Deborah Tosline wrote and published “Skin Remodeling DIY: An Introduction to the Underground World of Do-It-Yourself Skincare” in 2015. Her approach to skin care is based on a scientific background, love of research and over 30 years of DIY skincare experience.

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Facial skin looks healthiest when the skin’s natural oil production is balanced and smoothest when pores are clean and tight. Skin pores are openings associated with hair follicles that excrete oils and sweat.

Natural oils are excreted via skin pores to lubricate the skin. Oil, dirt and dead skin cells can form a plug that clogs skin pores and promotes bacterial growth. The oil plug can become oxidized, appear black, and result in blackheads. This acne produces a comedone or small bump that causes the skin to look rough.

Many mainstream cleansing products are aggressive and leave the skin dry resulting in the over-production of natural skin oils.

This creates an imbalance in the natural skin lubrication process and skin health. In addition, synthetic ingredients including fragranced and unfragranced products contain constituents that can irritate dry skin resulting in a cycle of dry irritated inflamed skin.

Skin care products, lack of hygiene, and other reasons can cause the skin’s natural oil production to go out of balance. When skin pores become clogged, they can’t function properly. To maintain good skin health, it is important to gently cleanse the face each night to remove makeup, dirt, and impurities from skin pores. Do-It-Yourself (DIY) skin care practices can eliminate and prevent clogged pores and blackheads and balance the skin. My favorite facial cleanser is the Oil Cleansing Method (OCM).

The OCM is a simple DIY method that cleans pores, nourishes skin and establishes a healthy natural oil production balance. The OCM is based on the premise that “like dissolves like” or that oil dissolves oil. 

When cleansing, nourishing oils are massaged into the skin during the OCM they dissolve hardened oil plugs in the skin’s pores and cleanse the pores.

Blackheads can be removed without physical extraction. As you massage the oil into the skin you may feel remnants of the tiny oil plugs roll around on the skin’s surface. The OCM is an effective and gentle cleanser that can eliminate and prevent blackheads.

Detailed instructions for the OCM are provided on The Oil Cleansing Method website.

I’ve used the OCM for about 20 years, I can’t remember exactly. I do remember that I stopped purchasing facial cleansers when I began OCM and that made me happy - one less thing to buy. I still do not purchase facial cleansers but periodically add a witch hazel astringent to my cleansing routine.

As a young adult, I consistently had blackheads on my cheeks and nose and would visit aestheticians to receive extraction treatments. After I read about the OCM on Internet skin care boards I began using it several times a week. I could feel the tiny hard debris that was removed from my clogged pores as I massaged the oil into my skin. After I used OCM for a period of time, I no longer had blackheads. I converted to using a microfiber cloth to clean my skin at night. Currently, I use the OCM when I practice facial lymphatic massage and the OCM is my go-to cleanser to gently and effectively cleanse peeling skin when healing from the use of cosmetic dermatology tools and after using strong cosmeceuticals.

I’ve always relied on recipes and recommendations provided on The Oil Cleansing Method website. They recommend using castor oil mixed with carrier oils selected based on your skin type and personal preference. Castor oil has potent anti-inflammatory properties, is healing, and cleansing and is an excellent OCM ingredient, however it may be drying to the skin when used alone or in large concentrations.

The OCM is a wonderful facial cleanser that is gentle, effective, and inexpensive to prepare at home. The OCM promotes natural skin function by unclogging pores so that they may properly lubricate and protect the skin.

Sometimes, when a new routine is introduced, a skin purging phase can occur. Initially, as dirt plugs are removed and unclogged pores begin to function, the pores may overproduce the skin’s natural oils. Be patient. The great news is that over time, normal skin function will return after the pores adjust to the new healthier routine. Skin will become less red and irritated and appear smoother as dirt and blackheads are removed.

To make the OCM blend, mix castor oil with a carrier oil selected for your skin type and desired characteristics, using the ratios described in the following table.

When you begin to use the OCM, mix a small batch of oils to test the castor oil/carrier oil ratio and oil type blend that works best for your skin. The higher the concentration of castor oil, the more drying the blend will be.

Selecting appropriate carrier oils is the basis for your OCM. The Oil Cleansing Method website suggests ratios and carrier oils for different skin types. To begin OCM, they recommend simple blends using gentle carrier oils. They recommend that you do not use Essential Oils (EO’s) in OCM until your skin becomes accustomed to the new cleansing routine. EO’s consist of highly concentrated active ingredients and may be irritating to sensitive skin.  

Recipes Provided on The Oil Cleansing Method website 

• Oil Cleansing Recipe for Oily Skin

  • 30% castor oil

  • 70% sunflower oil

• Oil Cleansing Recipe for Acne Prone Skin

  • 20% castor oil

  • 40% sunflower oil

  • 40% grapeseed oil

• Oil Cleansing Recipe for Normal Skin

  • 20% castor oil

  • 80% sunflower oil

• Oil Cleansing Recipe for Dry Skin

  • 10% castor oil (use less for ultra dry skin)

  • 30% sunflower oil

  • 60% avocado oil

• Oil Cleansing Recipe for Aging Skin

  • 10% castor oil

  • 10% sunflower oil

  • 40% evening primrose oil

  • 40% rosehip seed oil

The OCM is typically used at night, to cleanse and remove makeup, sunscreen, and the day from your face. Massage the OCM oil blend into the face and neck for about five minutes. Rinse thoroughly by vigorously massaging warm water over your face and neck and pat dry with a towel. If desired, you can use a microfiber facecloth, washcloth or face scrubber, to remove residual oil from the skin.

After the OCM cleansing, use your normal evening skin care routine. In the morning, simply rinse your face with cool water before applying your daytime skin care products.

Personally, I do not use or consume non-organic oils and fats. Toxins persist and concentrate in fats. Toxins may be present in low quality oils due to poor quality sources or processing techniques. I use the purest oils available within my price range to avoid toxins. Select cold-pressed high quality organic oils whenever possible.

Use OCM to eliminate and prevent blackheads and to balance the skins natural oil production.

Additional benefits of using OCM that improve your quality of life include: avoid unnecessary application of synthetic chemicals (healthier for your liver), save money (I no longer buy facial cleanser and save about ~$10/4 weeks = $120/year, and this is probably a frugal estimate), reduce waste (e.g. stop throwing away perfectly good containers every 4-6 weeks), and best yet - use high quality ingredients for your health and skin.

For me, it was easy to replace store bought cleansers with the OCM. Using OCM made my life simpler, more abundant and less wasteful. I am grateful and blessed to be able to use high quality enriching plant oils to maintain healthy skin.

If you need more information, go to the library, search the Internet, read my past Blog articles, or it would be an honor to me if you purchased my book. Thank you!

Take good care of yourselves!

XO Deborah

This article is intended to be used as general information only and is in no way intended to replace medical advice, be used as a medical treatment program, diagnosis, or cure of any disease or medical condition. There are no warranties, expressed or implied, regarding the effectiveness of the practices described in this article. Products or substances discussed herein are for educational purposes only and are not intended as recommendations of the author.