Oil Cleansing Method and Etsy Update

So, I promised I'd talk a little bit more about the oil cleansing method in my last post which was about a million years ago. Sorry! Just kidding, I'm not, I've been busy. Anywho, I've been using the OCM to cleanse my face on and off for about three years now. Every time I do it, I love it, and my skin always looks lovely after I finish. However, it does take awhile to do - about fifteen minutes if you do a good job. The time constraint is the number-one reason I don't do it every day (that, and a lack of face washcloths).

Basically, the OCM is the method of using oil (not soap, harsh astringents, acids, or anything like that) to cleanse your face. You might think, "Ew Alex, that's gross. You are a dirty bird for doing this". But I'm not and it's not! The science behind this method is that while yes, acids and harsh soapy cleansers CAN dissolve the dirt and oil that's all stuck up in your pores giving you acne, it's not necessarily the BEST way to do that. Because guess what? Just like in high school chemistry, like really does dissolve like! Henceforth and so, oil will dissolve other oils. What does this mean for your face, you might ask? This means that when you rub oil on your face for fifteen minutes (the right kinds of oil), it sinks into your pores and dissolves the sebum and dirt that is stuck in there, and then pushes it to the surface. You wind up with your pores full of good, clean oil instead of nasty, dirty oil from touching your face and wearing makeup and whatnot.

Obviously, some oils work better for the OCM than others. The best oil for this is probably castor oil, which does a fantastic job of sinking into your pores, but also of pushing what's in there out towards the surface. However, this oil can be slightly drying for some skin types, and the feeling of this oil on your skin is slightly unpleasant - it's a little viscous. So, generally it's best to mix castor oil with one or more other types of oils, chosen for their desired effect on your skin. I use this brand of castor oil, FYI:

But you can use any brand. Just make sure it is natural and of a high quality! DON'T buy and use the stuff from the pharmacy that people take for their bowels. Not the same quality as the stuff you'll want on your face!

For my own personal use, I generally do the following makeup for a 4 ounce jar:

- 50% castor oil

- 50% argan oil (if I'm feeling fancy), or sweet almond oil (both excellent moisturizers)

- 10 drops of tea tree oil (I have skin issues)

- 2 tsp of rose hip seed oil (Works well for scarring and uneven skin tone)

- 1 tsp tamanu oil (A-Mazing for healing blemishes, getting rid of scars, etc).

This works well on anyone with easily irritated or problematic skin. I have hormonal-related skin problems, and this works well for diminishing that type of acne as well as those cute little blackheads that so many people are prone to.

Now, you know what you're putting on your face. How do you actually use it? Well, first off I normally do this in the bath. That way, my face is already nice and clean and it's a little steamy so my pores are open. Next, pour about 1 or 2 teaspoons of your oil mixture into the palm of your hand. Quickly rub it between your hands and immediately apply it all over your face (but not your eyes). Rub this into your skin like you're trying to apply lotion, focusing on the most problematic areas. Keep doing this for the next fifteen minutes, or as long as you can stand it - add more oil if your face no longer feels slick. It's going to feel strange the first time you try it, so don't freak out! Eventually, you will start to feel little grainy bits on your skin under your fingers - STAY CALM. This is the point! Those are the little plugs of oil that are actually coming out of your pores! Mission accomplished! 

When you're finished rubbing oil all over your face, you'll clean off all the oil. Get a clean washcloth and get it soaked with HOT water (really hot!), and wring it out so it is not dripping. Lay it over your face and wait until it gets cool. Then, gently scrub it over your face to remove the oil. Rinse with more hot water and repeat until your face feels refreshed and clean, not oily. You'll be glowing and fresh-faced with lovely clean pores! The best part of all is that you aren't stripping your pores completely clean with anything harsh. This way, your skin doesn't overreact and produce even MORE oil to keep your skin supple and soft - eventually, your skin will normalize its oil production and you'll be soft and lovely all the time. Try it out for yourself!

And now, for a plug: You don't have to make this at home if you don't want to! I sell it in my shop! And guess what else? I just redesigned my shop and it looks a lot prettier! I even added some items! So many exclamation points! I have new photos coming soon, too - then it won't look so amateur.

Check it out! Lookin' all professional and shoot. Keeping my language kid-friendly, folks!

Next: Probably another recipe but who knows. I'm lazy and I only like talking about things that are interesting to me at one particular moment in time so we'll see.

Alkalizing Challenge - Days ??? - Also needing advice for Etsy!

So! My goal of updating nearly every day has really gone down the pooper, I've been so busy lately. I can pretty much sum up what I've been eating though, because every day is mostly the same:

Breakfast: Greek yogurt with fruit OR steel cut oatmeal with honey

Snack: Package of Nori and an apple or banana

Lunch: Two slices of sprouted Ezekiel bread with half an avocado on each, with salt

Second Lunch (I get hungry fast): Mixed green salad with olive oil and fresh lemon juice

By the time I finish work I've normally finished 1.5-2 nalgene bottles full of water with minty chlorophyll (very alkalizing).

Dinner: Literally whatever I can get, minus most of the meat.

This means that I've been mostly meat-free for the past few weeks, which I think is good. The thing I've been not so good at lately is the sugar eating. I think I got pretty cocky after my 21 days without sugar, and then when I tried it again, I was like "... the s**t is this?"

Anywho I've eaten tons of sugar pretty much every day. The funny thing is, my skin is no where NEAR as awful as I thought it would be. I've been using the oil cleansing method to clean my face every night, so that might have something to do with it (I'll do a longer post on the OCM in a couple days, it is so amazing that it deserves its own post. I've been doing it on and off for a couple years now). The flip side of all this sugar eating means that I'm constantly wondering how much my energy, skin, and mood would have improved by now if I was eating alkaline AND successfully cutting out sugar... I'm only human though so cry me a river.

My weight loss stabilized (luckily) after about six or seven pounds. This could have something to do with all the fat I've been eating lately (avocados and coconut oil mostly), so I'm definitely going to keep up with that part of the diet.

Things that I'm going to try and do better with:

- Giving up more sugar
- Drinking / eating more things with lemon, which is highly alkalizing. I'm thinking hot water with lemon in the mornings and evenings, which I love anyways.
- Incorporating more green smoothies into my diet. So delicious. Much easy. Many nutrients. Very pain in the ass to make in morning-times.
- Exercising! I'm thinking about getting a gym membership, but I don't know. It is clear to me that I'll only exercise if I'm going somewhere that isn't horribly depressing, like the Burke gym. My dream gym would be Mint, but it is of course very expensive. There also isn't much point in getting a membership until June when I stop working 8-7 every day, so I'll have to find a way to get up off my ass and exercise at home.


ANYWAYS! I am needing Etsy-related advice. I really want new, professionally-printed labels. The problems I'm experiencing are this:

1. Will I get tired of my labels quickly like I have been so far?

2. Are the labels I have in mind ugly?

Here is one of the labels that represents the general style that I may switch over to. Ignore the ingredients portion though, I'll be switching over to a new formula for my serum soon so it isn't relevant right now!

3. Would it be better to narrow down my product line? Fewer different label types to print, less of a chance that the cost of labels will go down the drain. The nice thing about printing my own is that I can make them as I need them, so I'm not stuck with extra labels.

Thoughts????