Dr. Alex Roher, MD of San Diego Botox Inc recommends using face oils both in the morning and at night. He advises applying oil as the last step of your nighttime skin care routine and before your sunscreen and makeup in the morning.
Use face oil twice daily, or as needed
Facial oils can take pride of place in your skincare routine in the morning or the evening (or both!), but they can also be used as and when they're needed.
While oils can certainly be used daily, one also needs to be mindful that the skin doesn't become overly reliant on them. “Skin can become reliant on this coating making it lazier,” says skin expert Debbie Thomas.
They really protect your skin.
Because oils are lipophilic, they can penetrate deep into the skin, trapping water and other moisturizing goodness in, while keeping toxins and other bad stuff out. Some oils also help to fortify and strengthen our own natural skin barrier.
Yes, oils will clog your pores.
But not all oils. Vargas warns that mineral oil is a chronic offender, and Dr. Tanzi adds that olive oil and the oil du jour, coconut, easily clog pores, too.
Besides the ingredients, both moisturizer and oil have the same purpose: to soften the skin. All skin types will benefit from a moisturizer while dry and aging skin may prefer a facial oil. If you're super thirsty or looking to up your barrier's defenses during the winter months, we recommend using both.
Your facial oil will help keep that hydration in and protect your skin from outside irritants. While face oils should not be used in place of moisturizers, they can help supplement them and improve the effectiveness of your skincare routine to boost skin hydration and give you healthy-looking skin.
The conclusion is that facial oils are best used daily when they're most easily absorbed: at night. There is, however, one exception: if you have dry skin, you may benefit from adding a few drops of facial oil to your morning routine to layer under your makeup.
“Lightweight, non-comedogenic oils including marula, hemp seed, safflower, sunflower, grapeseed, argan, sweet almond, tea tree and jojoba may be good options for those with oily or acne-prone skin,” she explains.
Comedones can take the form of blackheads, whiteheads, or skin-tone colored bumps, and are caused when the pores of your skin become clogged with oil, debris, or dirt. Comedogenic oils and products made with them may clog your pores, causing the eruption of comedones. Noncomedogenic oils don't have this effect.
“You may need to shampoo every day if you are applying oil to your scalp and hair daily. This may affect people with dry scalp and hair conditions. Thus, it is better to limit your hair oiling regime to twice or thrice a week,'' says Dr. Zeel.
Serums go first and soak deep into the skin. Facial oils go next, as they are lightweight and easily absorbed. Moisturising creams are the last step. They seal everything in and sit smoothly on the skin.
Facial oils are great when you need an extra layer of hydration, while serums work best to address any immediate skin problem. And if you are planning to incorporate both in your regime, follow the skincare rule of applying products with the thinnest consistency to thickest.
If you leave coconut oil on your face all night long, there is a good chance you might wake up to blackheads or whiteheads due to sebum and impurities getting trapped in your pores. If you have oily or acne-prone skin, coconut oil may even contribute to breakouts.
oil produced by your skin
Sebum can only cause breakouts when it is combined with breakout-causing bacteria and dead skin cells. Exfoliation helps prevent this.
Using face and skin oils can be tricky, so take the advice of these skincare professionals to ensure a smooth application: Apply oils on damp skin that is either freshly washed or misted.
Citrus oils, including lemon, orange and bergamot, are particularly dangerous, as they can be phototoxic, meaning they react to UV light and can cause skin to burn and blister. Cinnamon bark, clove, lemongrass, oregano, peppermint and jasmine oils are also known to cause irritation.
Facial oils work to keep skin hydrated and plump, making it easier for antioxidants to penetrate deep into the epidermal layer of your skin. Facial oil also helps protect against signs of aging by reducing wrinkles and fine lines caused by dehydration. Wearing facial oils daily can prevent future damage as well!
Jojoba oil
It's very similar to the skin's natural oil (called sebum) so it's a good option for providing some natural-feeling hydration. It's safe for acne-prone skin too, with the ability to repair the skin's top layer.
You can always mix oils in with your moisturizer, but if you're going to give them their own spot of honor in your skin-care routine, derms say there are two ways you can do it, depending on the type of face oil you use.
"Oils are part of the moisturizing process," says cosmetic chemist Vince Spinatto. "So while oils can condition the skin and hair, they only retain water content — not add it — which means they are moisturizing but not hydrating."
As a rule of thumb, we typically recommend applying products in order from lightest to heaviest. For oils and serums, that usually means applying serums (which are often water-based) first. After the serum absorbs, you can apply your moisturizer, then top it off by patting a few drops of facial oil onto your skin.