Nourishing Your Skin Naturally With Facial Oils

A face oil will moisturise and boost elasticity, as well as delivering topical antioxidants that can prevent oxidation – the chemical that leads to free-radical damage, which brings about premature ageing.

Face oil can be a good substitute ingredient for people with combination skin in which sebum production is balanced, pores are unblocked, toxins and bacteria are washed out of your system and acne-causing factors are extinguished. These oils also have anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties.

Nourishing

Facial oils help seal in the moisturiser, thereby delivering extra hydration. Several face oils also bring added nutritional value because they contain vitamins and antioxidants. You want jojoba oil to help even out oily skin so that it absorbs easily and doesn’t clog pores. And it’s got rosehip oil to help ease away sun damage and dark spots. Then there’s the lavender oil to soothe some irritated skin. And last but not least, even out the skin with some evening primrose oil to help battle all those free radicals.

Hydrating

After cleansing, facial oils work as emollients, occlusives, and antioxidants – softening the skin by lowering the surface tension between moisturised cells to lock moisture into the upper layers of the skin, softening the outermost stratum corneum; by sealing in moisture and locking it away from UV and environmental pollutant irritants; and by powerfully neutralising free radicals in order to undo any damage they’ve done to the skin, by UV rays and environmental pollutants. Jojoba oil, which is similar in chemical structure to sebum, can help balance oily skin, making it an extra-nourishing treat for dry skin. Safflower is also an excellent moisturising botanical, and can be used on its own for extra hydration, or layered with a regular moisturiser.

Anti-aging

Many anti-ageing ingredients, such as vitamins A and C (which regenerates skin cells, boosts collagen to plump the skin and diminish fine lines and wrinkles, and brightens the complexion and helps diminish hyperpigmentation), are present in face oils. Irrespective of your skin phsyiology – whether you have oily, dry or combination skin – facial oils should be an essential part of your skincare routine. The right oil applied wisely can unclog pores to help kill acne-causing bacteria and prevent future breakouts by stimulating the natural production of oil in the skin.

Anti-acne

When used properly, a face oil can be a life-saver for acne-prone skin, helping to rebalance sebum production, calm inflammation and reset the skin barrier so there’s less chance of infections and inflammation. And face oils might feel like they’re only there to help dry skin – in fact, they’re good for all types of skin, as they hydrate while helping your serums and moisturisers to penetrate deep into the skin and stay there.

Anti-inflammatory

Sun-damaged skin gets comfort from antioxidant face oils such as jojoba oil and rosehip oil, while fine lines and wrinkles are soothed. While light and fast-acting, face oils are most often thin in texture and absorb almost instantly, unlike most of us, and can be layered under a cleanser, serum and moisturiser. Face oils won’t cause blemishes or blackheads, or leave behind any oily feeling. They are the ultimate add-ons for all dry and sensitive skin types.

Anti-bacterial

Natural face oils can be great protectants against external aggressors, from UV rays to pollution and cold temperatures. Include jojoba oil in your skin care regime, as it regulates sebum production, or add in some prickly pear oil to reduce the bacteria that causes acne. Facial oils also double up as great face-massage bases, so skin gets a little ‘wake up’ pleasant stimulation to increase circulation and collagen production. It’s also the best treat for dry skinned ladies as an extra boost of moisture.

Anti-fungal

Certain facial oils are inherently anti-fungal in nature, so they prevent fungal infestations from establishing themselves inside your skin’s pores on its surfaces, or at the base of their extensions beneath your skin’s surface. Used between serum and moisturiser, face oils can provide added skin benefits: they can increase the penetration of your other products and make massage easier for your therapist to slide across your skin.

Anti-oxidant

Face oils help retain your moisturiser’s occlusive ingredients, trapping in extra hydration, especially for drier skin. They also work as emollients and occlusives to hydrate and exert an anti-ageing effect by smoothing the skin. Others such as jojoba oil can help oily skin – by reducing oil production and decreasing breakouts. They can calm redness, even out skin tone and texture, boost the appearance of fine lines, and glide over skin nicely during facial massage. But the secret bonus? They will also make you feel good when massaging your face.

Anti-inflammatory

Many have anti-inflammatory components, which calm redness and irritated skin. The best facial oils leave no greasy residue and absorb quickly, meaning you can pile them on over serums and creams without clogging your pores or causing congestion and blemishes. Higher end, pore-purging oils such as jojoba and camellia extract are purifying, because your pores essentially shrink when these oils draw out the stuff that clogs them, cleansing the pathways to your skin. But it is important to remember that if you abuse oils for your skin they can trigger acne. Some oils are too greasy!

Anti-bacterial

Antioxidants in face oils offer skin protection from free radicals, therefore preventing environmental stressors from causing skin inflammation and ageing, while providing calming properties to prevent skin irritation.’ The best wrinkle-busting, sun-spot-canceling, redness-reducing candidates are oils rich in Vitamin E. While face oils don’t provide the same structural integrity as a heftier moisturiser, their subtle sheen and essential fatty acid content help balance uneven textures and plump fine lines, and feel great gliding over the skin for some added facial massage action.