To achieve the best results possible from your lovely facial oils there's one simple step not to skip .. apply oils to skin that has already been rehydrated.

What do we mean by "moisture"?

What is “dry skin” anyway?

Can we resolve the feeling of our skin being parched and dehydrated .. YES WE CAN!

Dehydrated skin or Dry Skin? What is the difference and how does it inform your choice of “moisturizer”? Acute dry skin can be caused by a long list of factors; the time and season of the year, over-exfoliation, drying products (benzoyl peroxide, clay masks) age, and even your sex, diet, genetics, skin type, skincare routine, air travel, just to name a few.

Accurately determining the root cause of your situation is key to choosing the right product to support normal healthy skin, or to bring relief and healing to damaged skin.

Our skin requires both Oil AND Water to stay happy and plump. Oil can only provide, well, oil.

When skin is lacking either the outward appearance can be very similar: dull, rough, irritated, or redness, you may even have exacerbated acne issues, clogged pores, and bumps!

Once we have a better understanding of your skin issue - knowing what to reach for is critical to addressing the problem.

If your usually happy skin is not overly dry then the use of Facial oils, applied to damp skin, is an effective, nourishing way to condition and provide a light moisturizing effect.

However …

If you have very dry skin or experiencing an ACUTE spell of dry, irritated skin I suggest that you first read my post ”Are seed oils moisturizing? A cautionary tale”. This post will help determine which approach is best for you right now.

First off, oils in and of themselves do not provide our skin with any moisture at all! Not one molecule of water in a drop of oil.

WATER = MOISTURE

When we say moisture and /or hydration what we are really saying is "WATER"!

So if we want to “moisturize” or “hydrate” our skin at the same time we are providing nourishment with a pure facial oil (not a lotion or cream) we have to manually add the water component ourselves to gain moisture.

Oils do many other important tasks but they do not provide moisture.  

As we age our skin becomes less able to absorb oils and they tend to sit on the skin and feel too greasy.

Oils applied with moisture (water, aloe juice, toner) work to soften the skin and act as a “carrier”, improving the skin’s ability to absorb emollient facial oils and then sealing in that moisture for a period of time.

Our tap water is causing skin problems …

Over 80% of the tap water in the US is considered "hard". Water that has a lot of dissolved metals and minerals in it is referred to as "hard water".  We are bathing in it, drink it, and wash our clothes with it.  Hard water has a basic pH and it isn't great at rinsing so it leaves residue behind, in your laundry ... and on your skin. And this can spell trouble. For an in-depth look into problems with our tap water today.

TAP WATER TODAY + SKIN HEALTH

NATURE'S PERFECT TONER:

PURE STEAM DISTILLED HYDROSOL WATER

Often considered an extra and unnecessary step in a routine, I would argue that it might be as important as anything else we are doing to help nourish and condition our skin. Toning is even more important when the Acid Mantle is impaired. It might be THE most important step when addressing persistent parched, dehydrated skin.

WHY? To ensure skin health at any age, WE MUST RE-ACIDIFY OUR SKIN AFTER CONTACT WITH TAP WATER. The single most important aspect of the toning step is to adjust the pH of the skin.

Most conventional toners contain denatured alcohol and this causes irritation and dryness making pure plant steam distilled Hydrosol waters an outstanding choice for your water component. 

By themselves are are extremely gentle and mild, safe enough even for babies. They are very nourishing, containing hundreds of medicinal plant compounds including essential oils in very small amounts, making them very unlikely to cause skin irritation.  

Hydrosols’ slightly acidic pH matches our skin’s desired, slightly acidic pH. They won't disrupt or alter the vital functions of the Acid Mantle, that thin layer on the surface of our skin. Hydrosols nourish, restore, and condition the Acid Mantle. 

Hydrosols have been used for thousands of years for different purposes. They are by far, one of my favorite nourishing skin care traditions from the past. One which can have a real impact on skin health.

ACNE? ROSACEA? ECZEMA?

Hydrosols also contain carboxylic acids. These acids are present in all steam-distilled hydrosols and may explain some of their observed anti-inflammatory activity.

Depending on the plants chosen to create the hydrosol we can increase the calming and soothing impact of a hydrosol to address inflammatory skin conditions like acne, rosacea, eczema, etc. Plants such as rose, plantain, and witch hazel are of particular interest, as these are well known to reduce skin irritation.

All things held equal, if your dehydrated skin issue is not too bad, and you are young enough to still produce enough skin oils then you can get results over time by using just oils applying your oils to to damp skin and nothing else.

This will take 1 - 2 months depending on many factors (climate, skincare routine, tap water issues)

You should find your skin becoming more supple and better able to retain moisture. The second application of oils may no longer be needed. 

If you were very generous with the oils, you may feel a bit oily after it has a chance to dry completely and absorb.

In the morning if I overdo it with the oils, I just spritz more hydrosol water and massage, allowing it to air dry. This seems to wash away a bit of the oil and usually solves the problem. When this happens at night I just don't worry about it, I let it all soak in and go to bed.

Tightness is a sign of dryness.

After your skin has dried completely after the first application of oils to wet skin, for about 15-20 minutes your skin may feel tight.

Simply re-moisten your skin and apply a few more drops of oils, massage, and again allow to air dry.

2 applications might be all your skin needs. Over time, you may find you no longer need the second application. But if the dryness persists you will need a different approach.

If the dry, parched feeling is too persistent to beat back with just water + oil then you need to consider a different approach at least for a while during the healing phase.

Age is just one factor that makes it harder for our skin to absorb and retain moisture well for very long. But anyone at any age can experience this.

So we need to turn to lotions or creams to get the job done, adding drops of oil to your cream or lotion is an extremely effective way to see results over time.