Facial oils - love them or hate them, they’re here to stay. Personally, I’m a huge fan of facial oils. When it comes to getting a healthy and youthful glow, they’re some of my favourite go-to products. Yet in my time in skincare, no product is more misunderstood than the facial oil.
Some popular misconceptions about facial oils include:
- You can’t use facial oils if you have oily skin.
- You can’t use facial oils if you live in a humid climate.
- Facial oils are just oils, why are they so expensive?
- Oils are all the same, and it doesn’t really matter which one you use.
- Facial oils will make my face look greasy (when in fact, it’s all about application!)
Oils can be your skin’s greatest ally - but choosing the wrong one can cost you, too. Facial oils are the ultimate finishing product, yet many people don’t know how to use them properly, or choose not to do so. Perhaps you’ve had a bad experience with one oil, like coconut oil for example. But that doesn’t mean you should write off oils forever!
Let’s not paint all oils with the same brushstroke. If you use a serum and break out, do you swear off serums forever? Most of us won’t, and yet with oils, we somehow do that. In this blog post, we hope to debunk some of the popular myths and misconceptions surrounding facial oils.
Misconception 1: You can’t use facial oils if you have oily skin.
Surprisingly, facial oils can work well on oily complexions too. The key is to look out for oils with ‘balancing’ properties. These oils are able replenish dry, dehydrated-looking and stressed-out skin (think red patches and increased sensitivity) without disrupting your skin’s natural oil balance. They also tend to have a good balance of omegas in their composition.
Regardless of whether your skin is oily or not, healthy skin should feel hydrated. A good facial oil can help to lock in hydration and prevent loss of moisture. This is why facial oils are best applied at night, when skin is most vulnerable. As we age, our natural oil production also decreases. This is because our sebaceous glands tend to produce less oil as we get older, especially for women. Men experience a very minimal decrease in oil production, which explains why they tend to retain their youthful looks for longer!
Besides aging, hormonal fluctuations, pregnancy, going on birth control pills and dietary changes can also have an impact on oil production. Adding a balanced facial oil into your routine can help to renew your skin and give you a more youthful appearance.
Misconception 2: You can’t use facial oils if you live in a humid climate.
It’s true that facial oils were originally developed for cold climates, and works its magic best during wintertime. Dry and flaky skin are some of the best candidates for facial oils. However, that does not mean that facial oils cannot work in a tropical country.
The key to using facial oils in a humid climate is to take a ‘less is more’ approach. Since facial oils are extremely concentrated, a little goes a long way. Usually, only 2-3 drops are enough to cover the entire face!
The composition of the facial oil matters too. Dry oils tend to have a higher percentage of lighter omega fatty acids. Another way to increase the lightness of the formula is to blend it with another light plant-based ester oil, which is what we have done for Camelina Omega-C Brightening Fluid.
Misconception 3: Facial oils are just oils, why are they so expensive?
Facial oils tend to be pricy, and in most cases, are the most expensive product in a skincare brand. One question we hear often is “why are facial oils so expensive?”
That’s because the base of the formula is mostly plant oil. This makes facial oils some of the most concentrated skincare products out there. Many plant ingredients are also seasonal, and prices can fluctuate wildly. For example, during our development of Camelina Omega-C, the price of our formula actually increased by 30% from start to release!
Luxury oil blends also tend to be naturally scented with various flower oils. Some crops, like vanilla, are not cheap and due to instability in the regions they are grown, see year-on-year increase in prices. A complex blend can contain ingredients from at least 10 different farms. And farms that produce good quality crops don’t come cheap. A word on quality: not all oils are created equal. Quality varies intensely from farm to farm. Take a whiff of our Camelina Omega-C Brightening Fluid and you’ll detect citrusy, earthy and floral undertones. To create this scent, we combined a blossom of rare botanical blooms with Japanese Yuzu, to create an alluring scent that is both refreshing and uplifting.
Misconception 4: Oils are all the same, and it really doesn’t matter which one you use.
Repeat after us: no oil is truly ever the same! Coconut oil has a tendency to cause breakouts. Tamanu oil contains a unique fatty acid called calophyllic acid that makes it better for redness and rosaceo-prone skin. Squalane oil is skin-identical, which means that it works well on all skin types and conditions. Camelina oil has the most balanced omega fatty acid content of all the oils.
Every oil has its own strengths and weaknesses, and perhaps the only thing that is the similar across all oils is their ability to prevent moisture loss. But nutritionally speaking, oils can actually be worlds apart!
I'll be honest: we still do not fully understand the effect of ALL oils on skin. Camelina Oil is relatively new to market and despite its ancient status (yes, it has been mentioned in ancient texts), it sort of “fell off the map” for some time because farmers felt that it wasn’t as profitable as other crops. However, there is enough literature to suggest that Camelina Oil is the perfect balancing oil for skin, thanks to its extremely balanced composition of omega fatty acids.
Misconception 5: Facial oils will make my face look greasy (when in fact, it’s all about application!)
Facial oils have earned a bad rep for giving faces the wrong kind of shine. But we feel that this is all just a simple misunderstanding. The difference between a natural glow and a trip to greasetown boils down to one thing - application.
The secret? Always blend and massage! A little goes a long way, so apply only 2-3 drops and rub it between the palm of your hands. You can even spritz on a hydrating facial mist to help the oil blend better. Next, pat it gently onto your face, before going into a massage. Massaging oils into the skin helps it to penetrate deeper and also increases your skin circulation, helping you look more youthful and radiant.
And that’s it! The top 5 myths and misconceptions surrounding facial oils, debunked. Thank you for reading and we hope that this blog post has helped to change your mind about facial oils.
