The Oil Cleansing Method (OCM) for Face

Two weeks ago, I discovered a skincare secret with such incredible results that I'm still shaking my head in awe—how hadn't I heard of this?? 

While reading The Green Beauty Guide by Julie Gabriel, I came upon a section about double cleansing. Apparently, Asian women have done it for years, and it's been gaining popularity in the States.

Here's how it works: At night, you apply an oil-based cleanser to your dry face to break up and melt away makeup. Rinse thoroughly with warm water. Then, you follow with a gentle gel or foaming cleanser to thoroughly remove grime and gunk from pores.

I decided to try Origins' Clean Energy Cleansing Oil due to its rave reviews on MakeupAlley. Almost 100% natural and mineral oil-free, it uses a base of olive fruit, safflower, sesame, and sunflower seed oils plus an emulsifer (peg-25 glyceryl trioleate), which allows the plant oils to mix with water and rinse completely clean. Amazingly, there's zero oily residue. Origins has added a touch of essential oils (lemon, lavender and grapefruit) to give it an ahh-inducing aroma.

I follow it with a dribble of Evan Healy Tea Tree Gel Cleanser and have had the best cleansing results of the hundreds of cleansers I've tried the last 15 years. My oily skin hasn't been this balanced or even-toned since I was nine!

Wallet-friendly tip: Organic extra virgin olive, coconut oil, or jojoba oil will do the job, too. However, they don't contain the emulsifiers that Origins cleanser does, so you'll likely have an oily residue.

To buy: $21 at origins.com