Oils are a skincare staple that can make an incredible difference to skin quality and comfort, but old habits die hard.
Mantras like “never put oil on oily skin” and “you need to dry out spots” haunted us all through our teens. Most of us took – and many continue to take – this bad advice, and it only disimproves the skin.
Oil can have a powerful and positive impact on oily skin, but it is for all skins. If your skin is very sensitive or reactive, you may need to steer clear of intensely scented essential oils, but the most common skincare oils like almond, grapeseed, rosehip and sunflower will get on very merrily with almost everyone.
Far from making oily skin oilier, oils regulate sebum production in the skin, which is kicked into overdrive by “drying” alcohol-heavy skincare.
It may seem counter-intuitive, but oil will make you less oily.
It will also make dry skin less dry, tight, and uncomfortable. What it won’t do is hydrate – impact a dearth of water in the skin.
For that, you will need a hydrating serum – preferably one rich in hyaluronic acid.
Oils are not limited to face products as there is an oil for everything.
For the nervous first timer, a cleansing oil is the best place to start.
Dermalogica Precleanse Oil (€46.50 at dermalogica.ie) removes every whisper of makeup (including eye makeup), and is designed as part of a proper double cleanse routine.
Makeup and SPF wearers should always cleanse twice.
After a week of proper double cleansing using oils, you will see happier, more comfortable, more radiant skin no longer inflamed by alcohol from wipes, drying, foaming cleansers or perpetual congestion from leftover makeup residue.
A lip oil is also a safe bet with instant results.
Hourglass Lip Treatment Oil in No 28 (€53 at arnotts.ie) works hard but contains pigment to make it an elegant makeup/skincare hybrid.
Sarah Chapman Overnight Body Treatment (€76 at arnotts.ie) is a pre-bed, non-gluey rich treatment body oil with jojoba oil as its base.
Enriched with peptides and vitamins A, C and E, it visibly smooths and improves skin texture. There are lovely, more affordable body oils, but this is the Rolls Royce of the genre.
If you want a first facial oil, opt for The Inkey List Squalane (€11.50 at arnotts.ie).
The brand (which may remind you of Deciem’s cult brand, The Ordinary) offers high quality, affordable products with transparency.
Squalane is naturally found in our skin, so it won’t irritate or congest.
It balances dry or oily skin, and this version is sustainably sourced from organic sugar cane.
Instead of an eye cream, Votary Intense Eye Oil (€149 at Space NK) is a revelation.
I find that rich eye creams can congest the delicate skin of the eye area, and was afraid this eye oil would do the same.
It hasn’t, and is the only eye product in a long time that has induced a noticeable difference in the fine lines under my eyes.
