Why You Need a Face Oil (+ Ingredients to Look For)
Acai oil, pomegranate oil, argan oil, rosehip oil, jojoba oil, grapeseed oil—the list goes on. Is it a serum or a moisturizer?
How do you know which facial oils work best for your unique skin type or dosha?
How do you integrate face oils into your routine for maximum effectiveness?
We get it, the information overload can be overwhelming, so we decided to dive a little deeper into facial oiling.
Oily skin is often viewed in a negative light, which is why many people don’t realise the value a good face oil can bring to their skincare.
The reality is your skin needs some oil to keep it hydrated and protect it from the elements.
But, as with many things in skincare, not all skin oils are created equal. Here’s why you should include a skin oil in your routine and what to look for.
Benefits of Using a Face Oil
All skin types, including sensitive skin, can reap the benefits of facial oil products. Face oil ingredients function as emollients, which means they strengthen our skin barrier and prompt our skin to generate smooth, rejuvenated skin cells.
Plant oils are rich in antioxidants, which are critical for neutralizing free radicals and reversing the damage caused by the sun’s UV rays and environmental pollutants. These ingredients restore our skin’s natural strength and firmness to promote healthy, radiant skin.
These antioxidants in plant oils serve as a protective shield for your skin. Being exposed to the environment around us, we come into contact with pollutants, allergens, and irritants everywhere we go. Adding a base of oil prevents toxins and debris in the air from penetrating into your pores, which can help you maintain a more youthful appearance.
Face oils also help to prevent water loss.
Facial oils that contain essential fatty acids, like linoleic acid, linolenic acid, oleic acid, palmitic acid, and stearic acid, provide us with the fundamental components that strengthen our skin’s outer, protective barrier. This skin barrier reinforces our cell walls, locking moisture into the skin and preventing water evaporation.
Your skin needs to stay hydrated to avoid flaking, dryness, peeling, and general irritation. Giving your skin a daily dose of oil helps to strengthen the outer layer of skin to hold in your natural moisture and make your skin appear healthy.
Facial oils work alongside the skin’s natural oils to balance skin complexion, lock in moisture, and reduce the skin’s natural sebum production—along with multitude of other benefits.
Thanks to their rich composition of vitamin C and vitamin E (the quintessential moisturizing vitamins), facial oils are skin-hydrating powerhouses.
Facial oil benefits for skin:
- Strengthens the skin barrier to trap moisture and hydrate the skin
- Supports soft and supple skin
- Evens skin complexion
- Regulates natural sebum (oil) production
- Reduces acne breakouts and blemishes (anti-inflammatory properties)
- Cleanses the skin (antibacterial properties)
- Boosts the skin’s resilience and elasticity
- Neutralizes free radicals to provide noticeable anti-aging effects
- Reduces fine lines and wrinkles
- Soothes sensitive skin
- Reduces the appearance of enlarged pores
- Treats rosacea, eczema, and skin rashes
𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗜𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗼𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗰 (𝘀𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 3 𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲𝘀) 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗢𝗶𝗹 & 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝘀𝗵𝗮𝘀...
Ideally, you choose a natural skin care oil that works well with your particular skin type and delivers the ultimate results. Not all skin oil ingredients will do this, so we’ve chosen some of the top Ayurveda inspired and super clean ingredients to help you achieve the best results and keep your doshas in check.
𝐎𝐢𝐥-𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐕𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐂:
Vitamin C reduces Vata & Pitta imbalances, it is proven to boost skin health and promote a radiant glow. It’s rich in antioxidants to maintain healthy skin and fight free radicals, and also stimulates collagen production. Your skin loses collagen as you age, which can result in sagging and fine lines. Including Vitamin C in your skin oil helps to combat the effects of ageing, leaving you with an improved texture and overall appearance.
24𝐊 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝:
Gold is good for all the doshas, but particularly balancing for Kapha. Gold boosts blood flow to the areas where it’s applied. This increased blood flow helps to bring more oxygen and nutrients to the skin to improve its appearance. It also spurs the regeneration of cells to get rid of tired, dull-looking skin.
𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐚 𝐎𝐢𝐥:
Referred to as the 'Miracle Tree', Moringa balances Kapha and Vata. Its high omega and antioxidant content give it excellent moisturising properties. It softens, soothes, and protects skin as a result, it's effective for conditioning chapped lips and other rough, dry skin conditions such as dermatitis, eczema, and psoriasis.
𝐒𝐞𝐚 𝐁𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐧:
Sea buckthorn appears to benefit all doshas, it protects against the aging process and regulates moisture levels, it also boosts collagen levels in the skin, reduces inflammation. It’s also been shown to promote faster wound healing and skin regeneration.
How to Use Face Oils
You can apply a facial oil in the morning and at night. Unlike some other skincare ingredients—facial oil ingredients shouldn’t increase your skin’s sensitivity to the sun or heat, so they’re safe to apply in the morning.
Depending on how concentrated your facial oil product is, applying 2 to 3 drops of oil is usually sufficient. After your skin has absorbed the facial oil, and you’re reveling at your noticeably radiant skin, you can apply a moisturizer for additional hydration.
Applying your skincare routine from lightest weight (made of smaller molecules) to heaviest weight (made of larger molecules) is a good rule for layering skincare products. Small-molecule ingredients can’t penetrate through large-molecule ingredients to reach the skin, so small-molecule ingredients need to be layered first. Otherwise, large-molecule ingredients will sit on top of the skin, preventing overlying ingredients from reaching the skin
The molecules that make up facial oils are larger than the molecules that make up many serum and acid skincare products, but facial oil molecules aresmaller than the molecules that make up most creams and moisturizers.
This means your face oil needs to be layeredafter serums, butbefore heavy creams or moisturizers.
As always, be sure to end your skincare routine with a layer of sunscreen (at least SPF 30). Allow your skin tofully absorb the sunscreen before applying a layer of make-up. While many skincare products strengthen the skin barrier to provide additional protection from sun damage, no skincare ingredient should completely replace sunscreen.
With a seemingly endless variety of facial oils to choose from, and countless facial oil benefits to experience, these hydrating and soothing ingredients deserve a spot in your skincare routine.
No matter your specific skin type or skincare concern, face oils can soften, strengthen and restore your skin health, while targeting and treating undesirable skin conditions.
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