The Best Face Oil for Combination and Acne-Prone Skin | Benefits of Gua Sha Facial Massage

Ah, the change in season. It tends to throw off my skin each time. From the harsh heating/freezing of winter to humid summer days, I'm often changing up my products frequently to accommodate. One thing that stays consistent is the incredible healing, calming and rejuvenating effects of applying and massaging a plant oil into my combo skin.

As someone with oily-combination skin, I’ve always been “prescribed” those drying, oil-free gel moisturizers and tea tree oil-laden foaming washes to combat mild acne. Although these are effective products for some, and often best used in moderation, my skin has suffered from their harsh effects severely – because only one thing is then missing in my routine: oil. Yes, oily skin needs oil too! Our skin naturally creates its own oil called “sebum”, and something like jojoba, grape seed or squalane closely mimics our skin's natural oil. Not only does oil keep our skin soft and calm by maintaining the integrity of our moisture barrier, but it also helps HEAL breakouts, scabs or other irritations on the skin. Without oil, the skin isn't able to perform its main functions and heal quickly. If we strip all the oil off too often and fail to replenish via moisturizer/lotion, the skin may overproduce its own oils which could cause breakouts.

But not all oil is created equal.

I do find there to be a fine line between oils that "feel" good on my combo skin, and ones that never really sink in. The L'Occitane Divine Oil is one that I've grown to dislike since this post, because it is better geared towards dry, aging skin. One of my best tips is to apply oil right after cleansing and toning, immediately once the skin dries - and in moderation. At night, I like to use oil as my only moisturizing step, it'll take the place of both my serum and moisturizer. If my skin still feels dry or tight afterwards, I will then add a thin layer of moisturizer. This is also a good idea for dry skin: apply oil, then add moisturizer if you need. I find it to be hard to layer oil over serums sometimes, so I prefer to use oil as both the treatment and moisturizer step to avoid the dreaded sheets-sticking-to-skin feeling.

It is important to stress that layering your products properly helps them work the best. This is crucial with oils and thicker moisturizers as we move into winter, so I agree with the claim on Plum Goodness that you should apply "easy breezy" oils including argan, jojoba, squalane, grape seed, jojoba and almond BEFORE any other moisturizer cream, which tend to include the heavier oils like coconut oil, mineral oil, shea butter.

Lately I've been loving the 100% Pure Argan Oil from Beauty Nut Cosmetics, a Canadian brand who sources their oil from Morocco. I like how they have a variety of natural fragrance options like Orange Blossom, Ylang Ylang, etc. to enhance the application experience. The price is $60 for 50 ml, slightly cheaper than the Josie Maran alternative at Sephora. I love the pretty coral bottle and pump top, easier to use (and more hygenic) than a dropper bottle. The ingredients are high quality in Beauty Nut cosmetics and my skin has reacted so well to the introduction of this product. I tend to use this 1-2 times a week as a treatment step, I am beginning the retinization process now integrating retinol so the oil will help reduce flaky skin.

See how I use Beauty Nut Argan Oil in my Gua Sha Routine here:

I mostly followed the tips I shared on facial massage linked here for where to focus attention on the skin. I mixed my Argan oil with the Barrier Defense Booster from Dermalogica - get it on sale at Sephora right now!

Where to buy Gua Sha Butterfly stones:

The Georgia Louise Website also has a good instructional video here:

Here are some ideal oil options for oily, combination and breakout-prone or acne-prone skin:

Indeed Labs Clearify Facial Oil (includes Salicylic Acid) $30
Dermalogica Retinol Acne Clearing Oil $100
Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Retinol Oil $40
Blue Orchid Face Treatment Oil (best for very dry skin) $62 (get it on sale at Sephora here!)

Body Acne?

One of my favourite body oil hacks is using the Weleda Citrus Body Oil mixed with a few drops of tea tree oil over the body to help reduce ingrown hairs or bumps. I honestly don't love tea tree as a spot treatment (too irritating on my sensitive skin) but I might try to start trying to use it on my scalp more since I'm getting a lot of unsightly breakouts and bumps there. I also mentioned a ton of fabulous options in deep detail in my post "How to Moisturize with Oils". Another gem from my blog archives is "10 Beauty Myths Busted" from 2014 - they all still stand!

If a straight up oil is too much for you, a great idea would be to incorporate a moisturizer into your evening routine especially that includes a bit of oil in its formula. For this, I look to the French brand Avene.

Beauty Nut press sample featured.

Sunday, November 8, 2020