5 Face Oils for Naturally Clear, Flawless Skin
Acne DIY Skincare & Beauty Face Oils Natural Beauty
Can applying oil to your face actually help keep skin clear and reduce blemishes? Yes! Face oils are the best kept skincare secret to naturally clear, flawless skin. Let’s talk about how face oils help to keep skin clear and which oils are the best for reducing blemishes and scarring from acne.
I have a teeny-tiny little obsession… With oil. That I put on my face.
That’s right, I put oil on my face.
Now there was a time that I would have shuddered at the very idea.
I went out of my way to scan every skincare product I purchased for “oil-free” before giving it the green light, thinking that any oil would instantly clog pores upon contact and turn me into one big walking blackhead.
And when it came to dealing with breakouts, I saw oil as my ultimate enemy. I mean, I even wiped my face with rubbing alcohol at one point (*cringes*).
Ironically, it was in an act of acne-induced desperation that I finally gave oil a chance, and I’ve never looked back.
In this blog post, we chat all about:
P.S. Want to take all the guesswork out of it? I’ve bottled up my best face oil blends — the Body Unburdened Beauty Blends — just for you. Beauty Blend No.2 is my best-seller, formulated to gently but effectively transform blemish-prone skin.
4 Ways the Right Oils Help Keep Blemish-Prone Skin Clear
The fact is, the right face oils can work wonders for acne-prone skin.
Here’s how:
1. Certain face oils are high in linoleic acid, helping to bring balance back to blemish-prone skin
Science!
This one fascinates me the most. Studies have found that the sebum of acne-prone individuals tends to be deficient in a certain type of fatty acid called linoleic acid, and that topical application of linoleic acid can help reduce breakouts.
And guess what? Certain face oils are loaded with linoleic acid!
2. Antioxidant-rich face oils prevent sebum oxidation, a key player in blemishes and acne
More science!
A number of studies have shown that acne patients experience more oxidative stress than people with clear skin. This oxidative stress causes sebum oxidation or the oxidation of the skin’s own oil. Many researchers believe this sebum oxidation is the trigger that kicks starts acne since oxidized sebum is incredibly comedogenic (pore-clogging) and causes inflammation in the skin.
Topical antioxidants have been found to help prevent sebum oxidation and as a result decrease the frequency and severity of breakouts.
3. Face oils help to break up the gunk trapped in pores
When it comes down to it, a zit or blackhead is really nothing more than a sticky mess of oil and dead skin cells. And since like-dissolves-like (in other words, oil and water don’t mix but water and water do mix as do oil and oil), applying oil to the skin can actually help to break up this sticky mess and clear it from the pore.
4. Oils help regulate the skin’s own oil production
Applying oil to the skin can actually “trick” it into producing less sebum (its own oil). Not to mention that often, the skin will produce more sebum to counteract harsh, drying skincare products, and face oils help bring balance by deeply nourishing the skin.
Important note: excess oil production is often a symptom of hormonal imbalance (hello, androgens gone wild!). You can learn more about this and how to balance hormones naturally in my book Glow: The Nutritional Approach to Naturally Gorgeous Skin.
The 5 Best Face Oils For Acne and Blemish-Prone Skin
So which face oils help keep skin healthy, clear and as flawless as can be!?
(And NO coconut oil is NOT on the list! It breaks a lot of people out and I do not recommend it for acne-prone skin.)
PUMPKIN SEED OIL
Pumpkin seed oil is 100% hands-down my favorite face oil for all skin-types — which is why it’s in all 3 of my Body Unburdened Beauty Blends! It’s rich in the antioxidant vitamins A and C, as well as zinc. Vitamins A and C help prevent the sebum oxidation behind many outbreaks while zinc helps calm inflamed skin.
Anddddd best of all: pumpkin seed oil is especially helpful for keeping skin clear since it’s very high in linoleic acid (see above!).
GRAPESEED OIL
Like pumpkin seed oil, grapeseed oil is incredibly rich in linoleic acid, helping bring balance back to blemish-prone skin. It’s also antioxidant-rich and a very light, easily absorbed oil.
JOJOBA OIL
Jojoba oil was actually my first love. When I first started using it, all day I would look forward to bedtime so I could apply it again, knowing that I’d wake up the next morning with clearer skin (it’s a little sad but very true, and if you’ve ever been desperate for clear skin then you feel me).
Jojoba oil is a light oil that is easily absorbed. It mimics the skin’s sebum, tricking it to produce less oil, which is why it’s especially helpful for individuals with oily skin.
TAMANU OIL
Tamanu oil has been used in traditional medicine for ages, specifically for its ability to speed the healing of wounds by fighting bacteria and increasing cellular regeneration. It also has anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antibiotic, and antioxidant properties, making it ideal for acne sufferers.
NOTE: Stay away from tamanu oil if you have a nut allergy!
ROSEHIP SEED OIL
I confess that I decided to try rosehip seed oil after learning that Rose Byrne — a.k.a. hilariously awful and beautiful Helen from Bidesmaid — Kate Middleton, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Miranda Kerr all use this oil. You have to admit, these ladies have lovely skin.
Rosehip seed oil is a dry oil that penetrates to the deepest layers of the skin where it regenerates cells, increasing collagen production. It is rich in vitamin C and the essential fatty acids, all of which are known to help heal scar tissue. It is also high in retinoic acid, which studies show reduces the appearance of wrinkles and brightens skin.
There’s no doubt about the fact that rosehip seed oil is fantastic! (Like pumpkin seed oil, it’s in each of the Body Unburdened Beauty Blends!) But a word or warning: I personally find it too drying to wear alone. Yes, an oil can be drying! And of course drying can mean irritating so be careful. So rosehip oil is best mixed with other more emollient oils.
How to use these face oils? Oh, the options are endless!
These oils can be used on their own or mixed with each other in a blend that best suits your skin needs.
Learn how to make a custom face oil blend and check out these top 10 essential oils for skincare, which make a great addition to your face oil blend.
And if you’re not a big DIYer well I’ve got you covered, my friend! After years and years of readers asking me to do so, I’ve finally bottled up my best face oil blends just for you — the Body Unburdened Beauty Blends!
Are you a natural beauty junkie too? Well you’re in the right place, my friend!
Hang around a bit and check out some of these other goodies I know your sweet little natural-beauty-loving heart will definitely enjoy!
- My Super Simple All-Natural Skincare & Beauty Routine
- The Best Face Oils by Skin Type
- The Top 10 Essential Oils for Skincare
- DIY All-Natural Clarifying & Toning Foaming Facewash
- Blackhead Busting Blackout Mask
Yes, I love Mountain Rose Herbs! I haven’t use their rosehip oil specifically but they have great quality products and I trust their quality.
You mentioned rosehip oil from Trilogy in your blog. Do you recommend the carrier oils from Mountain Rose Herbs?
Hi Nadia,
I am new to this oil as well..I am 29 yrs old and nothing seems to be working for me…I wanna try this oils, I like the combo that u suggested about 2/3 of jojoba n 1/3 of dry oil…what about night time,how do u make combo with jojoba n castor oil…I want a clear n shiny skin..right now my skin tone is not even…
Hi Nadia,
Question, I’ve made all your recipes for my daughter who has acne. My son-in-law hates the smell of the oils and has asked her to stop using them even though they are working to improve her acne. What scented oils can we add so that the smell is to his liking without it taking away from its useful purpose.
I also love putting oil on my face, my go to oil is avocado oil. I use it at night and am very pleased with my skin. I am very interested in trying the other oils that you have talked about.
OMG, I can’t believe you didn’t mention Sea Buckthorne seed oil! I LOVE it!! A friend told me about it recently, she was having some major breakout issues and that oil plus a soap called SBT Seabuckthorne Berry Bar totally helped her. I’ve been using the oil and the soap occasionally and can’t believe how much nicer my skin looks. I told my sister about it and she’s really happy with the results as well. I put it on in the morning and it’s so light feeling… doesn’t make my face look oily at all.
Wow. Very useful article. Big thanks to the author.
I wanted to let some of you girls and guys who are looking to use castor oil- it is wonderful for blood circulation, especially if you have lymph drainage problems. Just rub it in, apply heat to the area for 20 min. However, be careful with applying to your face, as castor oil causes water retention and hair growth. So unless you want to wake up with puffy face and a female moustage the next morning, be mindful.
Also what do you think about shea butter?
Thanks All. I will try Avacado oil or Frankincense oil as moisturizer based on the availability in my local store 🙂
Mixing all the oils in moisturizer is not a good idea. Each oil has different property. As i am an indian origin, i know about castor oil bit. We dont use castor oil for face and body. As it is having high viscos and on wash the grease will not go away easily unless u remove it using hot wet cloth wipe. And it promotes hair growth, so, on applying over face, it promotes facial hair also.
But, it is very good for hair, it reduces premature whitening of hair, reduces hair fall. it is applied over kids stomach and anus opening in order to reduce stomach pain due to body heat.
Recently bought Lavender essential oil and Ylang Ylang essential oil. I bought it for diffusing it in the burner for aromatherapy.
Any experiences of using these two oils, lavender and ylang ylang over skin. Any benefits of these over skin?
Avocado oil is wonderful for your face too. I use it at night, I’m 53 and wrinkle free.
hi, thanks for a great blog. Try frankincense diluted oil. It’s great for acne, helped me A LOT! Good moisturizing as well, and non greasy.
Great piece of advice – thanks so much!
Olive oil is GREAT for your face. I dont use the food version because it stains pillows, but I do use the Made from Earth Olive Night Cream, which has the olive oil and olive butter on it. During the day, I use the Lady Soma Argan Oil on my face. I found that Argan Oil is fantastic at removing the flakes you get from the initial Retin-A “flash Burn”.
One thing to remember is that if you are using a moisturizer, please apply the oil on top of your moisturizer. Moisturizers can’t penetrate oils, but the oils can penetrate the moisturizers.
Can you dilute these essential oils in water? I just bought rose hip, jojoba, tea tree, & castor & I plan on mixing them all in one facial moisturizer. Is it okay to mix these all together?
I’m just curious… You say that some are “too drying” on your skin? I’m just wondering if you know what causes the drying? I recently tried Moroccan oil and it completely dried out my skin.
I am from india and i am having dusky complexion with oily and acne prone skin.
I do following for improving the skin texture and to keep minimize the acne.
I apply Neem oil before bath on my face as it is easily available here. I either use hand made herbal soap or ubtan powder (bath powder – which is self made with the available indian local herbs). That helped me to improve the skin texture and kept me away from outbreak of acne.
Also, I used to take bittergourd juice with jaggery (similar to sugar) in the morning empty stomach.
Apart from that, We use Castor oil as anti-inflammatory, cooling agent and apply on scalps before bath, sometimes instill one or two drops into eyes for cooling as we have hectic summer of nearly 40 degrees celcius.
We use lots of Sesame oil for applying all over the body before bath once in a week to keep the body cool. People in the northen india use mustard oil to keep their body warm as the temperature in northern parts of india are chilly.
For hair, we do apply pure coconut oil regularly for cooling effect. We dont much apply coconut oil on to our skin as moisturiser as it increases the growth of facial hair :). I used to apply turmeric during my weekends as it has antiseptic and anti-fungal characteristics.
But, I am planning to use Grapeseed oil as moisturiser before to bed to maintain/enhance the skin texture. I have heard Grapeseed oil is a skin whitener as well. Any experiences of you using Grapeseed oil as a skin whitener??
How come you didn’t include sea buckthorn oil in this?
Oh no! I’m so sorry to hear that — that’s not fun.
The bottom line is that everyone’s skin is different and what may work really well for one person may not work well for another. You may want to look into some of the other oils on the list — they may agree with you better. Best of luck!
Ive purchased and made these oile you recommended for my face. Ive been using for 2 weeks now and my is completely broken out like ive never ever experienced before!!!
Not sure what to do now!!!!
I have been using lytera for 6 months now because of my blemishes ang pigmentation. Now, I tried to alternate with rosehip seed oil and evening primrose oil. I felt a little burn sensation.is it normal or because the lytera has a retinol. Please I need your advice. Thanks
I recommend always dilution essential oils, especially for use on the face.