Today, it seems like every cosmetic company is launching pure face oils–and with good reason, these oils rehydrate dry and flaky skin quite successfully.

But with so many products on the market, it can be difficult to know where to begin.

What is Face Oil?

A good face oil is made from a pure, plant-based oil. A high-quality product doesn’t contain synthetic ingredients and is made with natural ingredients that aren’t derived from petroleum products. Words like “petrolatum” and “mineral oil” signal that a product contains petroleum-derived ingredients which can actually dry your skin out. Rather than chemicals, a product should be derived from plants, nuts, trees, and flowers.

How To Use Face Oil

Face oil can be mixed with your moisturizer or it can also be used as a stand-alone product.

• If you use it on its own, use it after your moisturizer.
• If you replace your moisturizer with it completely, add it in after you cleanse and tone your skin. It’s especially helpful for use overnight.
• Be careful not to overuse your face oil.
• Start with a tiny amount, depending on your skin type, and add more if needed.

How to Choose the Best Face Oils

1. Acure Moroccan Argan Oil ($13)

Acure Moroccan Argan Oil is reasonably priced and it’s organic, vegan, sulfate-free, and paraben-free. It contains vitamin E, essential fatty acids, and argan oil, which are all really good for restoring dry skin to its former vibrant state. You can use it on your face as well as on your cuticles and hair.

2. Aster & Bay Serum Absolute ($38)

Aster & Bay Serum Absolute is so good for your skin that you’ll become a skin serum addict. It’s an anti-aging product the smooths fine lines while rejuvenating tired skin. It contains abyssinian oil, which is a new innovation for skin rehydration. What’s more, it contains fatty acids as well as the antioxidant marula oil, which works on facial redness. It also contains chia seed extract and hazelnut oil.

3. VoilaVe Organic Rosehip Oil ($13)

Rosehip oil is another facial oil that like argon oil is gaining popularity because of its ability to repair skin. VoilaVe Organic Rosehip Oil is a particularly good product because it’s organic and contains no additives. It’s also cold-pressed, meaning that the oil is never heat-treated, a process that can reduce antioxidants. Rosehip oil also contains vitamin A and C, which are both important for treating scars, age spots, and general skin unevenness.

4. Nyakio Hydrating Facial Oil with Kola Nut ($50)

Nyakio is a yummy lightweight oil that contains kola nut, an African nut that helps your skin look more youthful. It doesn’t contain any synthetic ingredients and a little goes a long way. It also contains other anti-inflammatory ingredients like lavender oil and sesame seed oil that work on hyperpigmentation and redness.

5. Drunk Elephant Virgin Marula Luxury Face Oil ($72)

This product is so much more than just an awesome name. It also contains virgin marula oil, omega-6 and -9 fatty acids, vitamin E, as well as other antioxidants. These ingredients diminish fine lines, wrinkles, and blotchiness no matter your skin type. Drunk Elephant doesn’t contain any synthetic ingredients or fragrances which can weigh down your skin. The name, by the way, comes from the fact that elephants actually get drunk eating the marula fruit.

Using Olive Oil on Your Face

One of the easiest and least expensive ways to add a face oil to your beauty routine is to add olive oil. Choose organic, cold pressed oil and substitute it for your moisturizer at night. Olive oil contains antioxidant protection like vitamin E, polyphenols, and phytoesterols. It doesn’t clog your pores like coconut oil, which is a bit heavier on the skin’s surface.

Start with about a teaspoon of olive oil. Rub your hands together and then gently apply, massaging it into your forehead, cheekbones, and chin. Be careful to avoid the eyes. Don’t overuse olive oil, because it can leave an oily finish if you do. It’s also better to use it at night so that it has time to sink into the skin’s surface. It can also be used to soften skin all over your body as well as your cuticles and hair.

Related on EcoSalon
Why Fruit Oils Are Your Skin’s New Jam
11 of the Best Oils for Skin: Natural Plant-Based Beauty
Is Coconut Oil Good for Your Skin or Just a Pain in Your Pores?

The post How to Choose the Best Face Oils (and Why They Work So Well!) appeared first on EcoSalon.

Argan oil has been popular in skincare for a while now. But this extraordinary ingredient has been doing good way before QVC and Josie Maran. Find out how best to get amazing argan oil benefits into your life.

You can hardly talk natural skincare without argan oil coming up. It may have become sort of mainstream these past several years, but this nut oil has a long history.

Spied on ingredient listings as argania spinose, argan oil is obtained from the nuts of the argan tree. Grown only in the southwestern region Morocco, women of the area have been using the oil for centuries for its healing properties.

Argan oil holds many beauty benefits and women love the stuff for good reason. It’s a powerful anti-ager, acne fighter, skin rejuvenator, and more. But buyer beware. Not all argan oil products are created equally. And equally here means without toxic ingredients.

You can hop into almost any beauty counter, drugstore, or online beauty shop and pick up a product made with argan oil. To get the most skincare bang for your buck, it is important to purchase high quality, nontoxic products.

Find out which argan oil products are best and how to use them. You’ll be glad you added this beauty to your regimen.

7 Amazing Argan Oil Benefits for Healthy Skin and Hair

1. Anti-aging Hero: More than just another anti-aging ingredient, argan oil is thought of by many organic beauty producers as a super ingredient. Rich in antioxidants, essential fatty acids, and vitamin E, this hero anti-ager is excellent at restoring a youthful appearance to skin. Kahina Giving Beauty 100% Organic Argan Oil is of the highest quality. Use on skin to soften lines, plump, clear, and calm. Try Kahina Giving Beauty Eye Cream to soothe crow’s feet.

2. Non-greasy Moisturizer: Seems most anti-aging products come in oil form. That’s great for dry skin, but what about those with oilier skin looking to treat signs of aging? Argan oil is the answer. This oil works well on all skin types but women with oily skin love it because it does not leave skin greasy or cause breakouts. Highly emollient but absorbs quickly into skin. Suti Honour Coconut & Rose Face Cream offers light hydration and softens skin.

3. Acne Fighter: Argan has natural antibacterial properties, making it an excellent choice for those prone to breakouts. The oil also helps to tone down irritation and inflammation. B Leaf Botanics Banish Blemish Treatment is a potent mix of zit zapping ingredients, but gentle on skin.

4. Lightener and Brightener: This nut oil contains phytosterols which help to brighten the skin and add a natural glow. Studies on the use of argan oil as a treatment for hyperpigmentation disorders of the skin also show promise, and may be beneficial in lightening sun damage and skin discoloration. MUN No. 1 Aknari Brightening Youth Serum combines argan with other healthy natural oils for a bright, supple complexion.

5. Scar Diminisher: That’s right, not only is the oil great for treating lines and wrinkles, many have found it lessens the appearance of scars and stretch marks. Lina Hanson Global Body Serum softens marks and tones skin.

6. Cuticle Repair: We know vitamin E is great for wrangling dry, snaggly cuticles. Add argan oil to your manicure for healthy nails. Kahina Giving Beauty FEZ Hand and Body Balm is perfect on hands, and smells so great you’ll want to use it on the rest of you, too.

7. Hot Oil for Hair: So we know argan has long been used to heal, rejuvenate and support skin. But guess what? This nut oil is a super effective hair treatment too. Warm a small amount of oil in palms and distribute from scalp through ends of hair. Wrap in warm towel and leave for 15 minutes. Shampoo as usual. Hair is soft, shiny, and bouncy.

Didn’t know about all of these useful argan oil benefits? Get in on the goodness of this beauty miracle from nature.

*Disclaimer: Help support EcoSalon! Our site is dedicated to helping people live a conscious lifestyle. We’ve provided some affiliate links above in case you wish to purchase any of these products.

Related on EcoSalon:

What Type of Organic Beauty are You? [Quiz]

Safe Sunscreen for Every Skin Type and Tone

7 Natural and Organic Skincare Brands You Need in Your Life Now

Image of Argan tree via Shutterstock

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A few weeks ago, a friend and I were wandering through a book release party when we came upon the lovely makeup ladies of Josie Maran Cosmetics. They were offering up complimentary makeovers. Already a fan of the eco-conscious cosmetic line and all things “free,” I quickly hopped into a makeup chair. First, I noticed that my own mascara had headed south like a pack of ducks for winter. Second, I picked up on the fact that all the Josie Maran makeup artists had dewy, glowing skin. And by picked up, I mean hit in the face like a lighthouse beacon. These ladies had a glow, and I wanted it yesterday.

The secret to this glow? According to Josie Maran Cosmetics, it is their Argan Oil. Otherwise known as Moroccan Oil, this is Josie Maran’s organic take on an ancient product out of Morocco that has been used for centuries and was sold in Moroccan markets even before the Phoenicians arrived. Rich in vitamin E and essential fatty acids, it contains emollients that are excellent moisturizers for your hair and your skin.

But does it work? Filled with hope that this product would be the cure-all for dry skin, I slathered up my face and lips. I have chronically chapped lips that no lip balm has been able to cure, so I had high hopes that said Argan Oil would accomplish the impossible. I found that the Argan Oil absorbs quickly and that it is best to treat it like a cold cream. It is highly moisturizing and yes, I give it mad props as an excellent solution to dry skin. Did it cure my chapped chopper covers? Sorta. After applying, they would remain moisturized for a while, but would require touch ups.

Argan Oil also claims to be great for hair. Frankly, I have hair strands so fine that a light conditioner makes it look and act like a paper weight. So I asked those with thicker, richer locks to share their experience. As luck would have it, EcoSalon’s Editor-in-Chief Sara Ost is a user of the product – not Argan Oil, but MorrocanOil – similar, just not organic, MoroccanOil is cruelty-free and uses recycling in their packaging. As Sara told me, “I actually just started using MorrocanOil because it was on sale at Nordstrom Rack. Yes, so green, I know! I bought it because I was excited to see something green at a box store, and it’s normally ridiculously expensive. It took a few times to get the amount right – I had some uber grease streaks going on the first day – but now it’s my favorite hair product. Tames the frizz and defines the curls without being crunchy. In fact, there’s no ‘product feel’ to my hair at all.”

Don’t want to invest in the $48 Josie Maran Argan Oil or $39 for MorrocanOil? Organic olive oil will get you similar results on your skin, hair and nails. But be forewarned – I went through a brief spat of being saturated in olive oil a few weeks back. Yes, my skin was hydrated, but it took forever to absorb. I was leaving more oil slicks behind me than a tanker in Prince William Sound. (Yes, there are more topical references, but I’m not going there just quite yet.) You can easily use olive oil for skin hydration, but just be careful sitting down or brushing up against any unfortunate furry friend in the meantime.

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