Myth: Oil based products congest the skin – True or False

People with oily/combination complexions tend to be scared of  using oils within their skincare regime. I most certainly was, thinking they would make my skin oilier, clog pores and cause spots. Well, its time to hold off that oil ban as certain essential oils prove to have quite the opposite effect, actually benefiting problematic skin. 


Geraldine Howard founder of Aromatherapy shares her wisdom to break this myth, revealing the true benefits: 

“In reality oils can have the opposite effect. During my years of working as a therapist, I have found that facial oils containing certain essential oils can be extremely effective in helping to actually regulate oily skin and heal outbreaks. You  simply have to be clever when choosing a product.

While Oils such as wheatgerm, evening primrose, avocado and peach kernal are all rich and nourishing, they are better for dry rather than oily skin. Instead choose products that contain jojoba oil, which is technically a wax and can be used to gently cleanse and remove natural oils and dirt. Equally essential oils such as lemon have an evaporative effect on the skin, drying the skin by drawing moisture out, while binding sebum and helping to dispense of it. Lavender essential oil has both antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties, which are excellent for oily skins prone to outbreaks. When combined with ylang-ylang essential oil, which helps regulate the level of sebum produced by your skin, these oils are highly effective skin care products for oily skin

In many ways, oil based products are a far better way to deal with oily skin than soap based cleansers which are too harsh as they completely strip it of its natural oils, when this happens the skin strived to replace it, causing sebum production to go into overdrive making the problem worse.”