Stop running from face oils, yes even with oily skin!
What if I told you I went from combination skin with regular breakouts to normal skin and no breakouts through the use of face oils alone! Yup, that’s right.
When I was growing up, I ran from using anything oily on my face, thinking that it would help my spots, but nothing worked, my skin got spottier the more I tried to sort it. It wasn’t until I became a professional makeup artist in my early twenties, that I started to learn a thing or two about skin and I realized I’d been doing my skincare all wrong!
By avoiding any hydration and stripping my skin of its natural oil, my skin started to overproduce it thinking it needed more! So I ended up with oilier and spottier skin. Over the years I listened to my clients complain about having greasy skin, and they regularly turned to powders and overly matte foundations in the hopes that would fix the problem, but when I asked about their skincare routine, almost all of them were doing exactly what I used to, and were overly stripping their skin of natural oils or even worse they were avoiding any type of moisture at all!
I’ve heard different things from dermatologists about the use of oils if you have breakouts, but in my experience skin needs moisture, and not all face oils will leave your skin feeling greasy. When you give your skin the right oil (emphasis on right), your skin will stop overproducing and bring it back to balance.
I’m on a personal campaign to clean up oils’ reputation. If you’re a face oil lover, here is a list of my personal faves (tried and loved), if you’re a non-believer, I hope this list can convert you.
Sunday Rileys’ C.E.O. GLOW. This is my current number one! It has evened my skin tone, calmed down dark spots, it’s moisturising without being greasy, it has smoothed out my skin texture, it smells good, and it does exactly what it says on the tin, my skin glows! This one is on the pricier side, at £68 for 35ml but this is fast becoming one of the products I can’t live without trust me, it’s worth it.
Sarah Chapmans overnight facial is one of those products that will actually transform your skin if you’ve been struggling for a long time to find things that work. Perfect if you’re oily, great if you have uneven texture and pigmentation, its amazing at leaving skin hydrated and plump. Again more on the pricier side at £58- but I do have a rule to never skimp on skincare, especially if it works!
My other fave from Sunday Riley is this green machine! U.F.O. Utra- Clarifying Face oil. This one is packed full of all the juicy ingredients that actively calm existing spots and stop further breakouts. It’s infused with exfoliating salicylic acid, hexylresorcinol and liquorice which also brightens and reduces post-acne scarring. It also contains antibacterial tea tree and black cumin seed oil to combat bacteria, neroli and chamomile calm redness. Cucumber and milk thistle help to maintain moisture levels so your face feels 'plump' and dewy (never stripped). I want to bathe in this stuff.
Ahhh Rose Hip! Natures retinol. As well as having tons of health benefits, Rose hip oil is a natural wonder for anti aging. Its helps protect your skin from UV, and pollution, and it actively helps with wrinkles, and age spots. It’s also packed with vitamin C. Rose hip doesn’t have a greasy finish so its perfect bringing skin back to balance. You can buy rose hip for as cheap as £7, in most organic supermarkets. And you can even make your own!
Neem oil hasn’t had the same beauty PR as some of our other faves, but it deserves it! It’s probably because of the smell. The smell is almost indescribable, but if I tried to describe it, it would be a fart in a volcano. But don’t let that put you off! Neem oil is usually used in Ayurvedic medicine and the list of the benefits are extensive. It is really potent stuff so I’d do a small patch test first and mix with a carrier oil like jojoba or coconut to dilute it. It’s packed full of fatty acids, vitamin E, antioxidants and calcium. It’s great to treat dry skin and wrinkles, stimulate collagen production reduce scars heal wounds treat acne and minimize warts and moles (to name a few). When used correctly this oil is a magical elixir.
Goops Genes ‘All in one Super nutrient face oil’ is perfect for dry skin. This one left my face feeling plump and hydrated and added an undeniable glow. This is a more luxurious face oil, again on the more expensive side of £86. For that price I would have liked a more indulgent smell, this one doesn’t really have that spa like feeling, but it did give me results! And that’s what we want. It includes bakuchiol (a retinol alernative), vitamin-A-rich cacay, and organic amla, a vitamin C superfood). If you do suffer with dry skin it is worth the indugence.
I can’t talk face oils without talking about my BFF Geranium or the ‘HAPPY oil’ I like to call it. Geranium is an essential oil so add 1-2 (or if you’re me 5-6) drops of this to your existing moisturiser or face oil, and watch the transformation take place. Geranium oil is a natural anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial oil, it actively boosts skin's health by helping skin stay conditioned, and soothing irritated or breakout prone skin. Geraniums’ benefits expand beyond just giving you glowing skin, Geranium essential oil has been used to treat health conditions for centuries. It helps with anxiety, depression, infection, and pain. Not only do I use it in my skincare but throughout my home as an air freshener and a few drops on my pressure points too!
Always do a patch test when using an essential oil, and don’t substitute an essential oil for a prescribed treatment.
Written by Tara-Emily