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All You Need to Know About Face Oils

All You Need to Know About Face Oils

We wanted to dedicate an article to face oils, as we absolutely love face oils and we get lots of questions about them. Face Oils are a big buzz word at the moment, but many of us wonder what’s so great about them. So, read on to find out why we love face oils so much, and everything you ever needed to know about face oils.

  • Face oils are a natural beauty devotees dream, as no water is needed to produce them, so most are just pure natural goodness.
  • The quality of face oils can vary dramatically, so always check the product is suitable for the face with oils like Jojoba and Argan; but does not include greasy oils like Coconut.
  • Face oils are amazing with calming and anti-ageing skincare properties; a good face oil will relax, nourish, condition and plump skin.

Face Oil Benefits

There seems to be a misconception that face oils make skin greasy, or that they block pores, or that they are only for very dry skin. The truth is that whatever your skin type, from really oily to really dry and especially sensitive skin - your skin will benefit from using a face oil. The key is to use the right one and to apply it correctly.

The reason that face oils are so beneficial to skin is because they can contain beautiful plant ingredients that are filled with nutrients. Natural face oils can have amazing results on skin because of the vitamins and minerals that they contain; and also as they are rich in essential fatty acids. We know that including these in our diet is essential for all round health and they also have huge benefits for our skin. Face oils support the oil glands in our skin keeping it fresh, conditioned and glowing, and also delivering essential anti-oxidants. So all in all they are like a fountain of youth. As we age our body naturally produces less and less oil in the glands, which is why skin gets drier as we get older. So, using a face oil to support your skin's lipid barrier, helps prevent dehydration by keeping moisture in.

Face oils are also incredibly calming to skin and this is something that many of us need. Our complexions become stressed from all sorts of things, from synthetic skincare to disruptive weather. Because a good face oil like our Nakin Revitalising Face Oil is 100% natural and filled with a special blend of amazing plant oils that are healing, nourishing and repairing.

How do Face Oils Work

Skin naturally produces oil in the dermis. The skin is made up of three layers; there is the epidermis on the surface, the dermis in the middle and the hypodermis is the lower layer. The dermis contains the vessels, nerves, hair shafts, sweat and sebaceous glands. The sebaceous glands produce an oily substance called sebum and this moves up the hair shaft and then creates a protective barrier on the outside of the epidermis. This protective barrier helps to defend skin against the outside world and the environmental factors that can affect skin like wind, cold and pollution. The sebum naturally consists of fatty acids, cholesterol, waxes and triglycerides. Because oil likes oil, it means that when the product is applied to skin it seeks out the oil that is already there in the sebum of the dermis. You might think that if you have oily skin, this is great and nothing more needs to be done. However, face oils will benefit all skin types. If you have dry skin a face oil will help to improve sebum production, for combination skin it will balance it, for sensitive skin it will calm and condition it and for those with too much sebum and oily skin, it will help to regulate the sebum production. Those with oily skin will benefit from a face oil because if there is too much sebum, a face oil will help regulate it. Even those with acne will benefit from a face oil because when a hair follicle gets clogged it creates an area where bacteria can grow, and this shows up as a spot. Using the right face oil with ingredients that are non-clogging (like Argan Oil as opposed to Coconut Oil) will help to balance the sebum production and spots as they have inbuilt antibacterial anti-inflammatory benefits. It’s essential to also keep the skin really lovely and clean though before using a face oil. Try our natural cleansing milk and natural face toner for a beautifully clean face without stripping skin.

How to Choose a Face Oil

There are many face oils on the market, but they are not all of the same quality. The absolute first criteria is that it must be a 100% natural face oil. As face oils do not contain any water, it means a 100% natural one will not need any preservatives in the ingredients, or anything else at all. Most face oils will be made with plant oils, but some will have synthetic fragrance added. This is totally unnecessary as natural fragrances from essential oils can smell beautiful, and also are safe to use. In our view all face oils should be 100% natural.

It is also important to ensure that the face oil is cruelty free, like our Nakin Cruelty Free Face Oil. Once you are sure that the face oil is 100% natural and cruelty free the next step is to be sure that the plant ingredients are suitable to use on the face. Some plant oils can cause problems to the skin, as they are too rich or greasy. Typically the greasy cheaper oils such as coconut are the ones not to use. This may surprise many people as Coconut Oil has been hailed as a hero ingredient. It is in many instances, but not in face products. Good oils for the face are Jojoba, Argan and Baobab as they offer intense nourishment without clogging pores.

Anti-Ageing Face Oils

Face oils have huge anti-ageing benefits. As we age we get more lines and wrinkles, as well as losing skin tone and plumpness. A big factor in this is because the natural oil production has slowed. The moisture barrier breaks down and skin dries up, with a less efficient lipid barrier moisture in our skin is able to escape, which leads to a dehydrated complexion, which is often ageing. So, using an anti-ageing face oil like our Nakin Revitalising Face Oil gives skin back life, hydration, plumpness and eases lines and wrinkles. As we know years of sun damage and general skin ageing means that oxidation occurs from free radicals and it shows up as lines, wrinkles, sagging and general deterioration to skin like discolouration. The way to stop oxidation is to fight it with antioxidants, as these can prevent and even reverse oxidation. Eating lots of antioxidant rich food is important, but using a face oil rich in antioxidants will really help. This is due to their ability to counteract the damaging free radicals.

Face oils can contain an array of beautiful anti-ageing ingredients, and usually are made of plant oils that are extracted from different parts of a shrub. So, a good anti-ageing face oil like ours will help with all those skin concerns like lines, wrinkles, dullness, uneven skin tone, dry skin and sensitive skin. A face oil really helps skin to draw out the potent active ingredients in an anti-ageing face cream. As oil attracts oil, then applying a face oil before a face moisturiser means that active ingredients in the anti-ageing face cream will be drawn into skin, driving the anti-ageing ingredients deep down to improve cells and help with collagen production.

Face Oils for Sensitive Skin

When it comes to sensitive skin face oils are something that can have a transformative effect. The symptoms of sensitive skin can vary widely but may include irritation, flaking, stinging, dryness, burning, redness, tightness or inflamed skin. It is always best to seek medical advice, but for some sensitive skin face oils can help as they nourish, hydrate and calm skin. At Nakin one of the ingredients that we love for sensitive skin is Jojoba Oil, as it is very similar to skins natural sebum. Jojoba Oil is rich in vitamins E and B, as well as antioxidants and minerals like chromium, copper, and zinc. This provides superb nourishment to the face without clogging pores. Jojoba Oil is actually a liquid wax so it gives invisible protection to skin, and shields sensitive skin from further aggravation. Our Face Oil for Sensitive Skin is beautifully calming and conditioning as it contains Jojoba Oil and other non-clogging skin loving oils like Argan, Peach Kernel and Baobab Oil.

Face Oils For Dry Skin

Face oils have huge benefits for dry skin, although you may find to start with that the face oil sits on skin. Our Nakin Revitalising Face Oil is a real treat for dry skin. This is because if your skin is dehydrated then it does not have enough oil to attract the new oil that has been applied to the skin. As with any new product that you introduce into your beauty routine, it's going to take some time to adjust to using face oils. After using the face oil for a while skin will start to hydrate deeper down and become oilier. The natural sebum in the dermis will then attract the face oil being applied, and skin will gradually start to improve.

Face Oils for Oily Skin

As we mentioned earlier face oils have many advantages for oily skin. In fact oily hydrated skin is able to accept a face oil easier than dry skin. To keep it simple this is because like attracts like. Oil is a non-polar molecule, so oil and water do not mix together well. This is why face creams need emulsifiers, as these bind the oil and water together. But because oil likes oil when it is applied to skin it seeks out the oil that is already there in the sebum of the dermis. So those with oily skin can see instant benefits from a face oil. As long as the face oil is a high quality one without ingredients that are too rich for the face, then it will help to balance sebum production and they are also antibacterial and anti-inflammatory. Drier skin types will also benefit from a face oil, but it may take a little more time for the oil to be able to work effectively. If we keep over stripping the skin as is a common practice for management of oily skin - it can become dry, tight, and sensitive. Some plant oils have natural antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties similar to our own natural sebum, so help balance out oily skin.

Face oils can also help with scarring, although it might be best to look for a specialist product. It is unlikely that a face oil could completely remove a scar, but they can help to improve the appearance of scars.

Should I use a Face Oil and a Moisturiser?

The answer to this is yes, because they do very different jobs. A good natural moisturiser cream does contain oil, but not enough to make a significant difference in the water loss of your skin. This is because the oils in skin are lipophilic which means fat loving, so face oils are better able to pass through the lipid layer of skin a lot faster than a moisturiser. This helps to hydrate the skin more efficiently than a moisturiser. A moisturiser and face oil work together though, as a good natural face cream will also hydrate with ingredients like Hyaluronic Acid, as well as protecting skin and keeping moisture supplied by the face oil contained. If you apply an oil before your anti-ageing face cream it will help skin to attract the active ingredients to deeper levels of skin, and hence better effects from the face cream.

How to Apply a Face Oil

The first step as with every skin method and routine is to cleanse skin with a natural cleansing milk that is not going to strip skin; and follow this with a natural face toner that is also suitable for sensitive skin. The important thing with cleansing is not to leave your face feeling squeaky clean or tight, as this just strips away all the natural sebum that we need for that healthy plump glow. Follow cleansing with a good natural anti-ageing face serum, which puts corrective actives onto the face. After this it is time for the face oil. Pump one of two amounts of oil onto clean inner fingers and spread around all the fingers. Then gentle press the fingers all over the face and neck until all areas are covered. The final step is to apply a good anti-ageing eye cream and natural face cream. But first if you have time allow the oil to sink in for a couple of minutes, just to get the best out of it. Nakin offer a full range of natural face care products that are cruelty free and made in the UK, they are formulated to be the best skincare products available.

Face Oils Summary

We hope you found this face oil feature beneficial, and start to love the calming, nourishing and natural anti-inflammatory benefits of face oils. A face oil can be a big investment when already using a serum, eye cream and face cream. However, you only need a small amount and the benefits can be immense. We guarantee that if the natural face oil is used daily and in the right way you will be pleased with the improvements that it makes to skin for a healthy, luminous bright looking complexion.

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