How to Use Facial Oil in Your Skin Care Routine
If you think that using face oil as part of your skincare routine will clog your pores and make you break out, then think again. Face oils can be a great moisturizing addition to your routine and have the added benefit of being natural skin care ingredients that deliver vitamins, essential fatty acids and antioxidants to your skin. While face oils seem to be a new addition to beauty routines everywhere, they have been used for thousands of years in African and Asian beauty traditions and have well established skin benefits. With everyone from estheticians to Korean skincare enthusiasts recommending face oils, maybe it’s time for you to check them out.
People with oily skin are most skeptical of the suggestion to put oil on your face. However, using face oils can have the unexpected effect of reducing your oil production. Jojoba oil is very good for oily skin because its structure is very similar to your own natural sebum. As a result, it does not clog pores, and reduces over-production of oil because your skin is already oil balanced with the jojoba oil.
How Do Face Oils Help Your Skin?
SEAL & PROTECT
Oils can be applied on top of moisturizers to help seal the skin to keep it hydrated. Products made with hyaluronic acid and glycerin attract water to your skin. Then, when you pat a few drops of oil on top of those products, your skin is sealed and those products are better able to penetrate and hydrate your skin.
CALMING
Natural oils are rich in calming antioxidants and essential fatty acids. For example, rosehip oil has high levels of antioxidant Vitamin C plus omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. These combine to make it an excellent calming oil that reduces irritation, helps fade dark marks and helps with healing.
SKIN BARRIER
Aggressive exfoliation and drying soaps can damage your protective skin barrier. Oils have fatty acids to help repair a damaged skin barrier. Jojoba oil is good for regular, soothing use and I love sunflower oil because it promotes ceramide production in yor skin, which is excellent for maintaining healthy moisture.
The Best Oils for Your Skin
Everyone's skin is unique. Here are the best oils for different skin types.
Oily - Adding face oil to your skin care routine protects and helps hydrate and will actually help it to produce less pore clogging oil. Jojoba is a non-comedogenic oil that works well for oily skin because its molecular structure includes wax esters, which are similar to your natural sebum helping to balance the oil production from your skin.
Dry - Oils are good occlusives that seal in moisture for your skin. Sunflower oil goes one step further by promoting ceramide production in skin, which helps to keep it hydrated. Sunflower also has anti-inflammatory properties and is recommended by the National Eczema Association to reduce irritation.
Aging - There are two oils I recommend for aging. Moringa oil is a nutrient rich oil with a lot of skin-friendly fatty acids and antioxidant vitamins including A, C and E, which are anti-aging vitamins that help promote collagen growth and reduce hyperpigmentation. Rose hip oil is another nutrient rich oil that is used for dark marks -- one of the early signs of aging.
Three Ways to Add Facial Oils to Your Skincare Routine
Double cleansing starts with oil to clean the skin. You first apply a generous amount of oil to your face and massage it in. This process removes heavy fat-soluble items, including makeup, pollutants and your own excess oil. You then follow this step with a mild skin cleanser to remove the excess oil and to remove water soluble dirt, for cleaner double cleansed skin. Double cleansing is great for getting your skin clean, without over-stripping, which helps keep it moisturized and maintains the protective natural layer of skin lipids called the acid mantle.
Moisturizers work to increase the water content of the skin, and oils are an excellent seal to help retain that moisture. After washing, use a moisturizer rich in hyaluronic acid to attract water to the skin. Follow with a nice sealing oil for an excellent hydrating double whammy that your skin will love. Well hydrated skin is plump and dewy, and applying oils is an important step for getting that glow.
Treat hyperpigmentation with oils that are rich in vitamins, fatty acids and antioxidants, which are excellent for reducing dark marks. In addition to rose hip oil, which I've already mentioned, you have a choice of many others to help even your tone. Evening Primrose Oil is rich in fatty acids and used to reduce inflammation and sensitive skin. Coming to us from Africa, Marula oil is very rich in fatty acids and anti-oxidant vitamins, including vitamins E and C. Moringa Oil is native to Asia, and the oil it produces is rich in antioxidants and can be used as a skincare staple.
At this point, you may be wondering why I have not mentioned the much beloved staple: coconut oil. While I love this oil for many uses, it can clog pores and is comedogenic, so I do not recommend it for use as a face oil.
Can You Use Face Oil with Retinol?
Oils can be used to deliver active ingredients like retinol. This provides the double benefit of improving absorption by your skin, plus protective hydration to prevent the peeling and irritation commonly seen with retinol use.
Retinol is an ingredient that’s been used by physicians for decades for its anti-aging benefits. Since it is in so many products, you may have asked what does retinol do for your skin? It promotes cellular turnover which helps build collagen, reduces wrinkles and is excellent for lifting dark marks and treating hyperpigmentation.
Our Skin Refining Night Oil is made with Retinol plus Vitamin C, an excellent antioxidant ingredient combination that brightens (not lightens) skin, builds collagen and helps fade dark marks. Made with a blend of six lightweight oils including moringa, jojoba, rosehip, sunflower, evening primrose and argan oils, you can apply a few drops of this at night after cleansing and moisturizing and wake up to hydrated, radiant skin.
I have mentioned a few of my favorite oils, but there are many others you can use on your skin whether it's oily, dry, sensitive or has some other needs. You will find that adding oils to your skincare routine gives you options for cleansing, moisturizing and treatment – all of which are important steps to help you get your glow.
Please comment and let me know what oils you like to use.
Enjoy!
AbsoluteJOI Skincare
by Dr. Anne
AbsoluteJOI is a physician-founded skin care brand with a science-based approach to the needs of people over 35 with all skin types and tones. Developed by physician researcher, Dr. Anne Beal, our products are formulated and tested for sensitive skin, while addressing dyspigmentation, the first sign of aging for many people. Our philosophy is not to focus on anti-aging, but to celebrate all ages and stages and to help our customers age beautifully, while celebrating the confidence and wisdom they’ve gained with time.
Each product combines natural and clinically effective ingredients for healthy skin. We use NO parabens, phthalates, sulphates, or skin bleach. And we use no perfumes or dyes to offer pure and clean products good for all skin types, including sensitive skin.
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