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Face Oil: More Than Just A Beauty Regimen

By Bridget
12 June 2016   |   6:00 am
In recent years the popularity of Face Oils has been increasingly rapid. More and more people add them to their daily routines to cater for one skin problem or the other. Face oils, also known as Oil serums and Beauty Oils, are no longer just a trend nowadays. Many women (and men) have already explored…

In recent years the popularity of Face Oils has been increasingly rapid. More and more people add them to their daily routines to cater for one skin problem or the other.

Face oils, also known as Oil serums and Beauty Oils, are no longer just a trend nowadays. Many women (and men) have already explored and come up with face oils that soothe their skin types. Meanwhile, many women out there are hesitant to give this a try. This is because of the “oil” factor ideology. As a result, you would often hear stuff like “I have an oily face” and so on.

However, suggestions that “face oil” is a must have beauty regimen, stems from the fact that, the member does not only stop dryness of skin  but also helps moisture to be retained into the skin. I will elucidate further just in a bit.

Permit me to say that for decades now, “we” the “consumers”, have been “advised” to use oil-free products. Undisputedly as it may seem, most people have however taken that to mean “oil” as a “component” is no necessity except for seasons of the year, when there is dryness.  “harmattan” (an extremely dry dusty wind that blows from the Sahara towards the western coast of Africa, especially between November and March). At this time you see many folks making it a must have in the family to protect skin dryness.

As a result, we have gradually replaced our oil regimens with harsh surfactants and acids in creams and lotions that strip our skins their natural lipids making most women you see today vulnerable to all kinds of skin sensitivities. Our skin now becomes “defenceless” on environmental stress and toxins.

face Oil

While adding a Face Oil may or may not be an ultimate panacea for all your skin problems, it will definitely help restore the barrier function, reduce skin irritation and promote a healthy glow that you desire in your skin.

Let’s look at some common benefits of face oil to skin:

  1. Face oil serve as antioxidant

Essential oils are derived from botanicals, many of which are naturally packed with antioxidants, and create a protective barrier against harsh and uncaring external factors, like pollution, environmental toxins, even over cleansing.

  1. They serve as lubricants

Adding Face Oil to your skin daily adds a long-lasting hydration to it. Oil tends to hang out near the surface making its moisturizing power up to unbeatable. They add barrier protection, silkiness, and superficial hydration to the skin

  1. They complement moisturising creams

A good way to think of it is that oils alone are not moisturizers (and you shouldn’t use them as such). Instead, they should accompany traditionally moisturizing ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerine. “A good moisturizer has to deliver both water and oil. Your cells drink the water while oils stay on the outside of the cell for protection and lubrication. Without it, moisture just leeches out of your skin until the next time you apply cream which is not ideal.

  1. They give skin an instant softness and smoothness

They’re often packed with essential nutrients, fatty acids which help to form a protective layer for cells. While they’re not the end-all-in-all solution to skin issues, they do their fair share by repairing and protecting the skin barrier, which helps skin absorb your other skincare products. If you’re not seeing the dreamy skin from serums and moisturizers you imagined you would find them in, oil might be able to make that adjustment happen leaving you with supple and younger-looking glow.

How To Shop for your face oil:

When shopping for a Face Oil, don’t rush to grab the one with a pretty label, big brand name, or a cheap price tag. First, take some time to research a company you are buying from. Many big cosmetic companies have added Beauty Oils to their product collection in order to stay on-trend. However most of those Beauty Oils are not even oils, but rather a mixture of silicones and other synthetics. While silicones may work ok on your hair, they will definitely do no good on your skin. When choosing a Face Oil pay close attention to the ingredients used in the product, all of them should be the botanical names of the oils. Avoid the ones that contain fragrance/perfume, added colour, petroleum-derived mineral oil, and silicones.

Natural Beauty Oils usually have a very limited shelf life, so find an alternative to preserving the natural ones or better still, opt for smaller sizes, and of course always check the expiration date.

Always pay a close attention to a full list of ingredients especially if you have problem skin. Make sure that the formulation does not contain any comedogenic ingredients. Heavier oils may be great for someone with dry and mature skin. A person with oily and problem skin would benefit from lighter astringent oils.

And please do not apply oils that were formulated for body, hair or nails to your face. Facial skin is more delicate than skin on the other parts of the body, and has different needs than hair or nails.

 

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