How to Make A Custom Face Oil Blend (Perfect for YOUR Skin)

Looking to make your own face oil blend or face serum? It’s really so easy! Let’s take a look at the difference between essential oils and carrier oils, which of each are best for your unique skin needs, how to properly dilute essential oils in carrier oils, and how to use your custom face oil blend.

Originally Published on Apr 13, 2017 | Updated on February 27, 2023

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Around here, we’re fanatic for face oils.

I credit oils with saving my skin after I’d been attacking it with too many harsh, anti-acne products for years, totally destroying my skin barrier and making my acne even worse.

Face oils provided my skin with the nourishment and moisture it so desperately needed, and I’ve never looked back!

But it’s not just me. Nope. I’m proud to say that I’ve created a whole tribe of face oil groupies.

(All that’s missing is a secret handshake but trust me, I’m working on it.)

I even took my face oil obsession to a whole new level with the Body Unburdened Beauty Blends — my best blends bottled up just for you!

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So naturally, I get a lot of questions about how exactly to blend face oils and essential oils.

So step by step, let’s walk through how to make a custom face oil blend perfect for your skin.

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There are a couple of key points to understand before we get into the details…

Essential oils vs. carrier oils

There is a big difference between a carrier oil and an essential oil.

• Carrier oils are derived from the fatty portion of plants, nuts, and seeds. Think: olive oil, argan oil, jojoba oil, rosehip seed oil. Whenever I say “face oil” I’m referring to carrier oils.
• Essential oils are distilled from the petals, leaves, bark, stem, and even roots of plants. They are volatile, very aromatic, and very potent. They can be thought of as extremely concentrated herbal extracts. Think: lavender essential oil, rose essential oil, tea tree essential oil.

Dilution is essential

You must dilute essential oils in carrier oils. They are far too concentrated to be applied straight or undiluted, and can really irritate the skin when not diluted properly.

Opinions on proper essential oil dillution for skincare differ, but everyone generally agrees that the sweet spot is somewhere between 1-2%. That is, essential oils should make up just 1-2% of the final mixture, with the remaining 98-99% of the mixture comprised of carrier oils.

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How to Make A Custom Face Oil Blend in 3 Simple Steps

1) Pick your carrier oil(s)

You can choose just one carrier oil or as many as you like! But I think just 1-3 is really all you need.

But remember: not all oils are created equally!

What is the best oil for your face?

The best carrier oils by skin type:

• Best carrier oils for blemish-prone skin:
  • Pumpkin seed oil
  • Grapeseed oil
  • Hemp seed oil
  • Tamanu oil
• Best carrier oils for oily skin:
  • Jojoba oil
  • Grapeseed oil
• Best carrier oils for dry skin:
  • Apricot kernel oil
  • Almond oil
• Best carrier oils for aging/mature skin:
  • Argan Oil
  • Rosehip seed oil
  • Seabuckthorn oil
  • Pomegranate seed oil
• Best carrier oils for sensitive/irritated Skin:
  • Borage seed oil
  • Avocado oil
  • Hemp seed oil

For all of the details on these oils and their benefits, visit The Best Face Oils by Skin Type.

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2) Pick your essential oil(s)

As with carrier oils, you can choose just one essential oil or any many as you like!

The best essential oils by skin type:

• The best essential oils for blemish-prone skin:
  • Geranium
  • Lavender
  • Patchouli
  • Tea tree
• The best essential oils for oily skin:
  • Frankincense
  • Geranium
  • Lavender
  • Neroli
  • Patchouli
• The best essential oils for dry skin:
  • Geranium
  • Lavender
  • Myrrh
  • Ylang Ylang
• The best essential oils for aging/mature skin:
  • Carrot seed
  • Frankincense
  • Geranium
  • Lavender
  • Myrrh
  • Neroli
  • Rose
  • Ylang Ylang
• The best essential oils for sensitive/irritated skin:
  • Lavender
  • Neroli

For all of the details on these oils and their benefits, visit The Top 10 Essential Oils for Skincare.

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3) Properly dilute your essential oils in your carrier oils

I prefer 1% dilution — that is, the essential oil(s) will make up just 1% of your final face oil blend and the carrier oil(s) will make up the other 99% of the blend. So since 1 oz is 29 mL and every mL is 20 drops, for every 1 oz of carrier oil you should add no more than 6 drops of essential oils (if also choosing to follow a 1% dillution).

The easiest way to blend your oils is to fill a 1 oz glass dropper bottle (amber or cobalt glass bottles will protect the delicate ingredients) with your carrier oil(s) and then add your essential oils. Screw the top on and give it a little shake. It’s really as simple as that!

Optional: Preserve your face oil blend with vitamin E

Vitamin E oil helps preserve the delicate fatty acids in your carrier oils and prevent them from going rancid.

It should make up no more than 1% of your final blend. So for a 1 oz blend, you would add just 6 drops of the vitamin E oil.

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So now you know how to make a custom face oil blend. But are you wondering how to use it?

Face oil blends make wonderful natural moisturizers but can also be used to cleanse skin.

Yes, oil can actually clean skin! Get all the details with The Oil Cleansing Method 101: How to Wash Your Face with Oil.

If using your face oil blend as a moisturizer, simply apply after washing and applying toner and serum, if you do so. Remember: skin hydration and skin moisture are two different things! If your skin seems to be tight, dry, or flaky even when using your face oil blend, a little hydration is likely in order.

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Do you have a favorite face oil blend?

Any tips or tricks? Please share with us in the comments below!