DIY Beauty Oil

It looks like beauty oils are getting a lot of hype recently at the beauty counter. The initial idea of applying oils directly to your face probably horrifies most, but the big secret is: using oils as a moisturizer doesn't make your skin oily. Period.

     
When I started to simplify my beauty regime I came across blogger Crunchy Betty, a wealth of knowledge for all things natural. She rocked my world with this post, about blending your own facial oil. My mom uses straight up extra virgin olive oil on her face, so the concept wasn't that foreign, but I was skeptical about oil on my acne prone skin.

For over a year now I've been using my own blend of oils as my primary facial moisturizer. I've mentioned before, my skin isn't great, but I've finally found what works and what keeps it balanced, and this recipe is key, better than any prescription or expensive moisturizer. Using Crunchy Betty's formula I mix...

• 3/5 Argan Oil (Base Oil) - "great for dry, aging, oily, normal, or acne-prone skin"
• 1/5 Tamanu Oil (Nourishing Oil) - "wooooooooooonderful for acneic or oily skin, or skin with scars" 
• 1/5 Neem Oil (Nourishing Oil) - "very antimicrobial and healing, neem oil is a stellar choice for acne and oily skin" Warning: This oil has an unpleasant smell that eventually dissipates. It's kinda like, garlic? Chris will only notice when he comes in for a kiss goodnight.
• Just a drop or two of Lavender (Healing Essential Oil) - "acne, oily, or even dry skin – lavender is healing, but a little, tiny bit goes a long way"

As you can see my mixture is specifically for my skin type, I encourage you to check out Crunchy Betty's post to see what would work best for you! She suggests starting out with a base oil alone on your face, like argan or jojoba. See how your skin reacts. These nourishing oils keep my skin soft, balanced, and actually less oily! Go figure.

I use just a drop in the morning and at night after I cleanse and tone.

I chuckle when I'm in Sephora and I see that Josie Maran (and others) are peddling beauty oils. They boast 100% pure argan oil at outrageous prices. Don't waste your money on the label! Let's compare...

Josie Maran's 100% Argan Beauty Oil, 4 ounces for $96 VS. 100% Organic Argan Oil from Mountain Rose Herbs, 4 ounces for $25.25.

You can get everything I mentioned from Mountain Rose Herbs, they are the BEST.