baby Q!

You know, for years I cleansed and toned with witch hazel and basically never had a zit. I stopped and started using the OCM because I feared that witch hazel was drying and not the best option BUT I think I'm going to go right back to using my old friend witch hazel as it did seem to suit! I fear I will just break out too if I continue with OCM as things were starting to go that way. I think its a glorious method but that a considerably small fraction of skin types can get away with it and the easy-clog-club, like us cats, end up somewhat screwed!
 
#124 ·
I decided to try the OCM with olive and jojoba oils. It's been just fine with my skin (sorry, to hear all the problems others have had). I had a brainstorm and decided to use the OCM when I do Tanaka face massage. Very nice combo! Usually, I just use jojoba oil for Tanaka, then use a mild cleanser after. The OCM concept has provided a different spin.


I use a very hot washcloth three to four times and my skin feels fine! Mind, I have normal to dry skin, not the least bit oily or prone to breakouts.
 
#125 ·
I do some of the tanaka massage as well (the eye part) while doing OCM! Kill two birds with one stone

Sparklie, do you use an astringent oil or just the 2 you mentioned above? I'm loving my mixture of sunflower seed oil and castor oil, but for sh*ts and giggles I might add grapeseed oil as well (something like Janee's mixture - I forget if it's in this thread or the other OCM thread).

I would've thought it would work on anyone, just by the definition of the method. I still think there is something amiss...I know a few of you can put oilio lussio and other oils on your face to moisturize - so if no probs with that, then I would think the OCM just needs a little tweaking (the mixture, that is). However, no need to stick with something you don't feel comfortable with.
 
#128 ·
How is your skin reacting to it, Krystal?

Sparklie, as Gabro suggested, you might want to add an astringent oil to the mix, as neither olive or jojoba are considered astringent oils.

It does seem odd that there would be issues with the OCM if the Lusso oil is working. Hope those having problem are able to figure what mixture works for them.
 
#131 ·
Hi,

Fawnie, I read your post a day or so ago and have been thinking about your trouble. First I'll say I'm new to this site so I'm certainly not in a position to offer much advice but I come here with alot of years of retin a use and experimentation etc.

I don't know how many times I've landed myself in trouble when I'm trying to fix something that's not broken. I guess it's in us to seek and continuing seeking


I was really nervous about trying OCM on my oily as well as acne prone skin. After my second night, I'm shocked at how awesome my skin appears. I'm using 60% jojoba and 40% castor oil. Massaging and steaming then repeating a couple of more times.

This isn't the first time I've given this a go. I originally found the suggestion at another site for acne prone concerns...not sure if I can mention the address and it seems that a great percentage of the site population uses OCM with good success. They do use some tea tree oil etc. maybe look for a better formula for acne prone skin. It seems that they also use ACV toner following the OCM.

Having said all of that...whew!... the first time I bought the castor oil at the pharmacy in the laxative isle. It seems that the castor oil I bought was thicker then and likely more appropriate for other uses such as poltice etc. I also used your regular grocery grade oils etc and I had a horrible mess on my hands.

This time around I went to our local health store and bought cold pressed castor oil which seems alot lighter. I'm wondering if you may have made the same bad choices I made the first time around.

I haven't had any purging that I can see. I don't generally where foundation or any kind of makeup etc so I don't see yukiness but it has been an awesome experience for me and my acne for sure.

Sorry that you're having to deal with the aftermath of the practice. I think there have been alot of good suggestions made so I hope you're on your way to better days
 
#132 ·
Having said all of that...whew!... the first time I bought the castor oil at the pharmacy in the laxative isle. It seems that the castor oil I bought was thicker then and likely more appropriate for other uses such as poltice etc. I also used your regular grocery grade oils etc and I had a horrible mess on my hands.

This time around I went to our local health store and bought cold pressed castor oil which seems alot lighter. I'm wondering if you may have made the same bad choices I made the first time around.
Ah-ha...very interesting, and never thought of that. I, too, just used the drugstore/laxative castor oil and had no luck with my single try at OCM. So there are different castor oils? Can someone shed some light on the difference among castor oils? I guess I assumed that what was good to clean out the insides would also work on the outsides! Should we be using some other castor oil?
 
#135 ·
You know, I don't know if there are different kinds of castor oil but I'll say this much. The castor oil I bought at the pharmacy was a darker colour and very thick. The label had more about it's effectiveness on drawing than as a skin application.

Even at the health food store. One bottle was clear and light, noted as cold pressed and checked for pesticides etc. The other bottle was a darker oil also castor, twice the price. When I turned the bottles on end. The first bottle..the clear one....created a bubble that took no time at all to reach the bottom of the bottle. The second more expensive bottle, that bubble took a long time to reach the bottom so obviously it would be much thicker.

The clearer oil label said to use anywhere where you want smoother and softer skin, the thicker oil again went on about soaking flannel and applying to your body.

I have no idea what other processing etc differences there might be but I went with the lighter oil.
 
#136 ·
Gabro and edensong, I'm patiently (haha!) awaiting an arrival of a package of oils n' goodies, but thought I'd just try olive oil and jojoba while waiting.
I'll add some grape seed oil to see what happens.
To be honest, I quite like it with the EVOO and jojoba, LOL! It may not be a super-duper cleanser, but then, I don't wear face makeup, and again, do have skin on the dry side.
I cannot resist --- I'm going to head to the healthfood store and see what castor oils they carry, as well.
 
#137 ·
Well, shoot! I have plenty of castor and could have included it in the package, Sparklie.

The castor oil you want to use should be semi-clear and will most likely be marked USP (cosmetic grade). Do not use any other type of castor. I wonder if that's been the problem for those having issues.
 
#143 ·
Oh good. Just checked mine. It's the regular drug store Castor oil, and it says USP - yay! It also says "stimulant laxative". Laxative to cleanse my face, hemorrhoid cream for excess eye puffiness.....what next?


Eden, I know things are working for me so of course why change it. But, I noticed you said to use the OCM on damp skin. I always put it right onto my bone dry skin. Do you think that's ok?
 
#146 ·
I'm glad things are working for you, fawnie. Can you tell us why type of castor you were using?

Gabro and jane, if you're happy with the way it's working, keep doing it. I just feel it works better on damp skin.
 
#157 ·
Great idea.

I'm back to the Biore blemish fighting ice cleanser I found at wally world cheap.
I'm seeing how I like this one compared to the Neutrogena Deep Clean cleanser. So far I really like it.
Has 2% salicylic acid. It also has menthol and gives your face a cool feeling. I know your no fan of menthol Edensong.
 
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