The Best Facial Oils for Women Over 50 To Restore Moisture, Firmness and More
As much as we love slathering on our favorite moisturizer or applying a good face mask, sometimes these things just don't cut it when it comes to deeply hydrating our skin. That's because our skin, especially drier or mature skin types, may need more to restore moisture — and this "more" is facial oils! Using these oils has become increasingly popular due to their ability to nourish skin, to assist with oilplaning or dermaplaning and to make skin softer and more supple. However, it's not as simple as just rubbing on some coconut oil and calling it day. There are certain oils that work especially well on skin and others that are best to avoid. Here, all about facial oils, how to use them and the best facial oils to try to remedy all your skin's needs.
What are facial oils?
As the name suggests, facial oils are skincare oils intended for use on our face. They can be used for a wide variety of reasons, from making your dermaplaning razor glide more easily to moisturizing dry skin to targeting skin concerns like redness or irritation. Just like how adding hair oil onto the ends of strands can help with breakage and dry, brittle hair, facial oil can help repair dry, flaky skin.
The benefits of using facial oils for mature skin
With age, you might notice your skin becoming more dry as you go through menopause. This is very common, yet can be so frustrating trying to figure out what can help. Even those who had oily skin most of their life can suddenly experience dry skin with these hormonal changes. And add that to skin losing its natural collagen, and therefore skin firmness, as we get older, meaning it produces "less of its own ceramides and hydration," says medical esthetician and beauty influencer Cassandra Bankson.
"Ceramides are waxy, oily substances that help hold hydration in the skin," says Bankson. "But unfortunately, with less of them, more evaporation of our skin's water and moisture can occur, and the skin can become drier, more delicate, experience more fine lines and wrinkles and overall feel more fragile," she notes. "Hydrators add hydration into the skin, but the water won’t stay inside of the skin as effectively unless there is a sealant or something over the top to lock that moisture into the skin."
Facial oils can help restore those lost ceramides and hydrators. "This is why oils can be so incredibly beneficial," says Bankson. "Oils and water repel each other, meaning if you use an oil over your water-based products, it actually helps to lock and seal that moisture into the skin. For women with more mature skin, this could mean a reduction in fine lines and wrinkles, a healthier skin barrier, more of a glow and luminosity and can actually help your makeup sit on your skin better and blend in to look more even."
Ingredients to look for in facial oils
Everyone's skin is different and has different needs, so there isn't a one-size-fits-all answer to the best and worst facial oil ingredients. "There are many different oils out there, but some are better than others," notes Bankson. "There are heavy oils that feel thick and greasy on the skin, but there are also dry oils, that actually feel dry to the touch.
"The best type of oil is heavily dependent on each person, their preferences, the other products in their routine and their skin needs, but there are some general oils that work for almost everyone," says Bankson. Keep reading to see the ones that make her list.
1. Squalane
We naturally produce squalene in our skin, a lipid that provides moisture and hydration to our skin barrier. Unfortunately, it's another component that decreases with age. Thankfully, you can restore this lost squalene with squalane, says Bankson. This buzzy skincare ingredient is commonly found in many facial oils, moisturizers, cleansers and more.
2. Jojoba oil
This oil is one of Bankson's favorites, especially for oily skin. And while you may be apprehensive to add a facial oil into your skincare routine if you're naturally oily, facial oils can help balance out your skin barrier, leading you to actually less oily skin. "It [jojoba oil] is technically a wax ester, not a true oil, but it mimics the squalene oil that we spoke about earlier, without feeling overly greasy on the skin," suggest Bankson. "It absorbs well and I find this to be great for oily skin types that still lack hydration and support skin in looking glowy and healthy."
Ingredients to avoid in facial oils
As far as ingredients to avoid in facial oils, Bankson recommends staying away from essential oils (especially if they are undiluted) and coconut oil, as these can lead to breakouts and/or cause irritation to the skin.
How to use facial oils
As previously discussed, facial oils can help "lock" in moisture and your other skincare products to help them fully absorb into skin. Bankson recommends using a facial oil as the last step in your skincare routine, "to seal in any water-based toners, serums and moisturizers. You could also use a moisturizer that has oils in it." Or "oil can also be used as a treatment to wake up with dewy, fresh skin in the morning," says Bankson. To apply, simply massage 1-2 drops of your preferred facial oil into skin in gentle, circular motions. Then get your beauty sleep!
Tip: You can also apply to skin before dermaplaning or oilplaning. Pat into skin before using your facial razor to help blade glide more effortlessly across skin.
The 4 best facial oils for women over 50
Biossance 100% Sugarcane Squalane Oil
This facial oil made Bankson's top picks list. It's made of "pure squalane oil that is derived from some of the purest olive sources and only has one ingredient," she says. "Since it mimics exactly what our skin creates, it is a wonderful choice. It can be used on the face and all over the body."
Honest Beauty Organic Beauty Facial Oil with Jojoba Oil
Bankson recommends jojoba oil for oily skin types. She specifically recommends the Trader Joe's Jojoba Oil, but since it's unavailable online, we like this pick made with jojoba, avocado and apricot oil.
The Ordinary Retinol 0.5% in Squalane Serum
Retinol is a superhero ingredient for anti-aging and it works especially well in oil form. "This is one of my personal favorite oils because it also has the benefits of retinoids," explains Bankson. "This is a fantastic choice for women with mature skin because retinoids naturally help increase skin cell turnover, and are a medically proven ingredient to treat fine lines and wrinkles and boost collagen and elastin skin production in the skin."
Bankson loves this choice for mature and/or oily skin. "(This) is one of my favorite choices for day use, especially for mature, combination or dry skin types. Oily skin can benefit from using this as well if it is applied sparingly under a sunscreen," she says. "Because it has ingredients such as rose and flower waxes, it has a natural vitamin C, but it also has a blend of jojoba and sweet almond oil that is extraordinarily nourishing to the skin."
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