Face oils are designed to provide skin with moisture and lock in hydration. Typically formulated with a mixture of plant oils, this essential comes in handy to soften, nourish, and balance skin for a healthy-looking glow.
"The skin needs oil to maintain a healthy balance, otherwise, it gets too dry which can cause breakouts, fine lines, and wrinkles. Using a facial oil helps keep moisture in the skin while protecting it from the environmental damage," she explains.
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.
Face oils are considered a type of emollient, which means they help strengthen the outer layer of your skin — the stratum corneum — by softening and sealing it, preventing water loss," González said.
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.
5. 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.
Myth #2: Facial oils clog pores.
Let's cut to the chase right away – facial oils will not clog your pores. Oil (or sebum) occurs naturally in your skin and your sebaceous glands are constantly working to pump it out. Acne is a result of hair follicles that become clogged with oil and dead skin cells.
Understand The Order Of Application
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.
Facial oils are beneficial for regulating combination skin as many of them have natural anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. These ingredients are excellent for unclogging pores, removing acne-causing bacteria, reducing oil production, and hydrating the skin.
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.
Products that clog pores are known as comedogenic; and, you guessed it, facial oils fit the description. "Many [topical] oils have the potential to clog pores and cause breakouts," says Dr. Love. "So, using oils on acne-prone skin is akin to adding gas to a fire."
Most face oils are amazing moisturizers—as moisturizers, they really, really work, leaving your skin temporarily more supple, plumped, and smooth. If by “work” you mean “has the effect of a face-lift or Botox,” no cream or oil or anything topical is going to have that effect, no matter what they promise.
One question that always comes up is whether or not face oils actually moisturize. And if they do, are they just for dry skin? The short answer is yes, oils are part of the moisturizing process.
How do you use face oils? 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.
Unlike serums, which absorb deeply into the skin, face oils have larger molecules that can only penetrate the surface. They work on strengthening the skin barrier - the outer layer - to minimise trans epidermal water loss. This keeps skin hydrated and plump, improving the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
But the truth is, the right face oil can actually help to treat blemishes, soothe irritated skin, and brighten up acne scars. Face oils can even act as a nourishing moisturizer and help to balance your skin's oil production.
Oil cleansing can include products that lather, but it often simply involves pure oils, rinsed away with a damp washcloth. Some people, particularly those who follow a K-beauty skin care routine, might follow the oil cleanse step with a gentle, water-based face wash to remove any oil residue.
And face oils aren't just desirable for dry skin types either. As counterintuitive as it sounds, using oil on oily skin can actually be beneficial. “For oily skin, if the skin is stripped of natural oils, it will go into overproduction mode and cause more sebum buildup,” Engelman explains.
A cream drives moisture into the skin, while fatty oils and ingredients like vegetable-derived Glycerin prevent the water from evaporating. This hydration boost means that skin cells retain moisture, leaving skin supple, healthy and glowing. Additional actives are also able to target specific skin needs.
“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.
"Oils are part of the moisturizing process," says cosmetic chemist Vince Spinatto. "So while oils can condition the skin and hair, they only retain water content — not add it — which means they are moisturizing but not hydrating."
The best essential oils for hyperpigmentation are lemon and carrot seed oil, both of which have clear scientific evidence pointing to their efficacy. Other oils that may lighten dark spots include geranium, sandalwood and tea tree oil. Always dilute essential oils before using to reduce the risk of skin irritation.