10 of the best oils for your skin

Central heating, cold winds, rain, open fires… they all help to dry skin out and leave it looking dull and lacklustre. Plant and seed oils may be just the boost your skin needs.

Many people assume that they can’t use oils if they have oily skin. That’s actually not the case. Some oils can help to balance your skin’s natural oil production, so actually reduce the oiliness. And many essential oils are antiseptic and work wonders on acne.

One of my all-time favourite oils is oat oil. It contains high levels of linoleic acid, which is very moisturising and keeps the skin hydrated. It also helps the skin to repair itself and can really soothe irritation. Oat oil is a vital ingredient in my Day Cream, Body Lotion and Hand Cream.

As well as helping to nourish your skin, oil can be fantastic for cleansing; I use six different oils in my Cleanser:

• Peach kernel oil deep cleans pores and lifts the dirt away.
• Grapefruit oil is antiseptic and can help to balance your skin’s natural oils, so can reduce acne. It also tones and refreshes your skin.
• Neroli oil is a fantastic skin rejuvenator. It promotes elasticity and works to repair broken capillaries. It’s also another great oil for combating breakouts.
• Chamomile oil is known for its calming properties. It can soothe skin and calm sensitivity.
• Sweet orange oil can help to make the skin more radiant. (It also smells lovely.)
• Lavender oil is anti-inflammatory and antiseptic, so can help with acne. It’s also used to improve the appearance of scars and other blemishes.

Those last three are essential oils, so you only need a tiny amount, as they’re pretty strong, so can irritate the skin if you use too much.

As my regular readers will know, I often advocate turning to your kitchen to find skin-beneficial natural ingredients. Seed oils are good for giving your skin a boost of moisture, for example. You could add two teaspoons of olive oil to a mashed up avocado and a couple of drops of lemon juice to make an easy face mask. Or, if you have dry skin, just massage a few drops of olive or sunflower oil into your face while you’re in the shower and gently wipe off any excess with a damp muslin cloth.

Coconut oil is another good oil to keep handy. It’s great for cooking, and makes a good all over body oil, as it has a lot of fatty acids.

Which oils do you use? Tweet me @NaryndaSkincare or leave a comment below.