I've been thinking about which three facial oils should make it as my top three. It's a very hard choice as there are so many good oils out there. Eighteen months ago I started incorporating facial oils into my routine day and night. It ignited this new love affair for me and now I can't imagine my skincare routine without a facial oil. I'm addicted and have more oils than I need (What's new there? lol). There are just so many really good ones out there. I tend to be fond of green beauty or blended (no single blends) high end oils. Nothing beats a good high quality facial oil. Most of the time you get what you pay for with a facial oil and most of my favorites use high quality extracts. There are a few really nice lower price oils but once you dabble in those high end green beauty ones it's hard to go back.
I used to be terrified of facial oils. I would try a drop on my cheeks in the winter only and I still freaked out about doing it. I was coming out of my hormonal acne phase and all I could think of was putting extra oil on my skin seemed counter intuitive. About 4-5 years back I started dabbling a bit in gel-oil balms for cleansing. I realized my skin didn't break out from using oil in a cleanser like I thought it would. On the contrary my skin actually was less dry and seemed to like it. So then I started using liquid oil cleansers and double cleansing. My skin still didn't break out any extra. In fact when I started double cleansing every night, a few years back, my skin actually started to get less breakouts. It felt softer, more hydrated and balanced. I started to get less of an oily t zone and less fluctuations in the changes in my skin from season to season.
I started researching oils and extracts and learning what they could do. Which oils were better for which types of skin, which ones helped inflammation or brightened. Some oils are great at balancing the skin. I loved reading the different fatty acid and nutrient profiles. I started using ones that were lighter in general and good for calming and balancing with a hefty dose of antioxidants. All facial oils provide hydration but there is a world of difference between a heavier apricot seed and lighter hemp seed oil. I found I discovered which oils my skin loved and now have favorites I tend to look for. I organize them as day or night and even summer versus winter based on weight and profile. Being able to distinguish which one was best for me made using them easier plus it made my results from them even better. It's hard to only pick three as I can't imagine my life without them. I picked ones that I could use day or night and ones that I would easily repurchase. I'll do some other top three posts like top 3 night, retinol and lightweight oils. So this is just Top 3 Facial Oils in an overall manor.
My number one love is easily Votary Super Seed Facial Oil. It's got a blend of 22 nourishing seed oils plus it's fragrance free. It's suitable for sensitive skin. It has a light to medium weight texture so it can be used both night or day. It doesn't have any of the real heavier oils in it so it's great year round. I find if my skin is irritated this will calm it. I can use it any time and my skin just adores it. It's got some of my favorites like pumpkin, chia, hemp, strawberry, borage, broccoli and carrot. This oil has a great blend of oils from different fatty acid profiles. It's well rounded. You can red the review HERE.
Blue tansy is a favorite oil of mine for calming inflammation. One of my all time favorite oils containing it is the Naturallogic RAREFY Flawless Complexion Oil. It has a light medium texture with some of my favorite oils like hemp, jojoba, tamanu and blue tansy. It was a toss up between this one and my custom L'ELU facial oil which has blue tansy as well. Either could really go here as I adore both. As this is my second bottle of Naturallogic RAREFY I figure it deserves the spot. I love this one on nights or anytime my skin is a bit irritated. It's soothing and tamanu which has great healing capabilities. Not to mention the plethora of antioxidants in this oil. Read the review HERE. I like this one because it's mid range price and more affordable than some high end oils but still has a great texture and is a really stellar product.
I really struggled which oil I should pick as the third. I finally decided on Twelve Beauty Intelligent Frontier Facial Oil. This is the most lightweight yet nourishing oil I have ever come across. It has the most amazing texture and it's a superb quality oil. I live in this one during the summer months but it can be used year round as it is quite nourishing. This oil uses unsaponifiables which are unique. Unsaponifiables are part of the plant oil that isn’t broken down when it’s being refined for cosmetic use. They can be made for the specific purpose as the desirable end result to be used in a product like a facial oil. Unsaponifiables are high in nutrients more so than the traditional oils. This is so amazingly light unlike any other facial oil I've tested. Really unique. Read the review HERE.
I know some are skeptical of using a facial oil due to what we've been told. Not all oils are created equal. Some are better than others both in quality and just the actual oil ingredients (like hemp versus marula) that you use. Spend some time reading the fatty acid profiles of oils and learning what each oil does on a basic level then you'll find which ones that work best for your skin after testing. Then you'll be able to look at blended oils and spot your favorites which helps you more quickly identify which oils are best for your skin. It will make the world of difference to use an oil that works for you,not everyone else. You'll have a better experience with a facial oil.
There has actually been some research that acneic skins are deficient in linoleic acid in their sebum (natural facial oil) and have a higher level of oleic acid. This makes the natural sebum thicker and stickier possibly leading to breakouts in acneic skin. So one theory is that applying oils high in linoleic acid (Omega 6) helps balance the skin back out thus helping acneic skins with breakouts. Oleic acid (Omega 9) is in heavier textured oils good for dry skin like avocado & olive. Linoleic acid is thinner and found in oils like safflower, blackcumin, watermelon, prickly pear, hemp seed, evening primrose, pumpkin & rosehip. The ultimate purpose of this rant was that if you had a bad experience with an oil in the past it's maybe because you just didn't use the right for designed for you. Just because it works for me or any other "influencer" doesn't mean it's the best one for you. Facial oils have single handedly transformed my skin. I can't imagine my routine without them.
This was a chart I found when I first got into oils from some Instagram friends @goalstogetglowing and @roadtoglow. Its a great place to start when you're looking into oils.
