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.
Moisturizers are a mix of oil and water. If you use pure oil first, you're Gor-texing your face — just skip the moisturizer. Better idea: Use the moisturizer, then pat on your oil. It'll let the water melt into your skin and not evaporate.
Main Takeaways: Generally speaking, moisturizers hydrate the skin while face oils lock the moisture in. Face oils feel slick while moisturizers are generally creamy. Good to Know: There's no reason you can't use both a face oil and a moisturizer to help restore and lock moisture into the skin.
You cannot moisturize your skin with an oil.
The most popular and effective humectants are glycerin and hyaluronic acid. On the other hand, emollient ingredients soften skin.
While anyone, even those with oily skin, can benefit from facial oil, they can be especially nourishing for dry skin. Whether you are experiencing dry skin because of the weather, or you always have dry skin, facial oil can help boost your moisturizer's hydrating efforts.
So while oils can condition the skin, they only retain water content not add it, which means they are moisturizing but not hydrating.
"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.
According to her, it's okay to skip moisturizer when you don't need it, such as when you're in a humid environment that's already full of moisture. "You don't always have to use a moisturizer, especially if you have oily-prone skin or if you've just used an HA serum that helps moisturize," Dr. Cindy explains.
In short, yes. "A daily moisturizer is necessary to maintain your skin's moisture barrier and to prevent environmental damage to your skin," Weinstein explains.
“Instead of being hydrating, oils can have the opposite effect and dry out your skin,” says celebrity aesthetician Dr Barbara Sturm whose clients include Hailey Bieber. It all comes down to the size of the fatty acid molecules that make up the oil.
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.
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.
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).
"Skin's oil production peaks at midday, and there is less oil production at night. Therefore, when you lose that protective layer of natural oils, your skin loses more water, so it's important to replenish the water loss with a moisturizer overnight," says Sobel. "While you are asleep the skin goes into renewal mode.
You could develop more wrinkles.
That's right: Leaving moisturizer out of your routine today could lead to deeper wrinkles later on. "When the skin barrier is compromised, which is what we see when it becomes dry, there's actually a low-grade chronic inflammation that occurs in the skin," warns dermatologist Dr.
"Heavy oils can congest the skin and cause breakouts, which will definitely inflame and irritate existing acne conditions. "Oils such as coconut, olive and wheatgerm should be avoided, as they may block pores and cause increased blemishes."
Your skin wants a layer of moisture, and if it doesn't have it the normal protective barriers and correct pH levels of the skin can be disrupted. This protective layer disruption can come along with dryness, redness, and an overall low level of inflammation in your skin.
Just as you should cleanse your skin twice a day, your face is calling out for moisture at least two times a day—in the morning and at night. You want to moisturize after every time you cleanse. This way, you can lock in moisture and keep skin from drying out.
Aesthetic dermatologists have observed that habitual, daily moisturising over a prolonged period can actually age the skin. This induced ageing occurs because the same fibroblast cells which produce GAGs (the skin's moisturiser) also produce collagen and elastin, which help maintain the skin's elasticity.
While petroleum jelly has many benefits, it shouldn't be used for everything. Avoid putting petroleum jelly on your face if you are acne-prone, as this may cause breakouts in some people. If you have questions about your skin or how to take care of it, see a board-certified dermatologist.