I have seen, heard and talk to many people who are ‘afraid’ of facial oils.
Why?
Because oil being an oil, it will leave your skin oily, look shiny and feel greasy.
Did you know that that’s NOT entirely true? I mean, the oily, shiny and greasy part – is not entirely true.
Look babe. I didn’t ask you to shower in coconut oil or smear olive oil all over your face.
A good facial oil should have 5 properties and they are:
- Made of botanicals only- plant oils, plant extracts that are oil-soluble, vitamins or actives that are plant-derived and are oil-soluble
- Have 1 or a few specific benefits to the skin – for example, anti-aging or anti-wrinkle
- Must be highly absorbent to the skin – it means it absorbs into the skin fast and does not make the skin oily or greasy
- You can use more than 1 facial oil – not necessarily stick to 1 type or 1 brand.
- It should costs slightly more expensive sometimes similar to a serum and it’s ok if you don’t use it every day – that’s because it contains specific actives/vitamins and/or rare botanical oils
Why is it important to use a Facial Oil?
A plant oil contains plethora of nutrients beneficial to the skin. You may have heard of Omega 3, 6 and 9 but a plant oil can also contain Omega 5, Omega 7 and Vitamin K.
These micronutrients are the ones responsible for soothing your skin, relieve of itching, accelerates healing, lightening of scars and can be benefical for even the most chronic dryness of the skin!
For example, a rosehip seed oil does not contain vitamin C. The world has made a mistake by assuming rosehip fruits contain vitamin C so must its oil. No babe. I repeat : Rosehip fruits contain Vitamin C but Rosehip Seed oil does not.
Using rosehip seed oil alone can improve your skin tremendously especially if you’re in Singapore. It promotes natural glow and prevents your skin from getting blemishes from the killer UV rays. Click here to buy.
Imagine how your skin will improve if you use a few plant oils every night!
Now let’s go through the 5 properties of a facial oil again.
#1 Made of botanicals only- plant oils, plant extracts that are oil-soluble, vitamins or actives that are plant-derived and are oil-soluble
A facial oil can be made simple by adding simple ingredients and it can be a high performance if made with rare botanicals. For example, Pai Skincare’s Rosehip BioRegenerate Oil contains only 4 ingredients. Mainly Rosehip Seed Extract, Rosehip Fruit Extract, Natural Vitamin E and Rosemary Extract. That’s it.
The 1st 2 ingredients are the 2 main components of the oil and the last 2 ingredients are responsible to delay the oil from oxidation and become rancid. So they slow down the rancidity process of the oil.
That’s it girl. Simply Rosehip. Simple but cool.
#2 Have 1 or a few specific benefits to the skin – for example, anti-aging or anti-wrinkle
Like Madara’s Age Recovery Superseed Organic Facial Oil, it’s meant for mature, tired skin, lines and wrinkles, age spots, scars, dry skin, fragile skin. This oil is made for people with these of skin. Some people’s skin age faster than their real age – that’s probably because of stress factor, environment, diet and could even be genetically born like that.
I dare say there is a facial oil for every desire 😀
Need one for your nails and cuticle? GK Natural Creations has it covered with their Nail and Cuticle Oil. What does it do? It moisturises, strengthens and supports a healthy growth of your fingernails and toe nails! Even your toe nails babe!!
#3 Must be highly absorbent to the skin – it means it absorbs into the skin fast and does not make the skin oily or greasy
A facial oil is meaningless if it stays on the skin, not absorbed, making you feel oily and uneasy. A facial oil before it’s made, is carefully planned and tested before it’s being market out. If you support handmade organic products, just ensure that the products is properly preserved or protected from being rancid. For oils is very simple – there shouldnt be oils like mineral oil and its ‘preservation system’ should either be Vitamin E (also known as Tocopherol) or Rosemary Extract (also known as Rosmarinus Officinalis). Take note that it’s not really a preservative it’s just a way of delaying the oils from becoming rancid.
#4 You can use more than 1 facial oil – not necessarily stick to 1 type or 1 brand.
If you are interested to use 2 or more, go ahead girl! 1 oil for multi-vitamin. 1 oil for lightening. Maybe 1 for anti-wrinkle. Because all you need is 2 drops and that’s it. And it’s not necessary to use it daily. It wont harm your skin if you use it daily or alternately or just once a week. Think of it like a treat. If you use it, your skin will be happier. Wouldnt you be happy if you’ve got a treat?
But i do recommend using facial oils with care. Some oils are better applied at night because they can make you be more sensitive to the sun while others do their magic while you sleep. Some oils can be applied directly before makeup while some can be applied as and when you need it. Just ask if you’re not sure.
#5 It should costs slightly more expensive sometimes similar to a serum and it’s ok if you don’t use it every day – that’s because it contains specific actives/vitamins and/or rare botanical oils
This one here is very subjective. It totally depends on the owner/manufacturer. But investing in a good facial oil can cost you approximately SGD$40-$120. The rarer the oils or botanicals use, the more expensive the facial oil’s going to be.
Rare oils such as Prickly Pear Oil, Rose Absolute, Plum Oil, Blueberry Oil – all these are expensive on its own so makers have to charge it on customers. It’s not every day they can harvest prickly pears or blueberries or even roses, they need time to grow and extraction process is sensitive – hygiene and have to follow agricultural laws and many others. A botanical oil has to be treated with much care and respect. Bless you if you’re a herbalist because not many people love plants… and when they do, they respect plants as another living thing just like a human.
*Bonus material*
Did you know that you can make YOUR OWN facial oil?
The only disadvantage to this is you need to buy a few plant oils and extracts just to make a 30ml of good facial oil…. and you wont know what to do with the rest of it 😀
This is a simple anti-acne facial oil recipe that you can make anytime but please use it before bedtime!
To make 30ml of facial oil, follow this recipe.
27ml Rosehip Seed Oil (buy here)
2ml Hemp Seed Oil (buy here)
1ml Vitamin E (buy here) or Rosemary Extract (buy here)
Choose 1 of the following:
1 drop Lemon Essential Oil (to prevent acne, pimples and blemishes)
1 drop Frankincense Essential Oil (to regenerate skin cells)
1 drop Geranium Essential Oil (for natural glow)
Add all of the ingredients into a 30ml amber bottle with a dropper and shake well.
Use 2-3 drops every night before bedtime. You will notice a difference within 7 days!
Subscribe and get notified!