Oils are not necessary in your skin care routine, but they are very beneficial if used properly. Coming from a girl who has very dry skin. . . I love oils! Oils are very versatile and can be great additions to a basic skincare routine. How can oils help you?

A lot of times, people shy away from utilizing oils because it seems counter intuitive. Why would you put more oil on your face if oil can lead to acne and greasiness? Although this is a partially valid claim, it is a misconstrued idea. Let me explain. . .

Oil functions as emollients and occlusives, but they do not draw moisture to the skin. Basically, they can either soften the skin or trap moisture, but they do not add any moisture. When our skin’s moisture barrier gets out of balance, added oil on the skin can definitely pose issues. If our moisture barrier is impaired the skin tends to over or under produce oil on the face. The impaired skin barrier makes the skin more susceptible to acne or irritation. Adding more oils in this case could have some adverse effects, especially if you have a very over-stripping cleansing routine or are not moisturizing enough. Then, the oil you add is not really going to do anything beneficial. An impaired barrier that lacks moisture sustaining ability can not be repaired or aided by oil alone. If you add oil to skin that lacks moisture, the oil will just sit on the surface of the skin. If you are acne prone or very dry, this addition could clog pores. If you are oily already, you will most likely look greasy.

That explains the misconception, but how can oils actually help? As I mentioned before, oils lack humectant abilities, but they can be great occlusives and emollients. Different oils also have great vitamin properties that aid in different functions of the skin. If oils are used in conjunction with humectant moisturizers, they can soften skin and trap in moisture, especially if used as the final step in a skin care routine. This way the moisture you added to your skin will be more sustained, since the oil added can create a protective layer on your skin to better hold in the added moisture.

I have some skin type suggestions for oil selection, but there many more options than what I will have listed here. You can even find oil blends to combine benefits of oils. Reach out to me if you have anymore questions about oils or any concerns in general. Great skin is in your future!

Rose Hip Oil – All skin types (personal favorite).

Argan Oil – Oily, normal, and combination skin types.

Jojoba – Oily, normal, and combination skin types.

Almond Oil – Normal and dry skin types.

Tamanu Oil- Normal and dry skin types (great for barrier repair).