Oil has been long treasured as a valuable skincare product. Ancient Egyptians used moringa oil on their skin to keep it protected from the elements and was often used in perfumes in ancient Greece and Rome. So, the benefits of using oil on your skin for medicinal and beauty purposes is an old and established tradition.
Homemade is tailor-made
To me, with skin that’s either very oily or very dry, it at first seemed somewhat counterproductive. To many, it probably also seems that way. Putting more oil onto oily skin makes little sense. But it does.
Many oils are lipophilic, which means that lock in moisture and keep out toxins. They range in antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and anti-microbial properties, and there are many which dissolve sebum, meaning they reduce the amount of oil your skin produces. But you have to keep a good balance.
Making your own face oil means that you can tailor the recipe exactly to what your skin needs, playing with ingredients to see what works and not have to spend a small fortune to do it. Essential oils can be pricey, but they last a long time, so once you have a basic set, you have lots of room to explore what works best for your skin.
And essential oils can do so much and so often they overlap in what they can do.
A Quick Guide To Which Oil Does What
- Lavender: Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, healing and calming, good for every skin type.
- Chamomile: Calming, anti-inflammatory, healing and holds in moisture. Holy grail for most sensitive skin.
- Tea Tree: Anti septic, very well known in the world of skin care for its benefits against acne.
- Geranium: Anti septic, anti-inflammatory, healing, calming, good for acne, scarring, astringent good for wrinkles.
- Rosemary: Anti-inflammatory, anti-septic, warming, anti-microbial, good for relieving dryness, good for acne, dry skin and oily skin.
- Frankincense: Stimulates cell growth, healing, good for strengthening skin, good for ageing and uneven skin.
- Peppermint: Anti septic, anti-microbial, good for oily skin and blackheads.
- Lemon: Anti septic, anti-microbial, anti-bacterial, antioxidant, good for ageing skin.
- Neroli: Healing, helps to regenerate cells, balances oil production, calming, good for acne prone skin.
- Rose: Cooling, reduces inflammation, good for dry and ageing skin.
- Myrrh: Anti-inflammatory, firming, great for dry skin.
- Patchouli: Anti septic, anti-bacterial, good for acne and dry skin.
- Camellia: Cleans and shrinks pores.
Of course, there are so many oils out there to try, but these are some of the most common in skincare. Finding the ones to try comes down to doing a little research and them simply giving them a test.
Favorite recipes
For reference, my personal recipe consists of tea tree, lavender, frankincense with jojoba oil as a carrier. Jojoba is great for acne prone skin as it reduces oil production, dissolves sebum, and is healing as well as moisturising. I mix it all up in a little bottle with a pipette and a little goes a long way with oil.
Other carrier oils include rosehip, argon, sweet almond, evening primrose or many other, again, depending on what your skin needs.
As well as being able to personalise it to your needs, having the freedom to experiment with different recipes and saving yourself a few quid, by making your own face oils you can guarantee freshness and a completely natural product, without any fillers or chemicals.
There are hundreds of recipes out there you can try if you want a little guide in the right direction, but there is absolutely nothing stopping your from taking your skin into your own hands and finding exactly what works best for you.
Have you tried to make your own face oil? If so let us know your recipe below.
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