For oils and serums, that usually means applying serums (which are often water-based) first. After the serum absorbs into your skin, you can apply facial oil, and then moisturizer and sunscreen. If you want to use both a serum and facial oil, but not simultaneously, try breaking it up.
Just make sure to always, always apply your oils last. Yes, you read that correctly. “Oils can easily penetrate moisturizers, serums, and treatments, but no products can penetrate an oil, which means they need to be applied last,” says Dr. Gohara.
1. Serums go first. As a rule, serums should be the first products that touch your skin after cleansing and exfoliating in order to get the best results. Never apply them after your moisturizer as thicker creams and oils create a protective layer over your skin and hinder absorption.
It depends on your skin type as to whether you need to use both a face oil and serum. If you have a particular skin concern then yes, we recommend using both products. This will ensure the specific problem is being addressed, while also receiving all of the benefits of face oil.
The main difference between using a serum and a facial oil is that oil molecules are much larger and can only penetrate the outermost layers of the skin. In fact, an oil blend can contain hundreds of different sized molecules so this makes them more suitable as moisturizers rather than as serums.
Hair serum is a styling product that makes your hair smooth and adds shine, while the primary purpose of hair oil is to nourish and improve your hair's health. There's no identifying serum or oil as better than the other, as they both possess distinctive qualities and offer different benefits.
When it comes to facial oils, they should be applied as the last step in your skin care routine at night, and right before SPF in the morning.
Moisturizers and face oils are not interchangeable. You cannot use oil in place of moisturizer because oils are too heavy for the skin. They will make your face oily and greasy, which is something you definitely want to avoid as it will make your skin look worse than ever.
Because oil is the heaviest — or most dense — product in your routine, it's able to penetrate your moisturizer, allowing it to reach your skin, but the reverse isn't true. If you want to really amp up the moisture, apply your oil after applying moisturizer onto damp skin.
According to skin experts, facial oil can be applied after a water-based moisturiser. You can also use as your night cream and replace it with facial oil. If you have a dry skin and prefer heavy moisturisers, then apply oil and follow up with your moisturiser. This way you will optimise the facial oil's benefits.
"Oils are really better at sealing in moisture due to their occlusive nature—they prevent the evaporation of hydration from skin to the environment," explains Dr. Nazarian. Thanks to the fact that oils are emollients, they'll create a barrier on your skin to lock in all that hydrating goodness from your moisturizer.
Use face oil twice daily, or as needed
Facial oils can take pride of place in your skincare routine in the morning or the evening (or both!), but they can also be used as and when they're needed.
Then, if an oil is needed — [like] if you're in a dry climate — [you should] rub it into your hands first and then pat it onto the face over the lotion. This acts as a top coat without getting directly into the pores. If you have dry skin, you can massage a few drops over your moisturizer into the skin."
The correct way to use your face oils is to use the moisturizer first then pat on your oil. It'll let the water melt into your skin and not evaporate. The other reason why oil goes last is that it will eventually sink into your skin, reinforcing your moisture barrier. If you're wearing SPF apply oil after.
With the fact hyaluronic acid isn't oil soluble it is unable to penetrate any oil meaning it can't reach the area of the skin that it needs to treat. To prevent the hyaluronic acid from simply sitting on top of the oil its best to apply hyaluronic acid serum first followed by layering facial oils and moisturisers.
Haircare experts do not recommend serums for everyday use. Limit the use of serums to special days and the days you wash your hair. But if you have extremely unmanageable and frizzy hair, you can use an oil-based serum every day as well.
Using pore-clogging oil-based make up can worsen or cause acne. This can become worse if make up is not thoroughly removed! If you want to hide your acne with make up, just be sure to use brands that contain good ingredients (I talk a bit more about this below).
Yes, oils will clog your pores.
But not all oils. Vargas warns that mineral oil is a chronic offender, and Dr. Tanzi adds that olive oil and the oil du jour, coconut, easily clog pores, too.
In general, it is best to apply serum before moisturizer. This gives the active ingredients in the serum the best chance of working. Otherwise, the best order and time of day for a skin care routine depends on the products' ingredients and the person's goals.
Serums go before your moisturizer because they're normally lighter than a face cream, balm, oil, or lotion. “Serums are formulated with small molecular weight actives so they penetrate into deeper skin layers,” says Dr. Loretta Ciraldo, M.D., FAAD, a board-certified dermatologist and founder of Dr. Loretta skin care.
Dr. Alex Roher, MD of San Diego Botox Inc recommends using face oils both in the morning and at night. He advises applying oil as the last step of your nighttime skin care routine and before your sunscreen and makeup in the morning.
You can always mix oils in with your moisturizer, but if you're going to give them their own spot of honor in your skin-care routine, derms say there are two ways you can do it, depending on the type of face oil you use.
Here's a quick recap on how to properly use face serum. First, cleanse and exfoliate your skin and follow it up with a toner or facial mist. Next, gently apply a small amount of serum to your face and neck with either your fingertips or palms. Then, wait 5 minutes for your face serum to fully absorb into your skin.
To allow serums to fully absorb, apply and wait 5 minutes before moisturizing. Take note: Well-formulated serums absorb quickly and disappear into your skin. If they leave an oily or sticky residue, they're not doing their job well.
Also, you must always apply under-eye cream before applying a serum/moisturiser and right after cleansing and toning. This is because it is essential to apply lighter products first and also because eye creams are highly absorbent in nature.