THE BEST FACE OILS FOR SENSITIVE SKIN
Do we need to use face oils when we already use a moisturiser? It can be confusing with all the different advice out there. When you have sensitive skin you can get fed up trying out lots of product suggestions only to find you’re just irritating your skin even more!
Whatever other steps you take in your skincare routine we think moisturiser and oils are the best way for helping your skin feel comfortable. Moisturisers contain water and humectants which will directly hydrate your skin, while a face oil will provide a barrier to seal in that moisture.
Let's start off with looking at what a moisturiser does first and how a great face oil will complement it.
MOISTURISER BENEFITS
Moisturisers are wonderful for protecting and hydrating the skin. Essentially a moisturiser contains mostly water and with additional ingredients that will then hold it in and also draw more moisture into your skin.
When you moisturise your skin after cleansing, it feels like it's having a lovely drink stopping the shiny tight feeling you usually have with sensitive skin.
This is because most usually contain these type of ingredients;
HUMECTANTS - which attract water molecules and draw them into the skin giving a softer and smoother appearance.
EMOLLIENTS - used to soften and also help to strengthen the outer layer of skin by filling in the spaces between skin cells. They also act as a layer to seal moisture in.
OILS - there are many different types of oils in moisturisers that are good for your skin but are mostly all-rounders that help the other ingredients with protection. These are often the types of oils that don’t penetrate the skin as deeply as oils chosen for specific benefits.
These oils can be made up of large molecules and if they’re too big to penetrate the skin layers they will sit on top and act as a barrier without giving much benefit.
Alternatively there may not be enough oils in the moisturiser to add an adequate protective layer and the water content will evaporate fairly quickly from your skin leaving it feeling feel tight and dry again
FACE OIL BENEFITS
The list of benefits for using face oils is long. It includes,
Strengthens and repairs the skin barrier which will help regulate skin function and sebum production.
The various antioxidants you find in oils help to give your skin some protection from free radicals and environmental damage.
They can even out skin tone and reduce discoloration which helps to give a better look especially when you applying make-up.
It enhances collagen production and improves elasticity which reduces the look of fine lines and wrinkles and helps brighten up dull skin.
Reduces acne breakouts and blemishes with their anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal properties.
Different oils have specific benefits and dry and sensitive skin especially, can get a lot of help by using an oil that has qualities which help to repair your skin barrier whilst providing an extra layer to prevent further loss of moisture. Added to a moisturiser it helps to seal in the water content from the product giving a much longer lasting effect.
Alternatively, even skin that’s oily or has breakouts can benefit from oils. The right face oil can help balance skin with breakouts or sore patches.
If this is added into a holistic approach in general (drink more water, eat your veggies) then you should quickly see some good results.
Often there is no need to buy an expensive moisturiser. If you find a reasonably priced one that you're happy with and doesn’t irritate then stick with it. Even better if you can find one that incorporates some SPF screen in it.
Your chosen face oil can then be added to it and you can change around oils depending on what your needs are at different times or which one works best on your skin.
Take a look at our cheat sheets which give you a quick guide to the types of oils used in our skincare and why they are added to each different type of blend..
WHEN DO YOU APPLY YOUR FACE OIL - BEFORE OR AFTER?
This seems to be a controversial subject doesn’t it? And to be honest we don’t really know if there is a fact-based definitive answer to this as every source says something different.
There is the “before moisturiser” crowd which says you should apply your oil before moisturising as other products will dilute it and you want it to penetrate the layers quickly without interference from other products.
There are a lot more sources which suggest you should apply oil after your moisturiser. This makes more sense as it's locking in the water based cream and adding a layer to your skin to stop all the applied goodies evaporating too quickly and drying out.
But we like to be different and recommend a third way.
HOW TO USE A FACE OIL (Or the lazy person’s guide to how we apply our face oils)
Through talking to our customers and experimenting ourselves we've found the best way to use oils is not before or after but at the same time. Drop some moisturiser into the palm of your hand and drip a few drops of your face oil on the top. Lightly give it a quick dab together and then apply to your face. This also has the benefit of saving you time and reducing one of the steps of skincare. Meaning you can keep skincare steps to a minimum. By using a moisturiser that includes a good factor sun screen you've completed a morning routine in three steps. And there's nothing better than saving time in the morning.
SHOULD I REALLY MIX MY FACE OIL WITH MY MOISTURISER?
There are more and more articles suggesting it's a good idea and mixing your oils with either a moisturiser or a serum can actually be a superior way to apply face products. It helps to distribute both products more evenly, reducing oily patches.
When you have dry and sensitive skin the last thing you want is to keep applying and rubbing more products into your skin so dabbing or gently patting the mix into your skin one one go certainly helps keep extra friction on sensitive skin to a minimum.
FLOWERY WHIFF FACE OIL BLENDS
Through lots of testing and feedback we think we’ve found a great way to give your skin as much love as it needs without breaking the bank with our five different oils. Our face oils were blended to help skin in different environments rather than by benefit. This is because all the oils we use are beneficial to sensitive skin anyway so will help whatever you decide to use. All are fragrance free so that any allergens found in fragrances or essential oils won’t be a problem. Here is a quick guide to what oils are in our five blends.
Only you can decide which oil is best for your skin but by testing a few out we’re certain you’ll find some positive benefits to using oils which will keep your skin happy and irritation to a minimum.
