Beauty Mythbuster: Can you use oils instead of moisturizers?

Oils and moisturizers work in tandem to promote healthy, hydrated skin. While you might get away with using moisturizers without oil (particularly if you’re younger), your skin isn’t likely to love an oil-only diet. 

So, does this mean moisturizers are better than oils? How do you use facial oils? And how do facial oils work? 

Read on to find out…. 

What do moisturizers do?

Moisturizers are designed to replenish the water supply in the top layers of your skin. That’s why water is typically one of the main ingredients in your moisturizer! 

This moisture rehydrates and plumps the outermost layers, helping your skin look dewy and healthy. You can read more about how moisturizers work in this Harvard article.

Water is the first ingredient in this hydrating, nourishing, brightening cream. 

Other additions to moisturizers, known as occlusives, help to trap in the moisture. Meanwhile, vitamins might be added to help reduce signs of aging and emollients help smooth your skin. 

But for many of us, especially as we age, moisturizers alone won’t be enough to maintain the level of hydration we need to prevent flaking. This is even more true in the winter months!

What about facial oils: what role do they play?

You likely know that your skin produces its own oil. Imbalances in your oil production result in two of the most common skin problems we see - dryness and acne. 

Facial oils form a stronger protective barrier than moisturizer alone. That protective barrier keeps moisture in - so, oils hydrate your skin indirectly (unlike moisturizers, which are hydrating). 

Facial oils are also often packed with antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, and (in the case of tea tree oil), antibacterial agents that fight acne. This means they do more than simply lock in moisture, they rejuvenate and restore too. 

Facial oils for oily skin

Oily skin CAN benefit from the use of facial oils. 

It’s true that your skin feels oily because you overproduce natural oils. Often, this overproduction is the result of your skincare routine stripping away too much of your natural oil. 

Adding oil to your skincare routine promotes balance. In turn, this prevents the overproduction of your natural oils - unlocking a beautiful, balanced complexion.

So, do you apply facial oil before or after moisturizer?

After! As a general rule oils can penetrate moisturizer, but moisturizers can’t penetrate oils.

If you’re new to facial oils, it’s worth just using them in the evening to see how your skin responds. Once a day (or once every few days) might be enough for you. 

If you still feel dry, you might benefit from adding a daily oil to your routine. It will take a bit of experimenting to get it right and the results can be a bit… slick, but we’ve seen plenty of people thrive in the cold winters using oils!

If you don’t love using oil during the day, there are plenty of mists that tackle dryness and won’t affect your makeup. 

Make sure you aren't using oils that aren't water soluble. Your skin will thank you.

What about oil cleansers? Do oil cleansers work?

Cleansing oils harness the moisture-locking, calming powers of oils to remove oil and grime from your face. All you need to do is massage the cleanser oil into your face (with clean hands) and then wash your face with warm water or a washcloth. 

Oil cleansers, unlike oils, are typically designed to be water soluble. They act by gently dissolving makeup and loosening dirt, before washing away with warm water. 

Note that we said they’re designed to be water soluble. Your ‘average’ oil isn’t soluble in water and won’t wash away using water alone - so, simply washing your face with common household oils won’t produce the same results. 

People with acne-prone combination skin and dry skin tend to respond well to oil cleansers.

Oils in your beauty routine

To sum up, facial oils are an excellent way to lock in moisture while also introducing additional antioxidants and anti-inflammatories to your skincare routine. Any skin type can benefit from the addition of oils - but you may need to experiment with when and how you use them.

If you think you could benefit from some help choosing, we offer a free skincare quiz! Simply answer a few questions and we’ll lovingly curate a list of our luxurious products that are best suited to your skin type

Take the quiz