Layering Facial Oils With Other Skincare

Including a nutrient rich facial oil in your skincare routine is your key to balanced, healthy, and glowing skin. However, layering it in with your other skincare products may require a bit of strategy to ensure you get the full benefits of your oil, while also allowing your skin to absorb everything properly.
For some, just layering our Beauty Shamans Omega Oils on after your toner is all you may need (aka skipping the serums and the moisturizer). But if you are needing to incorporate more layers into your routine, here’s a guide to layering your facial oil in with your other products:

General Rule of Thumb:

• Thin to Thick: You should almost always layer skincare products from thinnest to thickest consistency. The more lightweight products should go first, followed by thicker products like oils and creams.
• To avoid pilling (when skincare products form small balls or flakes on top of the skin instead of being absorbed), play with the absorption time of your products until you find the sweet spot. Some products may work best when applied quickly one after another so that they blend into a “skincare smoothie” or mixture on your barrier. Other products may require that you allow a little extra time between applying your serums, oils, and moisturizer to allow your products to absorb -- usually 1-2 min. 

Step-by-Step Guide to a Layering Facial Oil:

1. Cleanser:

• Start with a cleanser to remove dirt, oil, and makeup from your skin. This ensures that your skin is clean and ready to absorb the skincare products you’ll apply next.
• If you’re using an oil cleanser, this can be your first step, followed by a water-based cleanser to ensure deep cleaning.

2. Toner/Essence:

• After cleansing, apply a toner or essence. These products are usually lightweight and help balance your skin’s pH, as well as prepare for better absorption of the following products.
• If you're using a hydrating mist, this is also the time to use it.

3. Serum/Active Ingredients:

• Next, apply any serums or treatment products that contain active ingredients like hyaluronic acid, Vitamin C, or retinol.
• These are often thinner and penetrate deeply into the skin, delivering targeted benefits.

4. Eye Cream (if applicable):
If you use an eye cream, now is the time to apply it. Gently tap it in with your ring finger to avoid tugging the delicate skin around your eyes.

5. Facial Oil:

• Apply your facial oil next. This step locks in moisture and creates a barrier that helps your skin retain hydration.
• Depending on the oil’s thickness and the season, you may need just a few drops or a more generous amount. Gently warm it in your hands and press it into your skin. Then massage it in, focusing on areas that need extra hydration or nourishment.
• You can also mix a couple of drops of the facial oil in with your moisturizer to create a more hydrating, nourishing treatment. This technique gives skin a beautiful glow. 

6. Moisturizer (optional):

• If you feel like your skin needs more nourishment after the oil, you can apply a moisturizer on top, especially if you have dry or very dehydrated skin. This is more common in drier climates or during winter months.
• For most people, facial oil is nourishing enough and may act as a substitute for moisturizer, but it’s really about listening to your skin’s needs.

7. SPF (AM only):
If you’re following your routine in the morning, finish with a mineral based sunscreen. Oils can make it more difficult for SPF to fully absorb into the skin, so it's important to apply sunscreen last to ensure maximum protection (think of your SPF like a shield from harmful UV rays). 

A Note For Our Extra Skin-Sensitive Friends: 

If you find that your skin has become noticeably more dry, irritated, or has sudden breakouts since using a facial oil that has essential oils in it, the culprit may be the active ingredients you are layering underneath the oil (if you are using them). Those with extremely dry and sensitive skin types may not be able to handle the strong therapeutic effects of blending strong active ingredients with organic essential oils. 

If this problem occurs, it’s likely that your protective skin barrier is in need of repair and you’ll need to pause the use of any active ingredients to allow for that healing process. Once repaired, and going forward, we recommend using your essential oils and active ingredients in separate routines (e.g. facial oil in your morning routine and active ingredients in your nighttime routine) to avoid this issue in the future. 

Active Ingredients You May NOT Want To Mix With Our Oils if You Have Extremely Sensitive Skin:

• Chemical peels that use high concentrations of acids (like glycolic acid or trichloroacetic acid) can be very harsh on the skin, especially for sensitive types. These types of treatments should be used with caution and should not be followed by oils that contain a high amount of citrus, rosemary, peppermint, or eucalyptus. Essential oils such as lavender, clary sage, helichyrsum, or ylang ylang would be more suitable as they help calm inflammation.
• Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs) like glycolic, lactic, and mandelic acid, and Beta Hydroxy Acids (BHAs) like salicylic acid, are exfoliating acids. While they help with skin turnover and acne, they can increase skin sensitivity and irritation. Usually these are ok to blend with facial oils but they can potentially lead to irritation for the sensitive individual, which may disrupt the skin’s barrier, leading to dryness, irritation, or redness. If that occurs, simply use one or the other in your routine for about a week to allow your skin barrier to heal fully.
• Retinoids (Retinol, Retinoid Esters): Retinol (Vitamin A) and other retinoid derivatives are excellent for anti-aging and acne treatment, but they can be very irritating, especially for sensitive skin. If you start noticing that your skin is looking raw, red or extremely flakey due to the retinol use, then scale back the use of any oils that contain citrus, or “minty” essential oils as this can irritate open skin. Be careful with other products as well; some water based products with a high amount of synthetic preservatives or fragrances will irritate and potentially “burn” skin that has a compromised barrier.
• Benzoyl peroxide is often used in acne treatments and can be highly drying and irritating to the skin. The same caution applies to BP as the use of retinols (see above). 

Important Takeaways:

• Give Each Layer Time to Absorb: If you feel that products are sitting on top of your skin rather than absorbing, give them a minute or two to soak in before applying the next layer. This is especially important for thicker products like facial oils.
• Adjust Based on Skin Type: If you have oily or acne-prone skin, you may want to apply facial oil more sparingly or focus on applying it only to drier areas of your face (like cheeks). For dry skin, you can layer the oil more generously.
• Nighttime Routine: At night, you can be more generous with your facial oil application. Since you're not layering sunscreen or makeup, the oil can act as a rich, moisturizing last step.