Herbal DIY Face Oil

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There are plenty of retinol creams and conventional skincare products promising greater skin. But these often contain ingredients I don’t want on my face or in my body. This DIY herbal face oil features skin soothing and anti-aging ingredients for amazing skin. 

I was blessed with the naturally oily skin that many of my relatives have. It was a tremendous pain in the teenage years, but I say “blessed” because everyone in the family with that skin type has aged incredibly well. In fact, it has only been recently after 6 kids and much stress that I have ever experienced dry skin or the beginnings of wrinkles.

Many of my friends are turning to botox (which kind of blows my mind because they look great without it). But not being one to spend money to inject “the bacterial toxin botulin” into my face shudder I wanted to find a natural way to ward off wrinkles.

DIY Face Oil

This herbal face oil is amazing for skin. It’s somewhat expensive to make, although I’m guessing it’s still cheaper than injecting botulin. It smells incredible and works even better.

I only need a tiny drop each day, so my small bottle should last about 6-8 months. And it’s the only face moisturizer I need. It took me a while to find my perfect skincare routine, but so far I’m really happy with this facial oil. If you want glowing skin, hydration, and natural active ingredients, then give it a try!

Herbal Face Oil Ingredients

These are the ingredients I used in my anti-aging face oil.

Best Face Oil Ingredients

The special blend of oils in this recipe is especially good for skin. Another great thing about this recipe is that it takes seconds to make. We’re just mixing oils with other oils and no water or emulsification is needed. Here’s a breakdown of the ingredients and why they’re so good for you.

Argan Oil

Traditionally argan kernels were harvested from the poo of the goats munching on the argan fruit. Lucky for you there are more modern methods of harvesting! This liquid gold is great for problem skin or to generally nourish the skin. It seals moisture into the skin and protects against sun and wind damage.

Argan oil is also light and easily absorbs deep into skin. You’ll find vitamin E, antioxidant polyphenols, squalane, and carotenes. It calms inflammation, fights free radicals, and helps us age gracefully.

If your skin is on the drier side, then a heavier carrier oil may work better. Pure olive oil, avocado oil, or baobab oil are all good options here. There are lots of different options for aging or mature skin, just use what best fits your needs. You can even mix and match and use a blend of several carrier oils if preferred.

Olive Oil

While it tastes great drizzled over salad, olive oil is often a go-to for skincare. This oil is a major source of squalane, a lipid our skin cells make. Olive moisturizes and soothes damaged skin and acts as a humectant to protect the skin’s barrier.

Avocado Oil 

This nutrient-rich oil with vitamins A, B, and E is a popular choice for skincare. It replenishes the skin’s collagen to help prevent age spots, and soothe inflammation. It’s firming and improves skin tone. It’s also great for softening scaly skin. Avocado oil is pressed from the fleshy fruit, while avocado seed oil comes from the seed (and isn’t so tasty). Both are good for skincare.

Baobab Oil

Improves elasticity and supports collagen health. This oil soothes damaged skin and also helps with breakouts, acne-prone skin, and rosacea. It regenerates, moisturizes, and softens skin. It has a blend of fatty acids, primarily oleic and linoleic fatty acids.

Rosehip Seed Oil

I like adding vitamin C-rich cold pressed rosehip oil to anti-aging skincare products. It’s one of the only drying oils which makes it good for oily skin. Even if you have dry skin or combination skin, it works beautifully in any anti-aging blend. You only need to add a tiny amount in with another carrier oil. You can find it in my rosehip seed oil facial moisturizer here.

Evening Primrose Oil 

High in GLA fatty acids, evening primrose is great for eczema. GLA also reduces inflammation and supports healthy hormone balance. I wouldn’t necessarily use this carrier oil by itself, but it works well mixed with another oil like olive, jojoba, or argan. It’s a little heavier and too much may clog pores. Some dermatologists recommend not using it on very oily or acne-prone skin. 

The Best Essential Oils for Face Oil

There are tons of good botanicals out there, but a few essential oils really stand out when it comes to skincare.

If you’re looking for a natural, anti-aging, and skin smoothing serum or face oil, then give this a try! It’s brightening, good for sensitive skin and dryness, and leaves skin feeling amazing. While these are more expensive oils, they last a long time when diluted. And I use them in other recipes to get the most out of my purchase.

  • Rose – Not only does rose soothe the heart in times of grief, but it soothes damaged skin too.
  • Frankincense – I include this essential oil in my gold, frankincense, and myrrh lotion bars. It’s great for scars, stretch marks, and irritated skin. Studies have looked at frankincense’s ability to soothe inflammation and repair damaged skin. In a 2010 trial, frankincense extract significantly improved skin smoothness and fine lines in women with photoaging.
  • Myrrh – A very thick oil that’s distilled from myrrh resin and has an earthy smell. It’s been used in wound care for centuries. Myrrh is naturally antifungal, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory. Scientists continue to explore its use in infection and wound care, like sepsis cases.
  • Lavender – The most economical of the bunch, lavender is one of the world’s most popular essential oils. It’s calming and soothing and helps to repair damaged skin. It’s antibacterial, good for acne, oily skin, and just damaged skin in general.

How to Use Face Oil

I keep this by my bathroom sink and use a drop after my oil cleansing routine at night. Sometimes I’ll use it after washing my face with honey in the morning. It smells incredible and I love smelling the essential oils as I drift off to sleep or work in the morning.

Since I use oil cleansing and my face is already somewhat moisturized before applying this I can use 1-2 drops. If you’re using a soap based face wash, those dry skin out more so you’ll probably need to apply more face oil than me.

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4.67 from 3 votes

Herbal DIY Face Oil

This soothing and brightening face oil can be customized to your skin type. Use a few drops after cleansing or toning for it's anti-aging effects.
Prep Time2 minutes
Yield: 2 ounces
Author: Katie Wells

Materials

Instructions

  • Add the essential oils to the bottle.
  • Add the carrier oil(s) to the bottle until it's almost full. Be sure to leave room for the dropper or pump lid!
  • Shake well to combine.

Notes

Storage: Keep in a cool, dark place away from direct light and heat.
Shelf life: The oils will go rancid after about 6-18 months. The face oil will last as long as the shelf life of the carrier oil used. 

This article was medically reviewed by Madiha Saeed, MD, a board certified family physician. As always, this is not personal medical advice and we recommend that you talk with your doctor.

What do you use on your face? Leave us a comment and let us know!

 

Katie Wells Avatar

About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

Comments

149 responses to “Herbal DIY Face Oil”

  1. Jackie Avatar

    Ok, so Ive been using olive oil, ditched my creams, and since I have lavender and myrrh atm, I could just add some drops to it. I have dry skin. Thanks for the info!!!Learn so much from your tips!

  2. Gretchen Avatar

    Would rose hip seed oil work well in place of the rose EO? Also what are the benefits of using the frankincense and myrrh oil… I don’t have either and I wonder if it’s just a scent preference or if the are major skin benefits. I’m trying to only buy the most necessary EOs due to $$.
    Thanks!

    1. Katie - Wellness Mama Avatar

      You can leave out rose if needed. Frankincense and Myrrh are great for the skin and high in antioxidants but even the argan oil alone is good for skin so just use what you can/have 🙂

  3. Paisley Avatar

    Hi Katie! I am constantly amazed at your content. Not just how frequently you post, but all that you do post. I am inspired every time I check out your site…and I spend a lot of time here. How does one not read more than two, three, seven of your articles at one sitting? Again, I state, I appreciate the research you do and the fact that you share your information with everyone. Thank you for doing the hard and time consuming work!

  4. KellyAnn Avatar

    I made this recipe tonight, and I must say, bravo! I have been using a face serum I created for the last few months, but still had a bit of dryness. I think this one might make it into the rotation! The only thing I changed was to use rose-geranium EO instead of the pure rose oil, since I do not keep that on hand. It smells great.

  5. Linda Avatar

    What a wonderful site…so much useful, healthy information. Forgive me if there is already something about this topic on your site but I cannot find a way to incorporate water into a lotion [body and face]. Oils are great as emollients but my dry skin needs water badly!!
    I apply your oil recipes directly on to my damp skin but I need more!
    It would be much appreciated if you could suggest a way to modify your already-great lotions with a dose of water…I am very interested in seeing how oil and water can mix and stay mixed. Thanks a bunch!
    Linda

  6. Mandie Avatar

    My mom loves the idea of being all natural, but has a hard time giving up anti aging serums. If this really works, I’d love to make it for her! Can it be used on the sensitive skin around the eyes?

  7. June Combs Avatar
    June Combs

    The timing for this is great! I’m looking for a new moisturizer for my face! Its hard, I’ve been avoiding the rose oil because of price? I’m almost 60 and I don’t want botox either? But there are no miracles! I always thought I would wear my wrinkles proudly but, i look old?

  8. Sara Gordon Avatar
    Sara Gordon

    Myrrh is contraindicated for pregnancy and lactation – FYI to everyone. Katie do you have a substitute for this oil?
    Thanks,
    Sara

  9. Amber Avatar

    Hi Katie. I’m a big lover of your blog. Your recipes are fantastic, and I appreciate your hard work. I am wondering what specific Rose essential oil you used from MRH for the face oil since there are several different ones. Was it the Rose absolute solvent, Bulgarian Rose (yikes!), or the Rose Chinese one? I would be willing to invest in making this if it works because certainly I’ve spent so much more for chemically laden products! Thanks for all you do!

    P.S. I would love to see a DIY fiber mascara recipe. I’m sure you’ve heard of it but it really builds volume and some brands use green tea fibers. If anyone can come up with a DIY natural recipe you can.

  10. Mary Montague Avatar
    Mary Montague

    Is there something else to use in place of the Rose DO? It’s just too expensive.

  11. Cynthia Avatar

    i’m so, so, so terribly disappointed that mountainrose no longer ships essential oils, at least not to California!!! I used to use them exclusively. Now I bounce around a bit but I think I like bulkapothecary best, even though they don’t put reducers on their bottles (which is a royal pain in the you know what!!).

    I use chamomile/jojoba (I have drier skin) which is not cheap either but smells awesome and is obviously effective. In addition to every once in a while just slathering my face/body in coconut oil. You cannot or at least I cannot use coconut oil, lots of it that is, daily because it, at some point, starts to go backwards and actually dry you out. But if you use it here and there it is the best moisturizer!! And also either a rose or chamomile or lavender water (hydrosol), I switcheroo between the three, is great for toning!!!

    LOVE essential oils!!

    Cynthia

  12. Krystal Avatar

    I have been using that same kind of Argan oil on my face and hair for 13 months and i still have some left. It works great for moisturizing as well as the OCM. I only use 2 pumps on my face or hair every day. Check groupon I have seen the argan oil for as low as 15$ on there.

  13. kreichert Avatar

    you seriously only need ONE DROP????!!! for your whole face?? that would be amazing! how long have you used it? when did you start noticing a difference?
    it would be worth the money if there was noticeable improvement!
    right now i am using a serum made by a local apothecary that has marshmallow root, calendula and evening primrose oil in an olive oil base. i like it, but have not noticed HUGE results…and i tend to use more than noted. (the dropper is drippy, and i’m an overachiever-haha)

  14. bec Avatar

    I have done the oil cleansing in the past with macadamia oil and it worked wonderfully. However one batch I was lazy and used olive oil, this cause a cystic acne. It may work fine on others but the oil is too dense for the pores and clogs it. So if you are on a budget I would warn against using the olive oil instead of the argan

  15. Louise Avatar

    So far, at close to 60, I have no need for a moisturizer! I’m still having the very oily skin I’ve been cursed/blessed with all my life, and though it’s mostly a huge pain, I think I do look pretty good as far as (lack of) wrinkles go!!! I’ll bookmark this recipe in case I ever do get dry skin, though if I haven’t by now……….

  16. Joni Avatar

    Hi Katie! I would love to try this recipe but can you make it without the rose oil? It is really pricey! Or could you substitute another oil for the rose? Thank you so much!

  17. Elle Avatar

    Hi Katie!

    I am definitely going to try this with the oil cleansing method 🙂 I do that at night and I always use my magnesium body butter. Do you have any suggestion for where to rub the magnesium body butter? I typically rub it on my stomach and my calves and soles of the feet. Do you think I should rub it anywhere else? I moisturize with your homemade body butter 🙂

    Thanks as always!!

    -Elle

  18. Lynn Avatar

    I have a question about the oils that you use. Do you find them to be any better or at least comparable to those that DoTerra and Young Living produce? I have been looking into oils for a long time and I would really like to use the oils in all the ways that DT and YL state that you can. Topically, diffusing, and ingestion. Do you take any of Mountain Herbs oils internally? Could you if wanted? Do you, or have you, ever used DT or YL oils? How do MH compare? So many questions, I know, but I see that there is a huge price difference in the oils on MH vs the other brands and I would LOVE to save the money and just get them from MH if they are just as good.

    1. kreichert Avatar

      I’m not katie, but I got some misinformation from a DT rep. She, of course said their oils were ok to ingest, and use neat. In talking w/a local apothecary owner (and aromatherapist), I was told that one should NEVER ingest essential oils, no matter what brand, unless under the care of a practioner!! She further said that oils should always be used with carrier oil, as they were too potent to put directly on the skin.
      I know there are differing views on this, but for me, I know natural remedies are powerful medicine, and prefer to err on the side of caution. Besides-the oils last a LOT longer with a carrier oil!! 🙂

      1. Kitty Avatar

        Hi, I’d like to add this: Remember that essential oils are basically concentrated. That’s why it’s best to dilute them in a carrier oil. Some essential oils, for ex. thyme oil, can give you a chemical burn if used without diluting them first. They are safe to use if you take these precautions. And only ingest things that are sold by reputable companies as “food safe.”

    2. Lynn Avatar

      DO NOT INGEST ESSENTIAL OILS! Much controversy has arisen about this as they are plant material. EOs oils are concentrated and recent testing by Dr. Papas of EOU and IUS indicates that while consumption of many of the the plants the oils come from is safe, not so the oils, at least in all but a VERY FEW cases. Severe internal damage can easily result from error, overdoses, and overuse. While the world of EOs is fascinating, before using EOs externally or internally you must educate yourself. It’s not child’s play. One area of aromatherapy which CAN be set upon with reckless abandon – room deodorizers, soaps, perfumes, etc. On a therapeutic level, caution, knowledge and experience in the field are mandatory when using essential oils.

      1. Cynthia Avatar
        Cynthia

        You seem to know about EOs Lynn. Do you think it’s safe to put a citrus in a perfume or would the person only be ok to wear that perfume if she/he were not going to be in the sun for 24 hrs?

  19. Christy Avatar

    When you say you can use another oil like olive oil if you have dry skin, is that in place of the argon oil or in addition to it?

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