Oil Cleansing Method for Oily Skin?

[Dragonfly]

Be Very Skeptical!
If you have oily skin, acne, or both, you may have heard of something called the "oil-cleansing method," either from a friend or from browsing the Internet. In that case, you're probably wondering whether the oil-cleansing method is finally the solution to your shiny face, or perhaps an end to constant breakouts. In short, the answer is a resounding "No!"

Of course, you can test the oil-cleansing method yourself, but before you jump into what is really little more than a skin-care fad and a waste of time, here are the facts you need to make an informed decision.

What Is the Oil-Cleansing Method?
The oil-cleansing method is posted on the "natural" skin-care/health website www.theoilcleansingmethod.com. They passionately recommend it and provide extensive rationalizations for it as the only way to clean oily, blemish-prone skin.
The oil-cleansing method is a recipe for a mixture of castor oil and other plant oils. You mix it up yourself, rub it on your face, and then wipe it off using steam and hot water. According to the site, you're supposed to meditate during cleansing. (Honest, they really do state that.)

This cleansing method is based on the chemistry rule of "like dissolves like," which means that one substance can dissolve or break down substances similar to it. That's the rationale they use to explain how the oil-cleansing method mixture, which is composed of oils (in this case plant oils) dissolves the oils on your skin and stops more oil from being produced, all because some oils are similar to other oils.

Unfortunately, that principle does not hold here, and so the method doesn't work. In fact, there are so many things wrong with their rationale, it's almost mind numbing.

Why This Method Doesn't Work for Oily Skin
The flaw in their logic is that it assumes oily, blemish-prone skin is simply oil on the surface, when in reality it is far more complicated than that.

Your skin produces oil in response to the hormones your body produces. The fact that this excess oil is being generated all the time explains why your skin is greasy throughout the day.

Dissolving oil from the surface of your skin cannot affect what is happening below the surface, inside the pore, or in your body, where these hormones are generated. Using cleansing oil may remove facial oil from the surface of your skin, but that's about all it can do.

A Few More Misleading Ideas to Clear Up
Aside from presenting the idea that oil dissolves oil, the website for the oil-cleansing method also makes the statements below. Our response follows each statement, and explains why the information is either wrong or misleading:

• MYTH: Cleansers strip skin of oils, leaving it tight and irritated.

  FACTS: Not all "traditional" water-soluble cleansers leave skin tight and irritated. Using the term "stripping" makes it sound like water-soluble cleansers are ripping oil from your skin and causing damage. The truth is that gentle water-soluble cleansers are simply dissolving the oil, just like the oils in the oil-cleansing method, but in a different way.

• MYTH: Drinking water will "flush toxins" from the body, improving oily and acne-prone skin.

  FACTS: There are no toxins in your body that it can't flush out on its own through the body's natural processes. It isn't bad to drink lots of water, but it won't change how much oil your pores produce. And your skin's oil is not a toxin; it actually has some amazing benefits for your skin. Drinking water cannot affect oil-regulating hormones, either.

• MYTH: The combination of oils and hot steam used by the oil-cleansing method will "deep-clean" skin in a way that no other product can.

  FACTS: Hot steam is irritating in every way possible, and irritation stimulates oil production directly in the pore and makes pimples look even redder. Using hot steam on a regular basis also can cause small blood vessels in your skin to rupture, over time creating a network of surfaced red capillaries.

• MYTH: Dissolving oil on the surface of skin will change how your pores produce oil, which will lead to clear skin.

  FACTS: How such a process could be possible isn't explained, and the company doesn't provide any research on the website. Real research shows that applying potent irritants to the skin's surface can trigger more oil to be produced at the base of the pore, but simply removing the surface oil with a gentle cleanser (oil-based or not) isn't going to alter how oil is produced.

If Only Fixing Oily Skin Was This Simple…
Cleansing skin with oil isn't a new concept, and there isn't anything wrong with using an oil to remove makeup, but it doesn't do anything more than serve as a greasy-feeling cleanser. If the oil-cleansing method were all it took to get rid of oily skin and blemishes, every company would be selling the routine, because it isn't exactly rocket science to reproduce.
But, given the complicated physiology of skin (it is the largest organ of the body) and the complex nature of acne and oily skin, a single cleansing step cannot begin to address all, or even a small portion, of the associated problems.

To be fair, experimenting with the oil-cleansing method (minus the steaming) won't hurt your skin. At worst, it will just waste your time and exacerbate breakouts. But after that, you should follow recommendations based on what published research has shown can effectively treat oily, blemish-prone skin. That includes gentle, water-soluble cleansers, an exfoliant formulated with salicylic acid, and a topical disinfectant with benzoyl peroxide.

Source:

http://www.cosmeticscop.com/BULLETIN/041211-full.htm?utm_source=bronto&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Read+More+%C2%BB&utm_content=Oil-Cleansing+Method+for+Oily+Skin%3F&utm_campaign=04.12.11+Beauty+Exclusives

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[Andi]

I say I tend to agree. I used the OCM (with castor & olive oil) before and didn´t like it (I mainly didn´t like the smell and texture, and I was too lazy to experiment with different oils). I do however love using MAC´s Cleanse Off Oil to remove the combination of sunscreen+longwearing makeup, but I follow up with a gentle cleanser afterwards.

I think people with normal to dry skin may enjoy the OCM, but there is no way someone´s oily skin will actually produce less oil because of it. I can´t even count how many times SAs and MAs have told me "this product will cause your skin to produce less oil" when that´s not even possible. Only Accutane can (at least to my knowledge) do that, everything else can just soak up excess oil (and in my case, 90% of oil-control products don´t even do that well)

 

[Maris Crane]

I don't have oily skin, but I have to concur with the sentiment about drier skin lovin' cleansing oil. Nip + Fab, shu A/O, Laneige or Lancome, my skin really seems to respond better to oil cleansing (for long-wearing/medium-full coverage days) than foaming options. Granted, I don't know if commercial cleansing oils really count as OCM, but I like 'em regardless. Yay for parabens! At the same token, I don't use oil cleansers everyday - again, just on the days when I felt the need to wear a really full face. A regular milk cleanser, followed up with a second cleanse, is usually enough to get off my TM, concealer, and MSFN everyday. Whether it really contributes to less breakouts (an oil cleanser, that is), I can't really confirm as I don't use it everyday. Honestly, skin care IMO, is too accidental - a simple serum or cleanser change can make all the difference, good or bad, for anyone to say that one method - even it is the most 'back to nature' asOCM devotees claim it to be - is universal. *shrugs.*

 

[DreamWarrior]

 Noooooo! Say it aint sooo!?!

Im utterly confused and it just goes to show the power of the internet.

I have oily skin and based on recommendations here I attempted to oil cleansing method.  I've been doing it now for two weeks on an "every other day" cycle. 

To be honest, I havent noticed a difference in the oil reproduction, but I was hoping I was doing soooome sort of good since my skin felt incredible.  In the two weeks since using this method I havent had a large outbreak of acne, but then again I am on medication.  What I did notice; however, is that my blackheads HAVE reduced.  I've been on medication for a month now, and the change in black heads I've noticed recently - which I assumed was from the oil cleansing method.

Im still oily - dont get me wrong.  But I was hoping that in the long run, I would be less oily.  Gah! Back to the drawing table.

Maybe this method will work ---------------->

 

[Dragonfly]

I have oily skin.

I can't imagine applying an oil to my skin and expecting the oil to clean my skin.

And I can't imagine how much oilier my skin will feel - YUCK!

I haven't tried the oil cleansing method and I don't have any plans for the future.

 

[DreamWarrior]

Actually, its not that bad - it's no different than using massaging oil on your body.  I may have been duped into thinking that the oil will cleans my face and if all I got out of it was a gentle face massage, then so be it - there was no real harm done (at least I dont think), but that's just MO.

Also, maybe it was from the warm towel treatment, but my face did not feel any "oily-er" after cleansing.  Just regular. 

 

[magosienne]

Actually i tend to disagree with this article which appears, to me, to be critcising one website and the information it gives, rather than be a full study on oil cleansing. Honestly castor oil&olive oil isn't a mix i like very much, olive is fine but castor oil is too rich to be used on a combination or oily skin, too thick in consistency too. There are oils proven to be beneficial for oily skins : hazelnut, Kilahari watermelon (citrullus vulgaris), yangu (Calodendrum capense), jojoba and sesame for the hydration&protection of the skin, and macadamia.

The way i understand the OCM is to find the oils that match your skintype. I currently use macadamia and sweet almond and my t zone is much less oily than it used to be.

As for the cleansers argument, i tend to agree with that part. To be precise the difference i noticed is even when rinsed properly your skin doesn't feel tight like some cleansers do, I still apply moisturizer on, but i don't feel the need to apply it right away.

 

[divadoll]

I totally disagree with that article!  The difference with applying oil and the oil cleansing method is that you don't leave the oil on.  You use it to remove dirt and oil and like all cleansers, you wipe away the cleanser/wash the oil away with the dirt. 

You need to get the right quantities along with the right kind of oils.  I use a 30% castor, 40% jojoba and 30% hempseed oil and I think it is affective and wonderful and I'd been using it for over 1 year.

 

[Andi]

Originally Posted by divadoll /img/forum/go_quote.gif

I totally disagree with that article!  The difference with applying oil and the oil cleansing method is that you don't leave the oil on.  You use it to remove dirt and oil and like all cleansers, you wipe away the cleanser/wash the oil away with the dirt. 

I think the issue here is that the traditional OCM wants you to wipe/rinse the oil off in the end (and not follow up with a cleanser), and that is going to leave oil residue (even when it´s not visible). So technically, this would be similar to applying a heavy duty moisturizer to your skin, which is something that can be problematic for oily skin.

I thinik the article mainly targets the issue that people with oily skin area lead to believe that this won´t break them out (which you can never say for any skincare item/method. There is always the possibility that things will break some people out) and that it will decrease your skin´s natural oil production. The OCM per se is a great alternative to cleansers, but it´s not for everybody.