Hey Everyone!
Thanks for hoppin by! I promise I won't say that again.
My goal for this blog post is to shed some light on a widely overlooked and improperly used product in the skincare world, which is...you guessed it... facial oils. Also known sometimes as Facial Serums, Oil Serums, etc etc. The product I will be discussing specifically does not just have an oil base, but it is made up of 100% oil ingredients and is used as a moisturizer specifically for your face. Technically this is called a "Facial Oil" but as it has grown in popularity, many call it a "Serum" even though that used to refer to something water-based. I believe many people walk or scroll right on past these products because they think "I have oily skin anyway, that would only create a nightmare situation", or have used one improperly in the past with disastrous results and they move right along. Well, to those people, I say "Whoa there!" or something like that. Don't be scared of the oil. Let the oil be your friend. It wants to be your friend. Let me tell you why.
Wether you have dry, normal, or excessively oily skin, an Oil Serum has a crucial place in your daily skincare regimen.
But, before I go any further, let me just tell you how you have been using your Facial Oils wrong in case that is all you care about learning:
You need to use a facial oil in combination with water. It simply won't be effective as a moisturizer and it absolutely WILL lead to excess oil buildup on your skin if you are not using it in combination with water. And this is water that you need to apply separately (barely) from the oil. You need to wet your face with water before applying the drops of oil to your skin. The water and the oil can then be worked in together, and will enable you to use far less oil and apply it much more evenly than you would be able to otherwise.
If you don't believe me or are just curious as to why, read on.
Sebum Imbalances
Our skin naturally produces oil throughout the day. This is called "sebum" and it is a by-product of healthily functioning skincells. Throughout the day you will notice the buildup as your skin begins to feel greasy and look a little shiny. We all know the drill. What is interesting about this process, is that if you have excessivly dry skin or excessivly oily skin, the issue in both cases is actually dryness! Your skin can respond to issues of dryness in these two extreme ways. Because of these issues, most people attempt to rectifiy the situation by battling the symptoms while ignoring the root issues. They will slather on all kinds of lotions, creams, anything they can find at the drug stores to cure the painful, irritated, cracked dry skin; or at the other end of the spectrum they will carry around facial wipes to swab up all the greasy buildup throughout the day. In both cases, you are failing to give you skin what it actually needs: nourishment and balance.
What dry skin really needs...
The excessivly dry person's skin needs moisture that it can actually absorb, and use to heal the damaged cells. Store-bought lotions and creams all too often only provide a barrier between your poor, starved skin cells and the fresh outside air and moisture and provide a soft, smooth texture...but only while the product is on. Once it comes off, it often leaves the skin even more damaged than it was before. Or if not that, it leaves the skin in a perpetual state of dehydration by providing it just enough to get by on but not enough to heal with.
So what does the sahara desert skin type really need? You guessed it. Water. You probably actually guessed an oil serum, but really what your skin actually needs first and foremost is water! An oil serum comes in to play only as an aid to your skin absorbing as much water as possible. No manufactured chemicals present to damage your skin cells, nothing harmful to absorb, packed with nutrients that will heal your skin from the inside out...an oil serum is truly the stuff of dreams for anyone who has struggled with (non-medical) skin issues.
Your excessivly dry skin may be presenting as excessivly oily skin, but what's actually happening is that your sebum production is attempting to combat dryness and is in a state of perpetual overproduction because of it. Using a water/oil combo on your face over a (hopefully short) period of time will send the message to your sebum production factories to take a chill pill, you got this thing.
I'm not going to address all the different benefits of all the different types of oils for all the different issues you could be having in this blog post. But hopefully you are at least interesting in giving a facial oil blend a try, and now you know that you will only have success with it if you are using it as an agent to promote the highest amount of water absorption possible into your skin.
I have personally had amazing results when I switched to a using an oil blend as my *only* moisturizer. It has been several years since I used a store bought facial lotion, and I no longer struggle with acne, excessive oil production, inflammation, or itchy skin. It took a few weeks for my skin to adjust but I am so glad I stuck with it. It is now a rare occasion for me to have a pimple. My skin tone is extremly even, and I can tell it is helping fend off wrinkles.
Here's a few articles that I have found interesting dealing with the science behind skincare (and how there is actually not much reliable science to be had) and facial oil specifically.
Thanks so much for reading, and I hope you have a blessed day!
-Hanna
https://www.chemistryworld.com/features/the-science-of-skincare/5494.article