Facial Oils: How to Choose and Use Them

Key takeaways

• Choose a facial oil by how it feels on your skin: light, fast absorbing oils for oily skin, richer oils for dry skin.
• Oils high in linoleic acid tend to feel lighter, while oils high in oleic acid tend to feel richer.
• Two to four drops pressed onto damp skin is enough for most faces.
• Buy small bottles in dark glass, keep them cool, and replace any oil that smells stale.

Facial oils have a reputation problem. People with oily skin fear them, and people with dry skin sometimes buy the heaviest one they can find and wonder why it sits on top. Learning how to choose a facial oil mostly comes down to texture, a little basic chemistry, and using less than you think. Once you get those right, a single good oil can replace a moisturizer, a serum and a night cream in a chemical free beauty routine.

Why use a facial oil at all?

Your skin makes its own oil, called sebum, which helps keep the outer layer soft and slows water loss. Plant oils are made of similar building blocks, mostly fatty acids bound into triglycerides, and many people find a few drops help skin feel soft and comfortable. Unlike most creams, a pure oil blend contains no water, so it does not need the strong preservatives a water based lotion relies on. That alone makes oils one of the simplest products to evaluate on a label.

Start with texture

The quickest way to choose is by how an oil feels and how fast it absorbs. Here is a general guide to common facial oils, from lightest to richest. Individual bottles vary with processing and freshness.

Oil	Feel	Often chosen for
Grapeseed	Very light, quick	Oily skin, warm weather
Rosehip seed	Light, dry finish	Uneven looking tone, night use
Prickly pear seed	Light, silky	Combination and mature skin
Jojoba	Light to medium, waxy	Most skin types, a good first oil
Sweet almond	Medium	Normal to dry skin
Argan	Medium	Normal to dry skin
Avocado	Rich	Very dry or mature skin, winter
Castor	Very thick, sticky	Used in small amounts in blends and cleansing oils

Jojoba deserves a special mention. Technically it is a liquid wax, not a true oil, and its makeup resembles some of the wax esters in human sebum. It is stable, slow to go rancid, and well tolerated by many skin types, which is why it is so often the base of facial blends. Our main site has a full guide to jojoba oil.

A little chemistry: linoleic versus oleic

Two fatty acids explain a lot about how oils behave.

• Linoleic acid (an omega 6) is plentiful in grapeseed, rosehip, prickly pear and sunflower oils. These oils tend to feel thinner and absorb quickly. Some small studies have found that people with acne prone skin may have lower levels of linoleic acid in their sebum, which is one reason these oils are popular for oily and combination skin.
• Oleic acid (an omega 9) dominates olive, avocado, and many almond oils. These feel richer and more cushioning, which suits dry skin, but can feel heavy on oilier faces.

Many good facial blends combine both, so the finish is light but still comforting. You can find more about pairing oils with skin in plant oils for a healthy looking glow.

Matching an oil to your skin

• Oily or combination: Start with jojoba or a linoleic rich oil. Use one or two drops, mainly on drier areas. See natural skincare for oily skin for a full routine.
• Normal: Almost any light to medium oil works. A blend gives you the best of both.
• Dry: Look for blends that include avocado, almond or argan, and consider a balm on top at night in winter.
• Mature: Prickly pear, rosehip and avocado are popular choices. More on this in natural skincare for mature skin.
• Sensitive: Choose unscented oils or blends with very little essential oil, and always patch test first. People with nut allergies should check for almond and other nut oils.

How to use a facial oil

1. Start with damp skin. After cleansing or misting with water, leave your face slightly damp.
2. Warm two to four drops between your palms. Most faces need no more than that. Begin with two.
3. Press, do not rub. Gently press your palms over your cheeks, forehead, chin and neck. Pressing spreads the oil thinly and avoids tugging.
4. Give it a few minutes. Oil should feel absorbed, not slick, before sun protection or makeup goes on.

If you use a water based serum or lotion, oil goes after it, since oil helps seal water in. If your face looks shiny thirty minutes later, you used too much. Cut back a drop.

Reading a facial oil label

A facial oil ingredient list should be short and easy to read. Look for:

• Plant oils listed by their Latin names, such as Rosa canina (rosehip) or Opuntia ficus indica (prickly pear)
• Vitamin E, listed as tocopherol, which helps slow oxidation
• Named essential oils, if any, near the end of the list

Be cautious with oils that list "fragrance" or "parfum," synthetic dyes, or mineral oil as the base. "Cold pressed" and "unrefined" are helpful clues that an oil has kept more of its natural character, though refined oils can be fine too.

Keeping your oil fresh

Plant oils oxidize over time, faster with heat, light and air. Linoleic rich oils like rosehip are especially delicate. A few habits help:

• Choose dark glass bottles and keep the cap closed tightly.
• Store away from a sunny window or steamy shower shelf.
• Buy a size you will finish in a few months.
• Smell it now and then. Fresh oil smells mild or nutty. Rancid oil smells sharp, like crayons or old paint, and should be replaced.

Common mistakes with facial oils

• Using too much. More oil does not mean more moisture. Excess oil just sits on the surface, transfers to your pillow and can feel heavy under makeup.
• Applying to bone dry skin. Oil spreads unevenly on dry skin and you end up using more. A splash of water first makes a few drops go much further.
• Switching oils every week. Give an oil two to four weeks before deciding. Skin needs time to show how it responds, and constant changes make it hard to know what is working.
• Mixing many new products at once. If you start a new oil, cleanser and sunscreen in the same week and get a reaction, you will not know which one caused it.

One oil, many jobs

Once you find an oil you like, it can do a lot: daily moisture, a gentle makeup remover, a dab on dry cuticles or the ends of your hair. Our Beauty Oil for the face blends jojoba, rosehip seed, prickly pear, avocado, sweet almond and castor oils with vitamin E for exactly that kind of everyday use. Whatever you choose, keep it simple, use a little, and let your skin tell you whether to add a drop or take one away.

From the ranch

Made in small batches, without the ingredients discussed above.

Questions people ask

Will a facial oil make my skin break out?

It can, but it often depends on the oil and the amount. Lighter, linoleic rich oils and jojoba are often better tolerated by oily skin. Start with one or two drops and introduce one new oil at a time so you can tell how your skin responds.

Can a facial oil replace moisturizer?

For many people, yes. A few drops on damp skin softens and helps reduce water loss. Very dry skin may still prefer a water based product underneath or a balm on top.

How many drops of face oil should I use?

Two to four drops is enough for most faces. Oily skin may need one or two, and dry skin may need a few more at night. If your face looks greasy after thirty minutes, use less.

Do face oils go bad?

Yes. Plant oils slowly oxidize and turn rancid, especially with heat and light. Store them in dark bottles away from the sun and replace any oil that smells sharp or stale.

Sources and further reading

1. Lin TK, Zhong L, Santiago JL, Anti-Inflammatory and Skin Barrier Repair Effects of Topical Application of Some Plant Oils, International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2018)
2. Downing DT et al., Essential fatty acids and acne, Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (1986)
3. American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), Dry Skin: Tips for Relief
4. US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Cosmetics Labeling Guide

This guide is for general education and is not medical advice. If you have a skin condition, allergy, or are pregnant or nursing, talk with your doctor or a board certified dermatologist about the products that are right for you.