Face oils and why you need to add one to your routine now!

I know what you must be thinking, “you want me to put oil on my face?” Short answer is…yes! Even if you have oily or acne prone skin, using the right face oil can benefit you greatly and here’s why.

Oils are jam-packed with nutrients, like essential fatty acids, minerals, antioxidants, and vitamin C to name a few. And they are super concentrated which makes them super potent. These nutrient-rich oils penetrate the skin to protect and transform, helping to build a resilient skin layer known as the lipid barrier.

If you still think that smearing your shiny T-zone with anything other than a light moisturizer is completely taboo, you are truly missing out on some of the best oils for your skin. I know that face oils tend to get a bad rap for anyone with oily or acne-prone skin, however, they are often the ones to benefit most from including them in their beauty routines. That’s because natural face oils can actually help dissolve the excess sebum and grease that builds up on the surface of your skin, while still providing plenty of hydration. Remember in chemistry class where you learnt that water and oils don’t mix? So, if you have oily skin, and use a water based moisturizer, how will that moisturizer even do what it is supposed to if it can’t get through the first layer of your skin. Oils like oils. So, if your face is over-producing sebum (oil), it's likely because it's compensating — so, using an oil can actually fix that problem.

Dry skin naturally benefits from heavy oils that slowly sink in from the surface, like argan and olive oils. However, the best face oils for oily skin are lightweight, quick-dry, and non-greasy formulas that feature ingredients that closely mimic naturally-produced sebum. Depending on your specific skin needs, you'll want to look out for products formulated with specific ingredients, like anti-inflammatory jojoba oil, redness-reducing rosehip seed oil, or clarifying tea tree oil. Our “TREE HUGGER” balancing face oil has a blend of all these plus the amazing antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties of black seed and tamanu oils to help with clogged pores and acne.

Natural seed, nut, root, and fruit oils have been used for skin and hair health for centuries. Our ancestors had the right idea and used these oils as a regular part of their beauty regimen. Olive oil was discovered over 5000 years ago and quickly became an essential component of skin and hair care. The ancient Egyptians, Roman, Greeks, and Phoenicians, all took full advantage of this wonder oil. It has been and is still being used in these ways in the Mediterranean and Indian subcontinent. Today, it is gaining increasing popularity as an all-natural beauty product here is the US. The oil of Ben, aka moringa oil, was a prized oil used by our ancestors as it did not go rancid. It has amazing anti-aging properties and is antiseptic and anti-inflammatory. Other favored oils of our ancestors included neem and sandalwood, jasmine, coconut and saffron oils.

So, how and when should you use the facial oils? I use mine in place of my regular moisturizer twice a day, once in the morning and once before going to bed. I have super dry skin.

However, the appropriate use of a face oil depends somewhat on your skin type. This is because skin produces its own oil, also known as sebum, at different rates throughout the day. This sebum production plays an important role in deciding when and how much facial oil to apply because skin that produces a lot of its own oil will absorb less of any added facial oil. This is obvious when you have oily or combination skin, which naturally produces more sebum throughout the day. Below is the daily cycle of sebum production your skin typically follows:

1. Sebum secretion rate increases throughout the night and morning
2. Skin is oiliest at midday
3. Sebum secretion rate declines from midday to the evening
4. Sebum secretion is lowest in the evening, just before bedtime usually

Using this sebum production schedule, it would be wise to use facial oils when they are most easily absorbed, at night.

However, there is one exception to the rule: if you have dry skin, you need to add a few drops of facial oil to your morning routine. Either directly on cleansed skin, or mixed in with your moisturizer and/or foundation. Dry skin struggles to produce enough sebum, which is why applying a facial oil in the morning and perhaps even at noon may improve the overall condition of your skin

The type of facial oil that works best for skin depends not only on your skin type, but on other concerns you hope to address. Do you want an anti-aging facial oil, or one that targets hyperpigmentation and evens skin tone, or one that helps with acne? You can find more information on the best types of facial oil for each skin type and concern on our blog here.

The bottom line is: face oils may hold the secret to achieving healthy, radiant skin—no matter what your skin type (yes, even those of you with perpetually oily skin!). 

We have several facial oils that are all non-comedogenic and work to improve the skin on multiple levels. Try our Rosehips Don’t Lie Nourishing face oil for normal to dry skin, our TREE HUGGER balancing facial oil, which is perfect for oily and acne prone skin, and lastly, try THE OPTIMIST radiance face oil, the superman of all oils. It does it all, from anti-aging, nourishing, to smoothing and toning, to regeneration and increasing collagen production.