recommend your...

alissa2128

face wash and body wash please! And where do you buy them?? I am honestly most interested in products that do not conduct animal testing. I went to Target to check out their natural products, but most of them are really expensive, IMO. I also prefer body wash to bar soap, but I am open to suggestions, too.

Thanks!

CDMay2006

We use bar soap in the shower, so i don't have a suggestion there.  I use OCM for my face, or if i am lazy i use our foaming hand soap (dr bronners+EO+water).

sunshine_day_dreams

I use OCM for my face, too.  I swear by it.  My skin looks great, and I can't remember the last zit I had.

For bodywash, maybe try Nature's Gate.  I use their shampoo/conditioner and really like it a lot.  I've never tried the bodywash myself, though.  I use some sort of bar soap from Whole Foods.

sunshine_day_dreams

Oops, forgot to say you can get the Nature's Gate at WF or Target or a number of other places.  It's super easy to find around here.

alissa2128

What are the bar soaps that you use? I don't really know why I would rather body wash, I don't think I really have a reason, so actually I may look more into bar soap.

I was just looking up OCM, and it said not to do it everyday, so do you do something else when not doing OCM or do you actually do it every day? And do you moisturize afterward?

Thanks ladies! I am learning so much  

belovedbride07

alissa2128:

I was just looking up OCM, and it said not to do it everyday, so do you do something else when not doing OCM or do you actually do it every day? And do you moisturize afterward?

I do OCM (almost) every day.  On days I don't because I'm feeling lazy, I use a Trader Joe's castile soap tea tree oil face wash. I do not moisturize afterwards, but I do moisturize in the morning after a water rinse.

As for body wash, I am using Burt's Bees.  I haven't really branched out much, though...I can't even remember what I had before my current bottle. 

CDMay2006

alissa2128:

What are the bar soaps that you use? I don't really know why I would rather body wash, I don't think I really have a reason, so actually I may look more into bar soap.

Uh, dh bought a box of 12 soaps once (not sure what type they are; castille something), so we've been using that for a few years... with a few more in the future, unless we donate some. 

alissa2128:

I was just looking up OCM, and it said not to do it everyday, so do you do something else when not doing OCM or do you actually do it every day? And do you moisturize afterward?

In my experience it works best to do it every day, i'm just lazy at night   I'm not sure why it would be a bad idea to do it every day, unless the oils chosen weren't a good match for one's skin (in which case i'd change the oil, not the routine).
No moisturizer necessary -- it makes for perfectly soft skin.

My ideal routine:
- Jojoba oil, avocado oil, or mixture of olive and castor (EVOO+castor gave the best results, but i had to be more careful to get all the oil off or i'd break out around my chin; it's also slightly more hassle b/c the oils separate)
- Before bed:
   - Smear it on, rub it in (i keep it in a vial with a dropper and drop several drops into my hand)
   - Steam face with warm/hot-water wash cloth; do multiple times to ensure all areas are covered
   - Lightly "scrub" with warm water wash cloth (exfoliates and removes any remaining oil), rinse and dry with towel
- Morning:
Repeat steaming, but don't use oil (steam washcloth, rinse, dry)

sunshine_day_dreams

I'm not sure which bar soaps I use.  I usually just go to WF and smell all of them until I find one I like. :-)

With the OCM, I was doing it daily for a while pretty religiously, but I've gotten pretty lazy.  I do it most days now, and on the off days I just use an exfoliating washcloth and water.

If you decide to go that route, just be careful with the amount of castor oil.  That can really dry your skin out if you're using too much too often.  When I first started, I way overdid it on the castor oil and it made my face really dry and itchy.

LolitaC

Dr. Bronners for both face and and body.

alissa2128

CDMay2006:

My ideal routine:
- Jojoba oil, avocado oil, or mixture of olive and castor (EVOO+castor gave the best results, but i had to be more careful to get all the oil off or i'd break out around my chin; it's also slightly more hassle b/c the oils separate)

How did you decide on these types of oil? And if you don't mind my asking, what type of skin do you have? I pretty much have combination, more on the dry side, esp in winter. 

magpie1127

I LOVE Lush Soaps.  They aren't very expensive, you can order them online if there isn't a Lush in your area.  Bar soaps are best for green living, because they don't have all the wasteful plastic packaging of body wash.

www.lushusa.com 

CDMay2006

alissa2128:

CDMay2006:

Jojoba oil, avocado oil, or mixture of olive and castor

How did you decide on these types of oil? And if you don't mind my asking, what type of skin do you have? I pretty much have combination, more on the dry side, esp in winter.

My skin is combination; oily t-zone and dry elsewhere.

I started with the castor-EVOO combination because it was recommended by http://www.theoilcleansingmethod.com/.  It actually recommends sunflower oil, but i didn't have any and was eager to start.  It makes for clear, soft skin.  I didn't like how much time it took to rinse it off, though (lots of steaming and rinsing). 

I switched b/c others on this board and elsewhere recommended jojoba.  It is great: thinner, so easy to spread around, and easy to rinse off.  Works well.  It came in a pump-top bottle, which was a bit more convenient than the tiny open-top bottle i'd been using (messy drips down the side), but still wasn't ideal b/c it was hard to control how much came out.

I don't remember where i got the idea to try avocado oil, but i also bought an dropper-top bottle for it and this was perfect.  You can get the amount you want, with zero mess.  The oil is light like jojoba, but cheaper, and i had it in my kitchen already.  It moisturizes better than jojoba (for me), but doesn't leave my skin oily.

Jen&Joe06

I use Kiss My Face products (face wash and exfoliant and then bar soap).