Checking In and Phase Two

It's been one week for me on this Oil Cleansing thing, and so far, let me just say it's been great. Oh my, I do love it. Now, granted, it could be that my skin has withdrawn the troops to regroup and plan a new attack, but the withdrawal of said 'troops' has been gentle, consistent, and noticeable, so I'd mark that as progress.

One of my issues was that my skin texture was terrible... in the right lighting, it wasn't noticeable, but in most light, it looked like there was a secret braille message hidden on my forehead. By the third day, I could see things smoothing out, and at the end of week one, like a baby's bum, people!

I still have a week to go before I throw the towel in on my old face wash, but so far, here are my thoughts:

The Oil Cleansing Method, Pros

- cheaper than my prescription treatment + name brand face wash + moisturizer

- I personally saw beneficial results in 3 days

- skin texture much improved

- blemishes healing, no new ones forming (so far)

- 2 TBS of oil have lasted me a week!

- face washing process kinda feels like a spa treatment

The Oil Cleansing Method, Cons

- I kinda miss the fresh clean smell of my face wash 

(the oils have, well, an oily smell, though it fades about an hour or so after using them)

- I haven't mastered keeping my hairline from getting oily in the process of washing my face

- if you wash your face in the shower, it leaves the shower floor very slippery, 

so extra care has to be taken to clean up the residue, or risk making a dash

to the ER with a broken bone

- if your financial investment in your facial care routine isn't similar to mine, then these oils

can seem quite extravagant... especially if you choose one of the other combinations

with one- or more- of the fancier oils

For me, the pros outweigh the cons, and I'm totally ready to do week two, and beyond! I must say, I have been especially impressed with how little oil you need to accomplish a clean face. At this rate, the cost of getting everything together initially will far be outweighed by the life of my concoction.

Now, on to Phase Two: I'm going to do my last 'poo. In fact, I already did. I made it a good one... my last 'poo. I especially savored the smell of it, since I hear you miss out on that when you stop 'pooing. SO, here we go... I've stopped using astringent facial cleansers because they strip away your body's natural oils, thus upsetting your skin's healthy balance, so based on the same principle, I'm quitting shampoo. 

What... what did you think I was talking about?

Based on what I've read, if you truly follow through with retraining your scalp to buck up and handle hair management like it's supposed to, then the rewards are thickness, body, shine, better color, and- gasp- substantially less frizz. Less frizz! That's where it got me.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to stop washing my hair. I'm just going to change how I wash it, and with what. In a nutshell, you use a combo of baking soda and water for your scalp, and you rinse with apple cider vinegar and water (make sure you do your own reading before following suit, because the ratios are important, especially with the baking soda). Are you picturing me walking around, exuding the aroma of vinegar? I was when I read about the rinse, but apparently once it's used and then thoroughly rinsed away, your hair is left with no odor at all. No hair smell, no dirty smell, no vinegar smell, no flowery smell, just nothing. Hmmm... that might make it to my 'con' list, but we'll see.

It's also important to note- and to later remind myself- that everyone who has committed to this method has noted that it takes between two and three weeks for your hair to reach fabulousness. In that time, you have to put up with way too much oil, then straw-like dryness, while your scalp takes the reins in managing your locks. Translation = lots of up 'dos. I can handle that, I've mastered the ponytail.

 So here it is- my before shot:

I got a trim right before I did my last 'poo, so my results would be equal and fair. I washed, conditioned, and then let my hair air-dry, no intervention (no product, blow dryer, straightener, brushing... yikes!). There ya go. My plan for this new regimen is to wash my hair every-other-day with the baking soda solution, rinse with the apple cider vinegar mixture, then dry and style as I usually would (because let's be honest, if this is going to be a realistic change in my routine, I'm not going to be air-drying every time I wash). When it comes time for my 'after' photo, however, I will leave my hair just as I did above, and see if there is a noticeable difference. 

Here we go!