Frugal Facial Oils for Fabulous Skin

by Andrea Norris-McKnight

Looking for a more natural and inexpensive addition to your skin care routine? You might want to consider facial oils. We talk with a beauty blogger to get the scoop on the benefits of using facial oils as part of a frugal skin care regimen.

Here at The Dollar Stretcher, we are always looking for ways to spruce up a beauty routine on a budget.

We reached out to beauty blogger Joan Lee to give us the scoop on why facial oils could be an effective (and frugal) option for fabulous skin. Here’s what Joan had to say:

Q: What kind of skincare routine is best when considering using facial oils on your skin?

Joan: One common misconception is that people can rely on oils as their sole moisturizing product. Oils are actually great at helping skin retain moisture it already has from escaping or preventing what is known as Trans Epidermal Water Loss (TEWL). (Source: CompoundChem.com.)

Skin requires a balance of water and oil. As oils do not actually add moisture back into the skin, they are best used at the end of one’s skincare routine to seal other hydrating products in. Using oils at nighttime will help the skin benefit from the often antioxidant-rich, skin-repairing oils as you sleep. Alternatively, oils can also be used as a very effective makeup remover or a “first cleanser.”

Q: What are the different uses for facial oils? Can they be used for cleansing as well as moisturizing? Or just moisturizing?

Joan: They can be used for both cleansing and sealing moisture into the skin (not moisturizing, as I explained above)!

As a cleanser, oils are used to dissolve and remove sunscreen, dirt, and makeup. Some popular cleansing oils are mineral oil, jojoba oil, and sunflower oil. As a moisture sealant, oils are used at night after your other hydrating products. Some popular overnight choices are rosehip oil, argan oil, marula oil, and maracuja (passionfruit) oil.

Q: What are some of the best facial oils to use for dry skin?

Joan: So excellent of you to ask! I actually have dry skin myself and have anecdotally experienced some really great results with sesame oil and marula oil. Rosehip (seed) oil is also excellent for maturing skin as it contains anti-aging properties due to its rich antioxidant content.

Q: Are there any facial oils that someone with oily skin or combination skin might want to use?

Joan: Those with oily skin may benefit from oils that are lighter in terms of viscosity and slightly astringent. Some examples of these types of oils are grapeseed oil, castor oil, and rosehip oil.

Those with combination skin may benefit from using the multi-masking concept with their oils! That is use heavier oils on the drier areas of the face and use lighter oils on the more normal or oily areas of the face.

Q: Can using facial oils over traditional facial products save money? And are the benefits as good?

Joan: In terms of saving money, if you are currently using a makeup remover, consider using oil instead! I mentioned popular cleansing oils above.

Unfortunately, oils cannot replace your moisturizer, but they are excellent, inexpensive products to consider adding to ones’ skincare routine to help heal problem skin.

One last thing is that oils can be very inexpensive. Trusted suppliers like Garden of Wisdom, Lotioncrafters, and Skin Actives sell oils that 100% pure versions of expensive oils from the department store or specialty store for much, much less.

Facial oils can can be an effective addition to a frugal skin care routine. If you’re looking for a more natural and inexpensive addition to your skin care, these facial oil tips will point you in the right direction!

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Reviewed August 2023