What are Facial Oils and How to Use Them
One of the most essential components of healthy facial skin is moisture. Proper hydration is key to retaining a healthy glow. The most basic function of a moisturizer is to hydrate and soften the skin by preventing water loss.
Also, gentle facial massage with a natural moisturizer helps improve circulation, protects delicate facial skin, and promotes hydration.
Whether you call them face oils, facial oils, or facial serums, a nourishing organic, unrefined oil can moisturize, soothe and help restore natural balance to facial skin.
What is a Face Oil?
Natural face oils are an easy way to feed your skin.
- Our organic face oils contain natural plant oils that penetrate deeply bringing essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to your skin.
- We use nourishing oils such as Jojoba and botanical-infused Sunflower; healing oils like Argan, Seabuckthorn, and Tamanu; and potent seed oils such as Pomegranate, Rosehips (right), Sesame, and Pumpkin to help replenish the skin's own natural oil and promote a healthy complexion.
Facial oils are not just for people with very dry skin. People with oily skin are often told to use oil-free moisturizers or skin cleansing products with harsh ingredients.
Synthetic additives can actually clog pores causing acne and blackhead. Stripping the skin of its natural oils will cause the skin to overcompensate by producing even more oil.
Nourishing oils like Argan and Jojoba, which have natural components similar to the skin’s natural secretions, can actually help balance skin oil production.
While there are essential oils that are great for facial skin, over the years we have received so many emails from customers who are sensitive to even the most gentle essential oils, we have chosen not to include them in our facial oils.
Our organic face oils are great for all skin types. Think of them as nourishment for beautiful skin.
How to Use a Face Oil
Our skin naturally loses the ability to retain moisture as we age. Our facial skin tends to become thinner and lose its elasticity.
Facial oils are great to use all year long but skincare needs may change from season to season.
Face oils can help soothe dry winter skin and add moisture to summer skin dehydrated by the Sun.
The best way to apply facial moisturizers is on warm and damp (not wet) skin. Creams and oils work best with a little water. They are also better able to lock in moisture when the pores are open right after a warm wash.
- Massage a few drops of Facial Oil onto freshly cleaned, slightly damp skin. Note that your skin should not be wet, just moist, or the skin will be unable to hold the oil.
- You only need about 2 to 3 pumps (drops) of oil per treatment. If your skin is extra dry a couple more drops may be helpful. Just don’t overdo it.
- Gently massage the oil into your skin in small, circular strokes in an upward, outward motion for about 1 minute until the oil has been absorbed into the skin. The gentle massage will give your skin an added circulation boost.
You can also apply a small amount of moisturizer to your neck. Massage in an upward stroking motion, until completely absorbed.
A facial oil should be used in the morning in place of a moisturizer. If your skin is extra thirsty you can enrich any natural moisturizer with a couple of drops of face oil for extra hydration.
There is a debate as to whether you should apply moisturizers at night.
One school of thought is that you should not moisturize at night. While you sleep skin cells are hard at work naturally repairing, regenerating, balancing oil production, and flushing out impurities.
Applying moisturizers may prevent your skin from breathing, interfere with the skin’s natural regenerative activities, and may cause your skin to become dependent on moisturizers.
The other school of thought is that since cell repair and regeneration is higher at night, skin loses more moisture and needs the extra moisture. Also, since the skin’s ability to absorb ingredients peaks at night, your skin may be able to better absorb the nourishing, moisturizing ingredients.
If you choose to moisturize day and night, a light facial oil may be better than a heavy cream. Just remember that your skin needs time to breathe. Too much moisturizing with thick, heavy creams is not a good thing since it may send a message to your own sebaceous glands to slow down natural moisture production, resulting in chronic dry skin.
About Chagrin Valley Face Oils
Many face oils and serums on the market promise miraculous results with eye-catching ingredients and come with a steep price tag. Be sure to choose a facial moisturizer formulated with simple, organic ingredients that are easily absorbed and allow the skin to breathe.
It is very difficult to discuss facial oils in general since they are so different. So, I will talk about our oils.
A silky nectar for your skin! Our fragrance-free organic facial oils are an easy way to nourish even the most sensitive skin and keep it healthy and hydrated.
Which Facial Oil To Choose?
We make 4 different face oil formulations using unrefined oils that have not been bleached or deodorized. These oils retain their natural scent, color, and nutritional benefits.
Recommendations are based on our experience and customer feedback.
Seabuckthorn Tamanu Facial Oil
Recommended for
- Red, irritated or inflamed skin
- Itchy skin
- Rosacea
- Eczema
- Burns
- Scars
- Mature skin
Argan Pumpkin Facial Oil
Recommended for
- Normal to oily skin
- Skin that needs help balancing oil production
- Skin that is sometimes shiny and sometimes needs moisture
- This is our lightest facial oil
Sesame Rosehips Facial Oils
Recommended for
- Dry skin
- Itchy skin
- Flaky skin
- Mature skin
Pomegranate Argan Tamanu Facial Oil
Recommended for
- Normal to mature skin
- Skin that needs some TLC and moisture
- Irritated skin
- Dull skin
Ingredients We Use in Chagrin Valley Face Oils
Argan Oil (Argania spinosa)
Prized for its ability to improve the quality of skin, argan oil, rich in vitamin E, natural squalene, phytosterols and essential fatty acids, helps reduce wrinkles and fine lines. It contains natural anti-inflammatory agents that help calm inflamed skin and sebum regulating properties that help reduce the appearance of blemishes.
Evening Primrose Oil (Oenothera biennis)
A rich source of vitamin A and fatty acids, including gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), evening primrose promotes healthy skin by restoring moisture and helping to maintain skin elasticity. Soothing evening primrose has been used to help with conditions like eczema and is an excellent oil for dry, aging skin.
Jojoba Oil (Buxus sinensis)
The structure of jojoba oil closely resembles our own skin sebum and is considered nature's most effective natural moisturizer. It is so great for balancing oil production that it actually helps your skin find its own natural balance. It penetrates the skin easily, has anti-inflammatory actions, and can be used on oily and acne-prone skin. It is great for mature, aging skin and exceptional mildness for sensitive skin.
Pomegranate Seed Oil (Punica granatum)
A rich, nutritious oil that contains high levels of antioxidants. It helps fight free radicals and skin aging, helps heal, protect and moisturize dry, cracked, mature, and irritated skin revitalizes dull or mature skin, assists with wrinkles, improves skin elasticity, and soothes minor skin irritations. Pomegranate seed oil is very expensive. It takes over 200 pounds of fresh pomegranates to produce one pound of pomegranate seed oil!
Pumpkin Seed Oil (Cucurbita pepo)
A highly nourishing and emollient oil rich in vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant. Rich in essential fatty acids that regulate skin oil (sebum) production, it is great for both oily/acne-prone skin and dry damaged skin. It helps combat fine facial lines and may be helpful for inflamed skin.
Rosehips Oil (Rosa rubiginosa)
The retinoic acid found in Vitamin A-rich rosehip oil helps improve fine lines and wrinkles. It easily penetrates dry skin to restore needed moisture and help delay the effects of aging. It helps calm inflamed skin and has been known to diminish stretch marks and scars. Rosehips oil, rich in antioxidants, offers many benefits to facial skin due to its essential fatty acids, vitamin E, vitamin C, and B-carotene.
Sea Buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides)
Uniquely rich in Vitamin C, omega-3 oils, antioxidants (like vitamin E), B vitamins, and beta-carotene (which gives the berries their characteristic color) Sea buckthorn Oil is a powerful skin-repairing moisturizer treasured for its anti-inflammatory activity that helps promote wound healing and reduce scarring by encouraging tissue regeneration.
When used topically, sea buckthorn oil promotes the healing of eczema, rosacea, and burns, including radiation and sunburn. There are claims that sea buckthorn oil kills Demodex mites that often cause rosacea. Seabuckthorn oil is very expensive. Over 10 pounds of berries are needed to produce one pound of oil. It is so concentrated that it may temporarily stain the skin.
Sesame Seed Oil (Sesame indicum)
One of the best oils to moisturize and nourish skin, sesame seed oil contains loads of vitamin E along with vitamin B complex and vitamin A which helps nourish and rejuvenate skin. Sesame oil, used for massage and health treatments in Ayurvedic medicine, contains a potent antioxidant called sesamol that is beneficial for mature aging skin and helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
Tamanu Oil (Calophyllum inophyllum)
Non-greasy and readily absorbed into the skin, tamanu oil fades stretch marks, helps improve the appearance of scars, promotes new tissue formation, and encourages healthy skin growth to aid in healing skin conditions. Tamanu oil is a remarkable topical healing agent with skin healing, antineuralgic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antibiotic, and antioxidant properties.
The oil has been well researched, and the evidence of its ability to heal damaged skin is quite impressive. Tamanu is a costly oil. It takes 20 pounds of Tamanu fruit, the amount that one tree produces annually, to yield just ONE pound of oil!
Sunflower Oil (Helianthus annuus)
One of the most moisturizing vegetable oils, sunflower, is easily absorbed and can be used on all skin types. It is rich in essential fatty acids and vitamin E making it especially helpful for dry or delicate skin. Its low comedogenic score means that it is less likely to block pores which could lead to blemishes. The sunflower oil we use in our facial oils is infused with a variety of different organic botanicals depending on the formula.
See our Facial Herbs page for information on botanicals for facial skin
Shelf Life
As with all of Chagrin Valley products, our organic face oil contains no GMOs, petroleum-based ingredients, parabens, or of course preservatives. It is important to store your facial oil in a cool place out of direct sunlight. Since you only need a few drops of facial oil per application, a 1-ounce bottle will last a long time. The shelf life is approximately 4-6 months after opening.
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