If you've never used a facial oil, chances are you're wondering: "Why would I use oil on my face?!"

In which case, you might have been confused if you've ever noticed the Facial Oils section on our site. And you likely just skipped over it.

But surprise! Specific oils can actually play very beneficial roles in your skincare routine. Here's how...

Cleansing

For those with dry, sensitive or mature skin, a properly formulated facial oil blend is a wonderful, gentle, non-drying alternative to conventional cleansers. But how can an oil cleanse your skin? When we think of cleansers we generally picture something akin to soap.

What a cleanser is truly doing is removing surface oils and debris. When you use soap or foaming cleanser, the suds do that job -- but they are also removing natural oils and moisture at the same time. With an oil blend like our 4Roses Facial Tonic, you're using oil for cleansing -- it still cleans the pores, but the cleaning action is via the cleaning pad or cloth instead of suds.

What it looks like to use oil as a cleanser: 1) apply the oil gently to face and neck using light, upward strokes; 2) wipe with a cleansing pad or cloth; 3) spritz with toner and wipe again, with a clean pad or cloth. After this, you do not need to additionally moisturize. Rose hydrosol (or rose water toner) is a great option to use with this.

Moisturizing

Other blends are formulated to be used as moisturizers after a non-oil cleanser and toner. Our Balance Facial Oil for combination skin, and Sensitive Facial Oil for sensitive, dry or aging skin are meant for just that.

In this case, you will use the cleanser of your choice and follow up with toner (again, hydrosols work great as toners but the most important thing is that you use a toner before the oil). It is vitally important to apply toner before oil when using the oil as a moisturizer. This is because the toner -- the water-based ingredient -- is the conductor which gets the oil to absorb, rather than just sitting on the skin.

Oil application: we like to just dab the oil on and use a light touch. You'll still be pressing the oils into your skin, but you avoid pulling the skin and exacerbating wrinkles.

As An Added Bonus

Other single oils can either be used on their own as a moisturizer, as in the previous point, or added by the drop to your favourite moisturizer in order to lend their unique benefits. These include Rosehip and Red Raspberry Seed Oil. Rosehip Oil is wonderful for aging or dry skin and a great choice for all skin types except oily. Red Raspberry Seed Oil boasts anti-inflammatory properties that make it a perfect choice for oily or acneic skin and has also been shown to offer SPF protection.