Trust me when I say the right oil will do more for your skin than you could have ever dreamed!
If you’ve finally decided to embrace the wonder that is facial oil, well done! I know it may be nerve-wracking to change your skincare routine, but trust me when I say the right oil will do more for your skin than you could have ever dreamed. (I’m not a doctor, but yes, face oils are magic.)
That said, the operative word here is “right,” as in: finding the correct oil for your very specific, delicate, susceptible skin issue. And with so many options out there, it’s easy to start the search, get overwhelmed and throw your hands up in despair and just stick with whatever cut-rate oil someone tells you to use.
Your skin is unique... You and your skin cannot be rigidly pigeonholed. You need the right care concepts for different days and places, different seasons and different stages of life. So I believe in treating skin conditions rather than fixed skin types.
While it may take some trial and error to find the oil that works perfectly for your skin, there is a far easier place to start than dropping a lot of money on a lot of different blends and hoping one will play nicely on your face. The key is to focus on how carrier oils interacts with your skin concerns.
Aside from being effective on their own, carrier oils also penetrate skin well which makes them ideal for carrying essential oils and other ingredients into skin where they can get to work. Once you’ve narrowed down the right carrier oil for your face, seek out some essential oils in smaller doses that will target other skin concerns like redness, fine lines, blemishes, etc. Once you’ve found your glass slipper blend, you know where you can find me to say thanks for convincing me!
When suffering from skin dryness
If your face constantly feels like tight and it needs a giant drink of water, you need an oil that’s deeply moisturising but won’t leave your skin feeling greasy. Your best option is straight-up avocado oil since it’s rich in fatty acids that will instantly hydrate skin and prevent it from losing moisture. The benefits of cold pressed avocado oil depends a whole lot on the presence of healthy monounsaturated fatty acids and Vitamin E. Avocado oil is capable of penetrating deep into the skin unlike other oils and this helps in achieving quicker results. This helps in making skin soft and hydrated. One of the amazing property of avocado oil is their humectancy, which prevents the skin from drying out that allows the skin to be on hydrated mode for longer period. Even though they work fine in almost all kind of skins, those with dry skin are likely to gain better results. Cold Pressed avocado oil with its pure nature is also capable of keeping the skin fresh and clean from contaminated particles. Add some drops of sweet orange, rose, sandalwood and frankincense as an anti-ageing and very regenerative blend.
When suffering from oil excess
Though it may seem unreasonable to add oil to already-oily skin, fear not. If your skin is producing an excess of oil and sebum, it likely means that there’s an imbalance your skin is trying to correct by going overboard on the oil production (are you using too many astringents?). Which is why you need to add oil in order to slow your body’s natural oil production down to a normal pace. Since it’s very similar to your skin’s own sebum, jojoba oil helps balance oil production by basically tricking skin into producing less oil. It’s also packed with antioxidant and fatty acids that protect and moisturise, reduce inflammation and clear out pores. What’s more? Jojoba oil is more shelf-stable than many other oils staying fresh and active for longer. Since oily skin only really needs a few drops of the stuff each day, this is good news as you won’t have to toss a half-full bottle because of an expiration date.
Some drops of lavender, tea tree and lemon will help as well!
When suffering from an unbalanced skin
A little oily and a little dry? You’re in the grey area of skincare, my friend, but that doesn’t mean you require two different oils meticulously applied to the areas in question. Instead, try an oil that will hydrate without clogging pores and making your face extra oily, a dry oil like hazelnut, the king of firmness. Since it’s considered a “dry” oil, hazelnut oil absorbs quickly but is still ultra-hydrating. Apart from this, the antibacterial and astringent properties prevent the excessive secretion of skin oil that results in acne, thus maintaining soft skin. Rosehip oil would be another good allied thanks to vitamins C and A, which stimulates cell turnover. This is great news for both the oily and dry parts of your face since it means that dead skin cells won’t be able to linger on your face neither clog pores when sebum gets trapped beneath. Moreover, the cell turnover also means you will experience fewer old dry patches.
Add some drops of geranium, orange and ylang ylang to get the magic formula.
When suffering from skin congestion
Blemish-prone skin is another scenario where it may seem contrary to common sense to use oil, but when it’s an oil that’s full of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory minerals, it’s exactly what your congested skin needs. Grapeseed oil checks all these boxes. What’s more, it’s high in linoleic acid, an essential fat that can help treat acne but that your body, unfortunately, does not make on its own. Safflower and evening primrose oils are also high in that much-sought-after linoleic acid and noncomedogenic, so they won’t clog pores.
Add some drops of geranium, lemon and tea tree for a deeper cleansing and re-balancing formula!
When suffering from extra sensitivity
Winter is the season when sensitivities get notoriously annoying. The cold, the drastic temperature changes, wind and less water intake (sorry, yep... you might be drinking less water) bring the extra rednessies, dry patches getting itchy, cuperosis and rosacea. My favourite oils to give that extra help to sensitive skin is a blend composed by equal parts of St John wort oil, apricot kernel oil, calendula infused oil and rosehip oil. Add some drops of chamomile, cotton lavender, lemon and ylang ylang to soften skin irritation.
My alchemical beauty routine [The Alchemic Facial Protocol] has been designed to balance, support, activate and improve your natural skin rhythms. Like all other organisms, your body also recognises and experiences different rhythms. If we take your skin alone as an example, your skin renews itself every 28 days, like the moon. And it behaves differently during the day than at night when it regenerates itself. Therefore, it is important to tailor your skin care products to these rhythms. The regular use of the right products activates and stabilise your skin’s regeneration rhythm, Rich, moisturising products pamper your skin during the day while at night I would recommend using non-oily products to enable your skin’s metabolic functions to work undisturbed. By following the alchemic night routine, non-oily product during nighttime, you will improve your skin adding more firmness, more glow and clean radiant skin.
I recommend using the above oil blends during the mornings and leave the skin breathing at nighttime after your suitable cleansing method. My Aqua Serum Elixir provides a hydrating base (like a moisturiser, but without adding fatty moisture to your skin) while refining pores and promoting firmness and elasticity. It is specially indicated as an anti-ageing treatment and reduces free radicals which cause premature ageing. It also helps to remove skin spots caused by sun exposure. If you are new to the alchemic night routine and your skin has been used to rich and heavy night moisturisers you may experience some tightness/dryness during the transition.
Do you have a beauty routine that works for you? Which are your favourite carrier oils for face care? Please tell me!
Love, Sonia x