Using Oil to Moisturize (without Revisiting Awkward Teenage Skin)
“Maybe you should try out these oils on your hands first??” was the failed attempt by my incredibly supportive husband to comfort me after I was complaining to him about breaking out worse than I ever did in high school. No! These are face oils! It’s a thing! People use these…on their faces…right?
It turns out I was doing it wrong – at least for my skin profile. I was applying 3 drops to my dry hands, massaging it into my dry face, and the results were…upsetting. Through (awkward) trial and error, I learned that my face loves a super thin all-over layer of my Sea Buckthorn Blend. To accomplish this, I wash my hands, wipe them across my face, dispense 2-3 pumps (2 in the a.m. and 3 in the p.m.) into my hands and then lightly brush them over my face. With slightly wet face and hands, the oil glides into a thin layer that absorbs within minutes. This ritual takes all of 30 seconds, and my skin LOVES it.
That’s my signature application, but one of my favorite things about oils is how incredibly customizable they are for every skin profile. Early on a few friends were kind enough to allow me to experiment on their faces – i.e. I gave them free products and asked them to sample them over the course of 2 weeks. The feedback I received on the product was great, but there was absolutely no consistency in how each of them used the oil. One found that applying it around her nose caused blemishes, but the rest of her face loved it. Another only used it around her eyes. Another used 5 pumps all over and it absorbed instantly. How was I supposed to translate this into “directions” on my bottles?? I was completely unable to see the forest for the trees until one friend pointed out how cool it was that one product could be tailored for all of our different skin profiles. So, start light – take my approach with just 1 or 2 drops – and experiment from there. With practice, you’ll find your perfect application.
A word on patience (from someone who doesn’t come by it naturally): following the above advice should help you avoid breakouts, but there is still a detox period when you leave conventional synthetic and preservative laden lotions and creams. Personally, my face either felt too dry or too oily for about a week. Then something changed with my skin and it started absorbing the oil more quickly – it was almost as if it needed to be retrained. After a couple weeks, my skin looked noticeably healthier and younger. Stick with it! Your skin will thank you.