The oil cleansing method - cheap, eco and rather darned good

[Islay]

I don't know if everyone in the world is secretly aware of this, and I've been the only one spending a small fortune on rubbish to put on my face, but I'm a recent convert to the oil cleansing method, and since it fits in with the Ish lifestyle, I thought I'd share.

Basically, instead of cleansing, toning and moisturising, you massage oil into your face, use a warm cloth to open pores, wipe it off, use a cold cloth to close pores.

http://www.theoilcleansingmethod.com has all the information, and if you click on the 'oil cleansing reviews' link on the left, there's a discussion forum with lots of opinions on the best types of oils to use.

I have literally slashed my cleansing budget by about 95%, and cut the environmental impact of it by about as much!

I will be very if you all tell me that everyone does this and I am an uneducated numpty

[Clara]

I've done it before and it's wonderful....somehow I always get lazy and go for soap and moisturiser though I've been meaning to get back on the wagon, perhaps when the lovely weleda stuff OH made such an effort to buy me runs out...

I really want to go no-poo too, but I'm a bit frightened of how it might react with henna (I already heard that the bicarb will strip the colour faster) and I have looooooooooooong hair that needs a lot of conditioning - any experiences with no-poo?

[lazyspice]

I've been using olive oil for a few months now and find I'm actually less spot prone than I used to be, so I'm a convert

[Islay]

So glad that at least someone hadn't heard of it! My skin is definitely at least as good as it was during my alarmingly expensive Eve Lom habit, if not better. And at £2.99 for a bottle of oil instead of £46.50 (shipped in from abroad probably, too), it makes me a lot happier! I was so excited I did a blog post on it too (see signature for blog)

I am terrified of going no 'poo, but I am really struggling to find a decent shampoo that is (a) made in the UK and (b) not completely full of junk. I don't even mind a little bit of junk, just not lots and lots and lots!

[eccentric_emma]

That looks great, although yesterday I bought myself a new face cleansing bar. So I will wait until that runs out and then try this!

[Derry]

oooh, i like the sound of this. any soap/facewash i use really dries out my skin =[

and re the no 'poo.. ever tried lush? i know its still shampoo, but its more eco and nice.. less chemicals etc

i dont use anything to wash my hair.. apart from water, maybe twice a week. my scalp has adjusted and it doesnt smell or itch or anything. every 3 months ill do a deep clean, which is bicarb, lemon juice & tea tree oil

[lazyspice]

I like the Lush shampoo bars - I just wish I lived nearer to a shop so I could truly benefit from the no packaging aspect of them

I keep meaning to have a go at making shampoo bars - I've got a recipe bookmarked somewhere . . .

[Clara]

I found the method of rubbing the bar on the scalp just caused my hair to knot really badly...

[Derry]

lush use stale popcorn for packaging instead of that foam stuff =]
and to stop the knotting you could lather it up on yer hands?

[lazyspice]

That popcorn stuff is VILE! The smell clings to everything If I order online now I request they use shredded paper instead

My hair used to tangle when it was longer so I used to run the bar down the length of my hair and lather up in my hands to do my scalp and roots - does that make sense?

[Silver Ether]

The oil cleansing ... I used to clean my baby boy this way ... all over as he had horrid excema .. and water really aggrivate (sp) his skin he is now all grown up and gone back to doing what his mummy told him to do in the first place.

[eccentric_emma]

I am going to try no shampoo when I go back to WWOOFing at the end of the year. Apparently first of all you need to get a good natural bristled brush so that when you brush it redistributes the oils down the length of your hair. I'm just trying to cut down on the amount of washing I do now - leaving it as long as possible.

I would be interested in Derry's story of going shampoo free?

[Derry]

I would be interested in Derry's story of going shampoo free?

permission to hijack the thread? hah


well... i have dreads, and i was using knotty boy shampoo bar on them. it left a manky flim/residue on my hair and scalp, and if i had itchies, id get gunk under my nails. joined a dready forum and got some advice.. some people use bicarb, lemom juice & tea tree once or twice a week, some use it once a year.. some people use kboy shampoo or dreadhead hq shampoo.. some use lush.. so basically what im saying is that it varies from dreadhead to dreadhead =]

lots of dreadies told me that if i weaned myself off shampoo and just used water, the oil production in my scalp would regulate itself - and it has. basically.. if you use shampoo, youre stripping far more oils than you need/want to be stripping, so your scalp produces more to balance out. you then think youve got uber greasy hair.. so you wash it again.. more oil.. more grease.. more washing.. etc etc etc

so i pretty much stopped using shampoo or soap or anything on my hair about 8 or 9 weeks ago.. ill aggravate my head before i get in the shower.. to lift any crud/dirt/sweat etc [sexy image, i know] and then ill soak my hair/head, rub my scalp a bit to stimulate it, and then just rinse it again. after about 3 weeks of doing this the itchies stopped completely, i dont get a smell unless ive been doing things that make me sweaty, and i dont get headgunk under my nails if i do riff =]

every 3 months or so i intend to do a 'deep clean'.. which is the bicarb, lemon juice, tea tree and maybe some sea salt.. but other than that, i dont use any hair products any more =]

[Clara]

I know this is probably a terribly old fashioned thing to say but why would anyone want to stop washing their hair! I use organic chemical free products only but the idea of not washing my hair frankly leaves me ....... well itchy! am I missing something here.

Well some people swear by no-poo, it's not "not washing" but using bicarb to clean and apple cider vinegar to rinse. Like oil cleansing the very purpose is to stop the cycle that we currently use i.e. using detergents to clean which strip the hair/skin of the natural oils it needs and then replacing those lost oils with manufactured moisturisers/conditioners.

If you look at the INCI ingredients list on your shampoo bottle (that's the list where they have to tell the truth rather than use euphemisms like "coconut-derived detergent"), I'll bet whilst it may contain some organic ingredients, it is far from chemical-free or natural.

[wolfsong]

um... whats wrong with soap!
I don't know if its just me but i don't like feeling greasy.
I just use a normal soap for my skin, it does work, very effectively!

Soap is VERY natural, bit of potash, bit of oil, and hey presto!