Mommy Scientist Series: Using Oils As A Facial Moisturizer (Part 3)

Using oil on our faces seems to contradict everything we’ve been told about skincare. We’ve always heard that oil is bad for the face and will cause breakouts. Hmmm, who was telling us that?  Oh right, big cosmetics companies. (And just an FYI, I’m not a conspiracy theorist or anything, I just know that the main concern of big businesses is looking out for their bottom line).

After our facial cleansers, which I talked about in Mommy Scientist Part 2: Your Guide To A Cleaner Facial Cleanser, moisturizer is probably our most commonly used skincare product.  It’s purpose is to moisturize (duh) and serve as a base for the rest of our makeup.  People have been touting the benefits of carrier oils for the face and body for some time now, so I started doing my research to figure out more about these popular oils. First let’s take a quick look at what is typically found in a moisturizer.

The Makeup Of A Moisturizer

Moisturizers typically contain humectants, emollients and occlusives. Humectants trap and retain moisture in the skin, emollients help ingredients to spread easier, and occlusives provide a barrier to water loss in the skin.  The problem is that the occlusive agent in many moisturizers is petroleum, a product we are all familiar with.  There are many, many different opinions on the use of petroleum in our products that I won’t get into here. I will say that when I’ve used products with petroleum in them, such as lip balm, the moisturizing effect was short lasting and I found myself constantly having to re-apply.  This could be because crude products like petroleum keep moisture and nutrients from being absorbed from our other products and from the atmosphere.

Source: How Do Skin Moisturizers Work by Chemistscorner.com

What Exactly Are Carrier Oils?

Carrier oils are different from essential oils, another hot topic these days.

A carrier oil is the vegetable oil derived from the fatty portion of a plant, usually the seeds, nuts, or kernels. -Plant Therapy.com

Carrier oils are also used in conjunction with essential oils, basically to “carry” them to the intended area.  You probably already know plenty of carrier oils because they include oils like olive, coconut, grapeseed, avocado, sesame, and many, many others. But you may not know their uses other than for cooking or baking. Carrier oils actually have tons of beneficial properties for our skin. They contain antioxidants, high levels of fatty acids, essential vitamins, and can give relief from itching, dry skin, and so many other common skin complaints. So let’s get to it!

Where To Start

I always recommend buying organic, cold-pressed carrier oils.  This ensures that no beneficial properties have been lost due to heating.  But in all honesty, when I started experimenting with carrier oils I grabbed whatever I already had in my kitchen. Picking an oil, just like any other skincare product, really depends on the needs of your skin.  Is your skin sensitive, dry, oily, acne-prone, etc.?

There are tons of great resources, like here and here, that tell you what skin type each oil works best with.  You also want to look at the comedogenic rating of the oils.  That is the likelihood to clog your pores and cause breakouts.  I will say though that just because something may have a higher comedogenic rating, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you should shy away from it.  Some oils that have a higher comedogenic rating may work perfectly fine with your skin, it is all about trial and error.

What I’ve Used

I know an obvious choice would have been for me to start with coconut oil, being that I am obsessed with it (as seen here and here).  But I initially shied away from using coconut oil as a moisturizer because a lot of people experience breakouts with it. However, a few months ago, my forehead was really, really dry.  Like flaky dry.  I decided to throw caution to the wind and test some coconut oil on my forehead and alas, dry skin was gone and no unsightly blemishes popped up.  I still haven’t tried it on my entire face yet, but will probably give it a go next winter when my skin tends to get really dry.

Grapeseed & Sweet Almond Oil

I already had grapeseed and sweet almond oil in my house so these were the first oils I tried in place of my regular facial moisturizer. Honestly, I was on the fence about these two.  They didn’t cause any breakouts, but I also felt like they were just kind of sitting on top of my skin, and not really absorbing well. That’s another factor in looking for your “perfect” fit, their absorption into your skin. No one wants an oil slick on their face.

Purchasing Oils

Since I wasn’t thrilled with the results of the grapeseed and sweet almond oil, I started researching where I could buy high quality oils at affordable prices.  One of the beauty and skincare message boards that I sometimes visit spoke very highly about Garden of Wisdom.  (I swear I’m not a rep for them, I’m just speaking from my personal experience).  There are many reputable places to buy oils, but what sold me about Garden of Wisdom was that you could buy samples of different oils at a very affordable price.  Based on your skin profile, you can pick 3 different oils.  The sample packs are $10.35, plus shipping.  With oils, a little goes a very long way so as long as you store them properly (in a cool, dark place) you won’t have to re-purchase for a long time. This brings us to the next oils that I tried out.

Hemp Seed, Apricot & Argan Oil

These were the three oils that I chose in my sample pack from Garden of Wisdom.  (As a bonus, they also give you another small sample within your sample pack!) I’ve heard about argan oil as a miracle worker for dry hair and I have to say that for my thick, super dry hair, it has been just that.  In fact, I can’t speak to its use for the face because my hair is greedy and wants the argan oil all to itself. But this is one I would definitely re-purchase and try on my face as well.  The apricot oil works well with my skin, it absorbs nicely and doesn’t leave a greasy film.  But my favorite oil so far is definitely the hemp seed oil.  It does have a slight scent to it (no, not that scent) and it is green, I’m just going to warn you.  But the scent disappears quickly, and the oil absorbs nicely into my skin, making it a great base for my tinted moisturizer.

How To Use Carrier Oil As A Face Moisturizer

Before trying out a new oil, I always do a patch test by applying a tiny amount of oil along my jaw line.  That way, if my skin had any kind of crazy reaction to it, it wouldn’t be all over my face. After doing a patch test, I apply the carrier oil, before sunscreen or any type of foundation.  Start with a very small drop (like, less than a dime). Spread it in a circular motion over your face, as you would with your regular facial moisturizer. You can always add more if you need to.  I like to start on my forehead since that seems to be the driest area of my face.

Conclusion

Whew, that was a long one. You still with me? (If so, thank you!) I know it is a lot of info, but it is really hard to keep the wealth of information about carrier oils short and sweet. And there are so many more that I haven’t even gotten to, but I promise to report back on any new ones I try. Next on my list are rose hip seed, jojoba, and hazelnut oil.

The takeaway is that if you are looking at your bottle of facial moisturizer and are seeing a mile long list of hard to pronounce ingredients, take a few steps into your kitchen and check out what oils you may already have. You can even make your own blends of your favorite oils. As an added bonus, many of these oils provide the same amazing benefits for your hair that they do to your skin.  And trust me, my hair and I have battled for a very long time.  But that’s a post for another day!

Stay tuned for Part 4 (and the last part) of my Mommy Scientist series where I will be talking about how to makeover your makeup.  Thanks for reading my friends!

 icon-thumb-tack Quick tip: Don’t use carrier oils as a substitute for sunscreen.  While they have antioxidant properties to help fight free radical damage, always use a sunscreen too.  For a great article about natural sunscreens, check out Simple Holistic Girl’s post here.

What is your favorite carrier oil to use?  

Check out Part 1 and Part 2 of Mommy Scientist.

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