Facial Oils for Dry Winter Skin

I’ve been using oils on my skin for about four years now and it’s my favorite product in my skincare regimen. I use facial oils all year round, but I notice the biggest difference in the quality of my skin when using them in the winter. I’m prone to getting pretty dry cheeks, but oily in my t-zone. Facial oils keep my skin soft, hydrated and balanced.

What Exactly is A Facial Oil

Well, it is what it sounds like, an oil. The primary ingredient is an oil or a blend of oils that are good for the skin. They normally have some kind of essential oil or herbal ingredient, but the star is the oil.

Now if you’ve never used a facial oil you’re probably thinking, isn’t this going to make me break out?! Nope. Somewhere along the way someone said oil causes acne, but our skin is meant to produce oil and have oil on it. When we use cleansers that strip the oil off of our faces, our faces go into overdrive and over produce oil and throw off the balance of our skin. The oils they use in facial oils are specifically noncomedogenic, meaning non pore-clogging!

My husband was very weary of putting oil on his face, but when he saw that it wasn’t breaking me out, he decided to try it out for himself. Now we’re both oil lovers.

Herbivore Botanical Facial Oils

I seriously have an addiction to facial oils, but I’m currently obsessed with these oils from Herbivore Botanical (not sponsored, I just love this brand). My husband actually got these for Christmas from his mom (see he really does love oil), and he loves me so he shares 🙂

I love Herbivore Botanical because they use quality ingredients. You won’t find any synthetics or fillers in their products. Plus, their oils smell, look and feel amazing all while feeding your skin with delicious nourishing ingredients.

And if you aren’t sure what oil to try first, they also come in this trio sample set. It’s the perfect way to test them out. We’ve got a full size bottle of Orchid, but after trying the trio we want the other full sizes too. They’re all just so yummy!

The Different Colors of the Herbivore Oils

Different oils are known for having different properties and skin benefits. Here are a few things about each of the three facial oils from Herbivore.

1. Orchid – (the yellow one) This one smells like flowers! Its light and sweet and makes you smell like you just walked through a jasmine bush. Its has orchid extract, a humectant, which helps to draw moisture into skin.
2. Phoenix – (the orange one) I have a harder time describing what this one and the blue one smell like but it still smells so delicious. It’s got CoQ10 which helps with the production of collagen and cell regeneration alongside Rose Hip Oil, an antioxidant rich oil known for evening skin tone.
3. Lapis – (the blue one) Blue tansy is the ingredient that makes this oil so stunningly blue (and no it won’t turn you blue, I have pale skin and you can’t see it on my skin). It has a soothing scent and is good for calming your skin and your mind. It also has Kukui nut oil, an oil high in linoleum acid, which helps to balance combination skin and is extremely moisturizing. My husband uses all three oils, but he loves to use this one specifically after shaving. He says it helps with irritation.

Why You Need Oil in Your Life

1. It’s excellent at cleaning your skin

Oil attracts oil and so this makes it excellent at getting in and lifting grime out of your pores. I love the oil cleanser from Living Libations, but I’m currently out of it and don’t have a photo to show you.

To use as a cleanser, just pump some of the oil out onto a dry hand and massage onto a dry face for one minute then rinse off with a wet cloth. You want to put it onto a dry face when using it as a cleaner so that the water won’t repel the oil and keep it from cleansing properly.

2. It helps lock in moisture

Facial oils help all of my water-based products work better. Lotions and facial mists are high in water content, but often times they evaporate before they really have time to penetrate the skin. Using an oil as my last step in my skin care helps to provide a barrier to protect my other products and keep them in!

3. You can find different oils for different needs

I’ll be honest, I pretty much pick my face oils based on smell (most oils smell delicious!) and then I see how my skin likes it, but technically different oils have different properties, just like the herbivore ones above. Some are known to be great for brightening, tightening, hydrating, reducing the appearance of redness, acne etc. If you’ve got a particular skin problem, you can find an oil blend tailored to your needs.

4. A little goes a long way

Facial oils are often on the pricier side when it comes to skincare, but I find that they last a long time and help me to extend the life of my other skin care products (i.e. lotions). Most oils come in dropper form and for my face and neck I only use 3-5 drops.

5. Your skin will look and feel magical

I’m telling you, try oil for a month and you’ll never go back. Whenever I get really busy and slack on my skincare or I run out of my oily gold, I’m reminded why I use oil. The quality of my skin is just 100 times better when I’m consistently using it. Also, there’s just something about oils that make you feel fancy AF.

And if you’re still concerned about putting oil on your face, chances are you already are! Most lotions contain some form of oil in them, this is just a more direct, potent way of using these ingredients that already live in your favorite moisturizer.

How to Apply a Face Oil

Sometimes I only use oil, other times I use other products along side an oil. If I’m only using oil, I’ll splash my face with water so that its damp before I put on my oil so that it can help lock in the added moisture (but remember add oil to a dry face when using it as a cleanser).

If I’m using other products (lotions, facial sprays, eye creams etc.) I apply those products first and then seal them in with my oil on top. After my oil has a few minutes to absorb I finish with my sunscreen and makeup.

The oil absorbs pretty quickly and you shouldn’t feel greasy throughout the day. If you do, use less oil. Your skin should feel soft and hydrated.

I also love using a rose quartz roller on my face after I apply my oils with my fingers. The roller helps press the oil deeper into your skin. It’s also really good for your lymphatic system and increasing circulation. Personally, I love it because it feels so nice. I’ll use it after my bath when I apply my oils and the cool stone feels amazing on my warm post-bath-face.

But seriously start oiling your face and let your skin drink up the yumminess. You could even make it part of your morning ritual. It’s seriously my favorite beauty secret. I really do love this trio of oils and think its a great introduction to facial oils or a beautiful addition to an oil collection if you’re already an oil lover like myself.

Cheers to pretty supple hydrated skin,

Herbivore Facial Oil Trio | Orchid Oil | Phoenix Oil | Lapis Oil

Rose Quartz Roller | Living Libations Oil Cleanser | Trinket Dish (different)

[This post may contain affiliate links. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I only share products I truly love]