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How to Pick the Best Beauty Oil for Your Skin Type
This blog post was highly requested in the comments, by email, and on social media. I realize it’s been months since I promised to write it, but when I decided that April will be the clean beauty month here at Glamorable, I knew now’s the perfect time! Many of you asked me how to pick the best beauty oil for your skin type, considering their recent rise in popularity.
Fun fact: did you know that in the past two years facial oil sales have surpassed those of serums?
More and more men and women are discovering the benefits of adding natural beauty oils to their routine, and rightfully so. A good natural oil will help replenish the lipids in your skin, strengthen and repair the protective barrier, and nourish the cells with vitamins and microelements, while balancing the oil production. However, not every oil is suitable for every skin type, and I would never advise you to buy based only on someone else’s recommendation, without knowing how certain types of oils may benefit or adversely affect your own skin type.
Often, consumers do not know what results to expect from facial oils, and the companies don’t always do a good job explaining the benefits. I randomly polled a few of my non-blogger friends, who are just regular women that enjoy skincare. The results are in: all but one of them had a hard time describing why they chose their current beauty oil. The answers ranged from “pretty packaging” to “I heard it’s good for you”. Almost everyone said that they discovered the product through a blog, a magazine ad, or saw a Youtube beauty guru use it, but nobody could really explain why it’s good for them.
Today, per your request, I would like to talk about different oils and what they can do for your skin. We will dig deeper into the sciency part of beauty, and find out how to pick the best beauty oil for your skin type.
For starters, there are three types of natural beauty oils:
- Linoleic acid rich oils. When applied topically, Linoleic-rich oils work as sebum-thinners, so they are perfect for dissolving makeup and unclogging stuffed pores. These oils will make your skin less oily!
- Oleic acid rich oils. The molecular composition of Oleic acid rich oils gives them thicker consistency, so they are often used to create protective layer on top of the skin and never fully sink in. These are recommended for dry skin.
- Balanced oils that contain roughly the same amounts of Oleic and Linoleic acids and offer benefits of both. Suitable for all skin types.
BEST BEAUTY OIL FOR OILY SKIN:
The definition of oily skin is pretty straightforward. You have oily skin if your body produces more oil than it needs, which in turn creates waxy, greasy film on the surface, often clogging the pores and causing breakouts. You might think that using oils for oily skin is counter-productive, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Some natural oils can actually help normalize your oil production and even make your skin less oily. So what’s the best beauty oil for oily skin?
And the answer is…
Grapeseed oil!
Honorable mentions: Safflower oil, evening primrose oil, poppyseed oil, hemp oil, rosehip oil, maracuja oil.
If you have oily skin, you know the struggle of those hard sebum caps that seem to be permanently stuffing the pores. One of the causes for clogged up pores is the low content of Linoleic Acid, which makes the consistency of your sebum thinner. Since clogged pores go hand in hand with acne and irritation, incorporating oils with high concentration of Linoleic Acid, like Grapeseed oil, into your routine might actually help clear up the skin, because it will rebalance the oil production and prevent further pore clogging. This light oil is loaded in tannins and catechins that give it antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, while phytosterols make Grapeseed oil extra soothing.
Do not use grapeseed oil if you have dry skin, it will make it even drier!
BEST BEAUTY OIL FOR DRY SKIN:
Unlike dehydrated skin that lacks moisture, dry skin actually lacks oil, so it’s possible to have both dry and dehydrated skin at the same time [or combination/dehydrated like mine]. Beauty oils rich in Oleic acid have thicker consistency and never fully absorb, creating a thin protective layer that mimics the skin’s own sebum, that dry skin lacks. Can you guess what the best beauty oil for dry skin is?
Drumroll…
Avocado oil!
Honorable mentions: Olive oil, almond oil, camellia oil, marula oil, shea nut oil, macadamia oil.
High in Oleic and very low in Linoleic acid, Avocado oil will nourish dry skin and help restore healthy protective barrier to prevent the moisture from evaporating. Because it creates a film on the skin, this oil is often used to promote wound healing in place of petroleum jelly. If you love Vaseline and the way it makes your skin feel, you will enjoy Avocado oil, too. This oil is rich in Vitamins A, B, and E, that can help with skin damage, free radical protection, and cell regeneration.
Don’t use avocado oil on oily skin, it will make it oilier and clog the pores!
BEST BEAUTY OIL FOR COMBINATION/DEHYDRATED SKIN:
Combination/dehydrated skin tends to be oily in the T-zone, and dry in other areas, like cheeks, upper lip, and around the eyes. This finicky skin type will benefit from a balanced oil that is slightly richer in Oleic acid to prevent moisture loss, but also contains a generous helping of Linoleic acid to decongest the pores. You could use different oils on different areas, too, but it’s kind of a pain. The best beauty oil for combination/dehydrated skin is none other than…
Sea buckthorn oil!
Honorable mentions: Argan oil, jojoba oil, pomegranate oil.
Sea buckthorn oil is rich in palmitoleic acid, one of the vital building blocks of our skin, that help heal wounds and scratches. It has anti-microbial properties as well, and contains high amounts of Vitamin E [one of the highest of all carrier oils], so it’s very moisturizing. Phytosterols provide anti-inflammatory properties, and carotenoids [plant-based compound that turns into Vitamin A] protect against free radicals, making this one of the best antioxidant oils all around.
Omega-balanced oils all have one thing in common: they are not too thick, and not too light, providing a good balance of fatty acids to nourish dry spots and mild astringent properties.
BEST BEAUTY OIL FOR NORMAL SKIN:
To be honest, normal skin is already in perfect state, so it doesn’t need any extra oil. However, if you use harsh peels, love to spend time in the sun, or just want to add some extra antioxidants to your routine, you can pretty much use the oils from the list above for combination/dehydrated skin. In my opinion, the best beauty oil for normal skin is Jojoba oil, because it mimics the skin’s own sebum. It has roughly the same consistency and is often used in practical dermatology for that same reason.
Due to its unique sebum-like composition, Jojoba oil can penetrate the skin through the hair follicles, softening it without clogging the pores and causing breakouts. It also has antioxidant and astringent properties, and can help keep the oil production in its optimal state. Jojoba oil contains Octacosanol, a fatty alcohol that actually soothes dry and irritated areas.
That’s it, ladies! I hope you found this article helpful and learned something new about the beauty benefits of natural oils. Now you can easily waltz into your local health store [or Sephora] already knowing how to pick the best beauty oil for your skin type! I must say, I’m so glad that I decided to spend an entire month featuring natural and non-toxic beauty products. Slightly shifting my niche, if only for a month, made me more excited and more passionate about blogging than I’ve felt in years. If you have any requests on what topic, brand, or product I should feature next, leave your suggestions in the comments down below.
Do you use natural beauty oils in your routine? How do you usually pick a facial oil to buy? What’s your favorite natural oil? Let me know in the comments below!
Disclosure: This post features PR samples and products I purchased myself, and may contain affiliate or referral links. For more details about my product review policy, copyright, and information about affiliate links, please refer to Disclosures & Content Use page.
Omg loving all the details here. Currently, on my oils daily or every other day Castor Oil, Rosehip and avocado. I am very dry so oils are part of my routine
Oh no, I just bought rosehip oil for my dry skin because I read that it was good for mature skin. I goofed! I wish I could afford the Tatcha Camellia Oil. I’ll keep my eyes peeled for a sale – maybe the Sephora VIB sale
I love reading the differences between these. The Jojoba Company is one of the brands I use most often and I’m glad it’s part of these explanations.
I use the Pixi oil and VBeaute Rejuvenating Glacial Oil which has avocado oil in it.
I haven’t used an oil in a while because I felt the oil I was using wasn’t helping. Turns out my skin is getting oilier as I age, and I need to pick something from that grape seed oil family! GREAT post, thank you so much!
What a great post! I always wondered the benefits & what would work best for my skin. 🙂
You should consider writing a user’s guide to skincare or something. A how to for skin. Your knowledge is vast and you explain everything so well. I’d love to have it in my hands and have places earmarked so I could find them easily. I’d buy it if you write one.
What a fantastic, informative post. I love beauty oils. I use them daily and they have helped save my skin.
This is such a great and informative post!I like argan oil for my combination skin, although I may switch over to jojoba since my skin switches between combination and normal depending on the time of year.
I love a good oil, for my hair,skin and nails they seem to be all the rage for sure!
Wonderful post. I’m going to have to check out grapeseed oil! Sounds like it will help my skin.
I have so many different oils for various things and love them! Jojoba is probably my most used since I also use it on my nails
I’ve never used oils on my face. I only ever use cuticle oil on my nails.
This is so helpful! My skin has been far happier since I started using an oil, although I’m sure I could find a better one for my skin type 🙂
I am definitely pinning this post for later – you are such a skincare genius! I use tea tree oil and argan oil on my face sometimes, but I’m currently using a vitamin C serum!
This was extremely helpful!! I’ve been on the hunt for a good facial oil, now I know what to get,
The pixi rose oil blend is my jam!
I have heard great things about both avocado oil and rose hip oil! <3
I need to try the grapeseed oil. I’ve been using and enjoying Jojoba oil for a while now, but didn’t know that grapeseed was so good for my oily skin. You are so knowledgeable!