Do you love a good facial oil but always feel sick at the huge price tags they often have? I’m a massive advocate for making simple, homemade remedies to save pennies and dramatically improve your skin. Tailor making a product so it suits your skins’ unique needs means it’s often much more effective than shop bought products as you get to control exactly what goes on your delicate skin.

How to blend your perfect facial oil

If you’re like me, and suffer with oily, acne-prone skin, then you probably grew up thinking that oil was the cause of your skin problems and should be avoided at all costs. Even if it meant stripping your skin till you could barely smile. However, for most of us, this method didn’t work. In fact – it made our skin a hell of a lot worse! Commercial products that are designed to “reduce oiliness” and work by stripping your skin of all it’s natural oils – the same oils that protect our skin and keep it balanced! When these natural oils are removed, our skin begins to overcompensate by producing more and more oil. This is the same thing that happens when you wash your hair too often. Your hair gets greasier and greasier, and pretty soon, you can’t go a single day without washing it.

On the other end of the spectrum, you have those with dry, easily irritated skin. Again, the commercial products that are available for those with this skin type are likely to do more harm than good. They’re full of questionable ingredients such as silicones which are used to smooth the skin but actually just prevent moisture from penetrating the skin, paraffin; which is a petrochemical that blocks the pores and causes irritation and alcohol; which dries out the skin, increases sensitivity and can help transport otherwise synthetic ingredients into the bloodstream. Why do these products, marketed for dry, sensitive and damaged skin, contain such useless ingredients? They’re cheap to make and although they feel nice on the skin immediately after application, you’re soon left with the need to reapply, thus using more product! Ever wondered why people get addicted to applying Vaseline? It’s because the paraffin actually dries your lips out!

The answer to both these problems? Add organic, cold-pressed oils to your skincare routine everyday and you’ll be replacing the acne-causing sebum with clean, healthy oils whilst nourishing and protecting dry sensitive skin at the same time. It’s a win-win for all skin types, all you need to know is which oils are most compatible with each specific skin type.

Acne/Oily Skin

If you want to read more about the essential oils that are best for acne prone skin, I’ve written a huge post about them all here.

Base Oils:

Neem Oil – A powerful cleansing herb. Soothes inflammation and contains antibacterial properties.
Grapeseed Oil – Very light in texture. Contains mildly astringent properties to combat oiliness and tone the skin.
Hemp Seed Oil – Contains an ideal balance of Omega 3 and 6. Healing and moisturising, without being greasy.
Jojoba – Rich in vitamin E and antioxidants. Absorbed easily into skin without being greasy.

Essential Oils:

Tea Tree – Strong antibacterial and anti fungal. Encourages skin healing.
Thyme Linalool – Reduces inflammation and risk of infection. Strong antibacterial – early studies show it could be more effective at treating acne than benzoyl peroxide.
Bog Myrtle – Encourages wound healing. (UK pharmaceutical company Boots are currently trialling this oil for use in acne products!)
Yarrow – Cleanses wounds, fights bacteria and contains anti-inflammatory properties.

Acne/Dry Skin

Base Oils:

Tamanu Oil – Also known as ‘oil of the gods’, Tamanu contains antioxidant, anti bacterial and anti inflammatory properties to aids skin renewal.
Rosehip Oil – Light an non-greasy, rich in Essential Fatty Acids to deeply nourish the skin.
Hemp Seed Oil – Contains an ideal balance of Omega 3 and 6. Healing and moisturising, without being greasy.
Jojoba – Rich in vitamin E and antioxidants. Absorbed easily into skin without being greasy.

Essential Oils:

Tea Tree – Strong antibacterial and anti fungal. Encourages skin healing.
Thyme Linalool – Reduces inflammation and risk of infection. Strong antibacterial – early studies show it could be more effective at treating acne than benzoyl peroxide.
Bog Myrtle – Encourages wound healing. (UK pharmaceutical company Boots are currently trialling this oil for use in acne products!)
Yarrow – Cleanses wounds, fights bacteria and contains anti-inflammatory properties.

Normal Skin

Base Oils:

Sweet Almond Oil – A gentle and nourishing oil which rarely reacts on peoples skin. Suitable for all skin types.
Kukui Oil – A light, vitamin-rich oil which helps revitalise the skin and is rumoured to help restore sun damage.
Apricot Kernel Oil – Soothes and nourishes delicate skin, easily absorbed into the skin and non-greasy.
Hemp Seed Oil – Contains an ideal balance of Omega 3 and 6. Healing and moisturising, without being greasy.

Essential Oils:

Neroli – Stimulates cell renewal and elasticity. Tones and smooths complexion.
Bergamot – Evens skin tone and balances the skin.
Lavender – Soothes and heals. Anti-inflammatory effect on the skin.
Geranium – Suitable for all skin types, anti-inflammatory and calming to the skin.

Damaged/Aged Skin

Base Oils:

Baobab Oil – Absorbed quickly, improves elasticity, encourages regeneration of cells and does not clog pores.
Raspberry Seed Oil – High in anti-inflammatory properties. Aids skin regeneration and boosts skin renewal and improves skin tone.
Pomegranate Seed Oil – Rich in nutrients and full of powerful antioxidants to fade fine lines and revitalise the skin.
Marula Oil – Commonly known as ‘miracle oil’ in Africa. Deeply nourishing and high in antioxidants.

Essential Oils:

Frankincense – Evens skin tone and helps to fade scars. Helps to regenerate healthy cells and can reduce sun spots and micro wrinkles.
Sandalwood – Tightens and firms the skin and reduces the appearance of scars.
Helichrysum – Also known as ‘Everlasting Flower’ and ‘Immortelle’, it promotes healing and regrowth of skin.
Clary Sage – Promotes young, healthy skin. Reduces inflammation and regulated oil production.

Dry Skin

Base Oils:

Tamanu Oil – Also known as ‘oil of the gods’, Tamanu contains antioxidant, anti bacterial and anti inflammatory properties to aids skin renewal.
Argan Oil – Boosts circulation and cell renewal to strengthen skin and protect against wrinkles.
Avocado Oil – Helps to regenerate and hydrate skin. Increases elasticity and repairs even the driest of skin types.
Rosehip Oil – Light an non-greasy, rich in Essential Fatty Acids to deeply nourish the skin.

Essential Oils:

Carrot Seed – Helps retain youthful, glowing skin. High in antioxidants.
Neroli – Improves skin health by regenerating cells and retaining skin elasticity.
Calendula – Moisturises, calms and heals the skin.
Ylang Ylang – Maintains skin moisture to keep complexion looking young and smooth.

Sensitive Skin

Base Oils:

Jojoba – Rich in vitamin E and antioxidants. Absorbed easily into skin without being greasy.
Sweet Almond Oil – A gentle and nourishing oil which rarely reacts on peoples skin. Suitable for all skin types.
Apricot Kernel Oil – Soothes and nourishes delicate skin, easily absorbed into the skin and non-greasy.
Calendula Oil – Intensely healing and soothing, perfect for irritated skin.

Essential Oils:

If you’re highly sensitive, you should avoid all essential oils and just use base oils for a period of time as properties within essential oils can trigger skin reactions in those with ultra sensitive skin.

Chamomile – Calms red, dry or irritated skin. Anti-inflammatory. Promotes healing.
Lavender – Soothing and anti-inflammatory. Balances and heals the skin.
Carrot Seed – Helps retain youthful, glowing skin. High in antioxidants.
Neroli – Improves skin health by regenerating cells and retaining skin elasticity.

You don’t need to be a DIY beauty expert to make your own homemade facial oil – it’s so easy and will do wonders for your complexion – whatever your skin type! Simply add 6-15 (no more!) drops of essential oils (whichever ones you think your skin will benefit from) to a base of 30ml of whichever base oil takes your fancy. A homemade facial oil can easily be incorporated into your daily skincare routine and is excellent for a nourishing night time boost. All cold-pressed, certified organic base oils listed above are available from Fushi Wellbeing.

A note on diluting essential oils:

The Aromatherapy standard for drops is 20 drops of essential oil to every mL. However this is just a guide as it all depends on the viscosity (thickness) of an oil, and the size of dropper etc. It’s really important not to use essential oils neat on your skin – they’re extremely potent and could cause further skin issues – stick to this Essential Oil:Base Oil ratio below to avoid such problems:

Sensitive skin: 0.5% to 1% dilution = 3 to 6 drops per 30ml base oil
Normal skin: 1% to 2.5% dilution = 6 to 15 drops per 30ml base oil

Peace, Love and Clear Skin,