When to Use Face Oil in Your Skincare Routine

 

Ahh, that youthful glow! We all strive for it and have our beauty routines set up to keep our skin healthy and beautiful.

Serums, moisturisers, eye creams and sunscreen, are usually found in everyone's beauty bags. However, many people are still unsure about adding oils to their regiment.

If you're one of those people, we invite you to reconsider! Face oils aren't just the latest trend or a fad. Women have used them through centuries, and precious oils were beloved by such royalty like Cleopatra! 

While for many people putting oil directly on the skin (especially on oily skin) might seem counterintuitive, the right oils can have immense benefits.

Want to learn more about oils in skincare? Keep reading as we explain how incorporating oil can make your skin healthier, which oils to use and when to use oil in your skincare routine.

Benefits of face oils 

Face oils have multiple benefits for our skin, from hydration and moisturisation and healthy aging effects to treating particular concerns like irritation, acne (yes!) or redness. Let's take a closer look. 

Hydration

Oils deeply penetrate several layers of your skin, ensuring deep hydration and making the skin smooth, soft and supple; that's why they're so valuable for all skin types.

Many people often ask when to use oil in skincare, and the answer lies in how it works. Because oil creates a barrier, you should always apply it after your moisturiser; this way, the face oil locks in the hydration of the moisturiser while delivering its own benefits. 

Healthy Aging

Our skin naturally produces oil; however, it produces less of it with time and getting older, making the skin drier and aging quicker. 

Topical face oils mimic your natural oils; that's why it's very beneficial to add them to your beauty regimen! When your skin gets enough oil, it's less prone to wrinkles and fine lines. Various oils also have vitamins and minerals that nourish your skin and slow down the aging process.

Special concerns 

By picking the right oil for your skin and individual concerns, you can minimise or completely eliminate specific skin issues.

For example, if your skin is prone to acne, you can choose antibacterial oils like tea tree oil to clear breakouts or, e.g. jojoba oil to help slow down the natural oil production and give you less greasy skin. Macadamia and camellia flower oils are also great for oily and acne-prone skin.

If you have very dry skin, add rosehip oil, which contains a wealth of essential fatty acids, including linoleic and linolenic acid, that help keep cell walls strong not to lose water. Other great oils for dry skin are coconut, maracuja, jojoba. 

If redness, irritation or inflammation are your main problems, use oils with anti-inflammatory properties such as geranium, argan or ylang-ylang oil which promote healing.  

Lastly, if you have sensitive skin, you want to really get the best of the radical-fighting antioxidants in face oils and protect your skin from any future damage. 

Primrose oil is great for such protection and reducing sun and other damage. It can also help calm the skin, reduce rashes and itchiness. 

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How to layer 

We've heard so many questions about layering skincare. 

Face oil or serum first?

Does face oil go before or after moisturiser?

Face oil before or after sunscreen?

Let's settle this once and for all so you can create a beauty routine that's effective and simple! 

First of all, the order in which you apply your products matters because each product has a different molecular structure. 

The application order of your toners, serums, oils and moisturisers depends on these products' thickness and other properties.

Some steps are clear as probably almost nobody would use a toner after they've just moisturised; however, some steps are more confusing. 

Except for guidelines given to you by your doctor or esthetician, the general rule is applying products from thinnest to thickest, with the final layers providing increased barrier function to your skin.

Here are your steps:

Cleanser

Toner 

Essence

Serum 

Lotion

Water-based moisturiser

Barrier or emollient moisturiser

Facial oil

Sunscreen 

To sum up: oils always go after the serum and after your moisturiser, and sunscreen goes at the very end of your entire routine. 

Face oil FAQs 

There are so many burning questions about using face oils. When to use them, how to apply them and how much? We answer them here, so you get the most of your products.

Morning or night?

This will depend on your skin type. Applying oil on the face at night will give it enough time to soak them up and really nourish the skin. This is also very relevant to thicker oils that might give your skin too much shine during the day. 

However, certain blends or lighter oils can be used in the morning before your makeup, especially if you have dry or dull skin. Oil can be used as a makeup based and will give your skin a beautiful glow. 

Can face oil replace moisturiser?

While face oils are a great supplement to your beauty routine, we don't recommend using them instead of your moisturiser.

Natural oils usually don't have skin-restoring ingredients like niacinamide, retinol, or peptides or powerful hydration ingredients like ceramides and hyaluronic acid, which can be found in moisturisers and serums. 

How much oil to use?

Because oils are usually very rich and spread easily, you only need a few drops to get your face, neck and chest covered. One to three drops will be enough for your skin to absorb all the great benefits of your face oil! 

How to use it? 

Like with most skincare products, you don't want to be too rough or harsh on your skin, so don't rub the oil too much! 

Remember to pat or dab to oils with a motion that pushes them into your skin and not simply slides on top of the surface. 

Take some time to do this to make sure your skin really absorbs the product and its benefits. 

Shop Six Oils of Rejuvenation 

SCOUT Six Oils of Rejuvenation

Here at SCOUT, we love natural ingredients and face oils, and that's why we've created our Six Oils of Rejuvenation. 

It's truly the holy grail of treatment oils! The nutrient-packed and deeply hydrating oil is beautifying, restores your natural glow and revitalises your skin. 

Its also suitable for all skin types but especially - dry, dull, and stressed-out skin.

The healthy aging Six Oils of Rejuvenation is formulated to concentrate and draw on the benefits of each individual oil to rejuvenate and improve the skin's natural defences for a smoother, more hydrated and healthier-looking complexion by morning.

The ingredients

This paraben-free and non-toxic oil is packed with incredible natural ingredients!

Avocado and Rosemary boost collagen, moisture and promote elasticity, while Carrot's Beta Carotene rejuvenates the skin. The Certified Organic anti-inflammatory Evening Primrose, Sweet Almond, and Sunflower heal, soothe and brighten dry or stressed skin while you sleep.

The blend also contains Ylang Ylang oil that tones and balances the skin's natural oil production, and Rosehip Oil & Jojoba's oils have skin regenerating properties and prevent wrinkle formation.