I cheated....

.... on the oil cleansing method.

I was faithful for weeks, but earlier this week, frustrated with my break-outs, I got in the shower and scrubbed with my Philosophy microdelivery cleanser.

But oh, how I regret my transgression. Immediately upon exiting the shower, my face felt dry and tight. I had to race to apply moisturizer to make it feel normal again.

So I declare, right now, I will not cheat again.

My skin is broken out right now, which is frustrating. Ever since I delivered my second child (nearly TWO years ago, mind you) my skin has been misbehaving. I had flawless skin for years after taking Accutane (yes, that Accutane - the one with the lawyers telling me to sue them because it gave me Crohn's Disease or some other terrible ailment - but it didn't). I remember buying concealer to have on my wedding day, just in case, because I didn't own any. I guess all my smugness of having flawless skin and never needing more than a swipe of powder and some mascara on my face caught up with me because I currently have the skin of a teenager. Not just any teenager - teenage ME.

I used Proactiv for years after I had my first child and it helped a lot, so I used it through my second pregnancy and afterwards... but the thing is, it's kind of expensive. I have to buy it online or at the mall. Plus, I wanted something more natural, since all I've done is put chemicals on my face (and in my body, in the case of the Accutane) since I started puberty.

I heard the Oil Cleansing Method mentioned on a message board and it linked to a thread on an acne website - sounds promising, right? People claimed their skin felt amazing and they didn't have to use moisturizer (bonus!) Since I have been trying (mostly unsuccessfully) to green our lives for the past year or two, I decided to try it. I went to the organic store (shout-out to Mom's Organic Market of Columbia!) and picked up Castor oil, Jojoba oil, Grapeseed oil, and Tea Tree Oil. I had a small container from a wipes solution, so I cleaned it out and filled it with the oils (yeah, reusing - one of the 3Rs!). I kind of eyeballed it to be honest, but I was going for about 70% Castor oil, 15% Jojoba, and 15% Grapeseed, with a few drops of Tea Tree because it's supposed to help with problem skin.

I shook it up and rubbed it all over my face. It was... greasy. It felt slimy. It just seemed... wrong. I persevered, dampening a towel with hot water and laying it over my face to steam open my pores (I just typed "poors" which is an indication that I shouldn't be making blog posts this late at night). After a couple minutes I wiped the oil off and my skin felt.... normal. It wasn't tight and it wasn't greasy. I wouldn't say it was GLOWING as many people rave, but it felt clean, and smooth, and I didn't have to put any moisturizer on.

So I continued, and I was doing well until the Philosophy Incident. I don't blame Philosophy, it's not their fault they make such a nice, scrubby soap that feels so nice on your skin and kind of wakes you up in the morning. The thing is, after a few days of doing OCM, you get used to your skin feeling balanced when you're done cleaning it, and if you use any "regular" cleansers on your skin, it feels dry because it stripped all the good oils out of your face in the process of cleaning it.

Anyway, my skin has been badly broken out for about a week. I did use the clay mask (see last week's post, with photos!) and that could have brought all this new, under-the-skin type stuff to the surface. This weekend I mixed the clay mask with honey which made a lovely mask that doesn't get nearly as hard on your face - but honey is also designed to cleanse your pores, so who knows. I have been using tea tree oil on my face at night to try and clear up the acne, and I may need to adjust the oils in my OCM to better suit my face. I don't have all the answers yet, but I know that if I don't try OCM for at least 12 weeks, I can't really form an informed opinion on the subject.

So, for a few more weeks at least, I will continue putting oil on my face. No cheating, I promise. I currently do not need a moisturizer. If I wash my face at night, I just splash it with some warm water in the shower in the morning. I do use Philosophy's "The Present" clear make-up to even out my skin tone, so I guess *technically* that's a moisturizer, but I don't need it to make my skin feel balanced, so it doesn't count.... right?

I hope to update in a few weeks that my skin is flawless. Either way, I'll update and post my final decision - will I continue OCM or return to conventional products (which will likely be Proactiv)?

...stay tuned!