The Science Behind Beauty

By Dr Juliet O.

Thursday 8 March 2018

#DearJuliet | Are facial oils enough to use on their own? Isn't daily scrubbing too abrasive? How do you know when you're overdoing it?


#DearJuliet : Are facial oils enough to use on their own? How do you know when your overdoing it? The daily face washes out there, are they as really required? I mean isn't daily scrubbing to abrasive?


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Are facial oils enough to use on their own?

Facial oils aren't usually enough because oils don't have moisturising properties just on their own. They "seal in moisture" (if its there). So they are a great moisture sealant, which I think is a far better word and you can use this after a moisturiser. Adding moisture to your skin can be in the form or water, as its hydrating the skin, water based moisturising creams/gels/ lotions.

If you had really really dry skin and you only used an oil for a few days, you may find that your skin would still be dry. This further demonstrates that oils aren't necessarily the only thing responsible for moistursing the skin.

How do you know when your overdoing it? 
In regards to overdoing it! The main thing your skin needs are simply:
  1. Cleansing- daily
  2. Moisturising- daily
  3. Exfoliating- dead skin cells (every so often)

Isn't daily scrubbing too abrasive?

Daily scrubbing is fine but over-scrubbing may be too abrasive! Over-scrubbing may strip the skin of too much oil, cause dehydration or cause abrasions in due to skin trauma due to the harshness of scrubbing. So keep scrubbing and exfoliation gentle and kind to your skin.

Be careful to keep the oil and water balanced on the skin, as this is what healthy skin needs. And use products that are appropriate to your skin type. For example, if you have dry skin, be careful not to use "cleansers" made for oily skin as you may dry out your skin even more (by stripping oils), affecting the oil and water balance. 

There are two types of exfoliation 1) physical/ manual- using a sponge/ face brush, sugar or other face scrubs 2) chemical- chemical peels that dissolved the dead skin layer.  

Exfoliation could be using a sponge or a face brush to remove the dead skin cells or a face scrub. Again, it is also important to look out for products appropriate to your skin type i.e. (dry, oily, combination or normal). If you have dry or sensitive skin, when you exfoliate, keep it gentle and don't use harsh exfoliation methods that will dry out your skin or cause an abrasion. 

Hope this was helpful! I get lots of messages with these types of questions and I pick a few to feature on my blog. If you wanna get in touch or have any questions please email or message me directly. 

Thanks for reading!

Love you lots J x
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8 comments

  1. Great tips!! I agree with the oils, that's why everyone should be using them as the last step in the skincare routine, I usually do serums-moisturizing cream-oil. Works amazing for me!!

    Yiota
    pinkdaisyloves.blogspot.com

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    1. Oh that's great to hear Yiota! Glad you liked the skincare tips! Thank you for commenting xx

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  2. I am guilty sometimes of using just oil and forgetting to use a water based moisturiser as well. Thank you for reminding me that I need one 🙈

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  3. Oh this was a good one. I used to use just facial oils in the past but now I know better. I have noticed lately that my legs are really dry shoukd the same principle be applied to the body. Should I be using a water based moisturiser and sealing with a body oil or is that a bit excessive?

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    1. Hi Keziah! Thank you so much for reading! Definitely give it a try! As soon as you get out of the shower (when you skin is damp) apply the moisturiser first, then the oil after. Be sure, to swap around the oil and moisturiser until you get the right combination that works well for your skin. Let me know how it works for you! xx

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  4. I love facial oils because I have dry-normal skin. It's definitely not enough to be used on its own but I add it to my moisturizer or as the last step to seal everything in.

    Shireen⎜Reflection of Sanity

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    1. Yes exactly, I do the same and it works great for my skin too! Thanks so much for commenting Shireen xx

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