Incorporating face oils into your skincare routine is one of the best things you can do for your skin. In the short term, you can expect a healthy radiant skin, and with continued use, it assists with tackling specific concerns based on your skin type.
Depending upon the composition of the oil, it can be a perfect choice for all skin types, including oily and acne-prone complexions. Yes, you heard that right! However, the benefits you get are largely dependent on the type of oil, its quality and composition.
Sebum
The reason oils sinks into the skin is because our skin structure is also made up of an oily substance called sebum (our skin’s natural oil). As like dissolves like, when you apply an oil on the skin, our skin identifies it as “ours” and soaks it up quickly. Sebum is an oily, waxy substance produced by your body’s sebaceous glands. It coats, moisturizes, and protects your skin. We have sebaceous glands all over our body – except the palms of our hands and the soles of our feet. However, if the sebum production is too much, it disturbs the balance and leads to oily, clogged and acne-prone skin – a situation we surely want to avoid.
Our sebum production is dependent on our genetic make-up, endocrine system, and environmental factors. We rarely produce sebum before age 7. It increases through adolescence, then declines until about age 50. No wonder you can relate to this now that why your skin is extremely acne-prone when you hit puberty, and why elders end up getting issues like dry eyes in their 60s.
Good news is that there are some oils, or combination of oils that may help regulate your sebum production. At the same time, oils high in linoleic acid are also a perfect choice for all skin types as they are light-weight, fast absorbing and don’t clog the pores. Linoleic acid rich oils also help strengthen our natural skin barrier which is crucial to maintaining healthy and youth-full looking skin.
Skin barrier is one of the most important things when it comes to your skin’s health. You cannot expect to have a glowing, problem-free skin until your skin barrier is intact, just like you can’t apply tons of makeup on problematic skin hoping to make it look flawless.
Our Skin barrier acts as a natural defence against harmful impacts of outside environment. Protecting it can help prevent countless skin issues in both short and long run.
Although it seems counter-intuitive to apply oil to a complexion that is already naturally shiny, the right one can and will in fact regulate your skin’s oil production. Oily skin should look for products containing oils that help balance the sebum and are high in linoleic acid content. Oils high in linoleic acid also help regulate sebum production and prevent breakouts or common skin irritations.
Some scientific research can be also found stating that acne patients have been shown to have low levels of linoleic acid in their skin surface lipids.
Furthermore, as we age, the oil production slows down leading to dehydrated skin, lack of elasticity, wrinkles and other signs of ageing. Applying oils topically can compensate for this loss and keep the skin soft supple and hydrated by sealing in moisture.
Our multipurpose green-juice inspired Mean Green Superfood Drops are specially designed to restore all skin types using a careful selection of botanical oils rich in linolenic acid and essential fatty acids, which help support healthy skin-barrier function. It contains non-comedogenic cold-pressed oils and designed to be extremely light-weight, fast-absorbing and suitable for all skin types, including acne-prone and sensitive skin.
Face Oil for Oily Skin Types
People with very oily skin don’t need to avoid all oils completely; the key is to understand when, how and what types of oils to apply? You need oils that have low comedogenic ratings, high in linoleic acid and are ultra-light weight in texture. In terms of how and when to apply, you should avoid applying oils in the morning as they’ll take longer to absorb because your skin isn’t crying out for moisture. Best time is to apply them at night as part of your normal skincare routine and wake up to a soft and hydrated complexion.
However, the good news is that oily to combination skin types can apply a drop or two of a light weight oil in the morning under their makeup or SPF to keep the skin looking flawless and hydrated.
During the summer months it’s recommended to apply face oil only before you go to bed when your skin is at rest and not producing too much oil. In doing this, you will keep the moisture locked in overnight, keeping your skin soft and radiant for the next morning.
Face Oil for Dry Skin Types
Applying face oils can do wonders to dry skin. You can apply oils both in the morning and evening as part of your daily skincare routine. Dry complexions will soak oils up in no time.
For overly dry and chapped skin types, its recommended to always apply a rich moisturiser before an oil so it can seal all the goodness inside for long-lasting hydration. In the winter months, oils help dry skin retain moisture as it battles with the cold weather and humidity from the temperature inside our houses. In summer months, they help protect skin from humid climate, dehydration and flakiness.
There are some conditions that can lead to a dry skin and adding a face oil in your skincare routine can be a worthwhile decision. You can end up with dry skin if you frequently use retinols, acid-peels or other drying or anti-blemish products. Treatments like Retin-A, AHA peels or creams, or breakout fighters from astringent toners, all the way to prescription Accutane can really help your skin, but they can also seriously dry your skin out. Face oils return moisture and life to your skin, smoothing lines and soothing it in the process. Similarly, all acids and chemicals have potential to disrupt the natural skin barrier – if not moisturised properly, you can end up with redness, irritation or congested skin.
Even combination or problem free skin also benefit from oils by keeping it in a healthy state.
Perhaps the ultimate skin secret, face oil has been used by indigenous people all over the world in various forms for millennia; nothing lasts that long unless it works.
When to apply Face Oil?
Oils are best applied as a last step of layering your skincare, but always before SPF. They add a protective moisture-barrier for long lasting hydration which also help prevent skin from free radical and environmental damage.
The best order to apply your skincare is;
- Double cleanse
- Toner
- Serum
- Eye cream/oil
- Moisturiser
- Face oil
- SPF (Always comes last)
Which leads us to our final question, what type of face oil product should you buy for your skin?
Not all oils are created equal so make sure to find oils containing non-clogging or non-comedogenic ingredients. The next best option is to go for Organic and Cold Pressed Oils as they are in their most natural and unaltered condition which help retain all the nutrients in the oils. Never buy oils from a grocery store as they are not meant to be used for skincare purposes, and most of them are completely refined meaning they don’t have all the nutritious goodness you need to feed your skin with.
In addition, always look for oils bottled in dark or opaque coloured glass as exposure to light and heat will damage the oil. Never choose a facial oil where water is the first ingredient.
Avoid oils with preservatives, dyes and artificial fragrances specially if you have a sensitive skin type.
The last but not the least, always check for vegan and cruelty free products as even if you aren’t vegan, it’s just a one step closer to protecting your planet and preventing cruelty to animals and wildlife.