3 of the biggest face oil myths you need to stop believing.

Bloody hell. Where to even begin? A deep dive on facial oils would be such a deep dive that we’d end up surrounded by Anglerfish. You know, those creepy-as, really ugly ones with huge eyes and big teeth and lightbulbs on their heads. David Attenborough... bioluminescence... 

It’s just too deep!

The beauty market is having a moment right now, and it’s saturated. There are about a billion and seventy-one oils for your face out there, and they’re all just running amok. 

Who’s even in charge? Can I see some ID? I want to speak to the parents!

Watch: Here are 3 steps to glowing skin. Post continues below.

Ask for recommendations and everyone basically says the same things: Jojoba, Go-To, Marula. 

That’s cool, they’re fine examples. But the face oil world is my oyster and I’m going to splash some tabasco on that sh*t, chuck it back and chase it with a shot of vodka. 

Listen: In this episode, Holly Wainwright shares how an exfoliant changed her face, plus her go-to supermarket oil.

I’m not going to deep dive; we’d be here all week. But I have tried more than my fair share and I reckon there’s some space beneath the spotlight for some beautiful, powerful blends from smaller, Aussie female-owned brands. 

And because there are so many myths about oils, breakouts, order of application etc, I’ve roped in my facialist, Jess Nas, from Lady Luxe Beauty to help me. I am but a mere consumer and writer, but Jess knows her sh*t.

Now, everyone, say ‘cheese’ for the family photo! 

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I LOVE AN OIL! Love it. A good, greasy hydrator is my 'ride or die' product and — surprise! — I’ve got oily skin! Which brings us straight to...

Myth number one: If you’ve got an oily skin type you can’t use oils because they’ll make it worse.  

Well! Oils can actually be super helpful with balancing shinier complexions, and studies have shown that while oily skin is rich in fatty acids (like oleic acid) it’s typically deficient in linoleic acid. 

Facials oils containing essential linolates can help regulate sebum production. Yay!

Here are my faves for when I’m feeling like a bit of a greaseball:

Recreation Beauty Vibrant Skin, $96.00.

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This one’s a unit. It actually replaces your moisturiser, serums and eye cream. 

Used alone, straight after cleansing and toning (if you’re that way inclined) it contains enough botanical extracts and oils to give a major glow up, whilst feeling light and hydrating without leaving residue on your skin. 

It diminishes pore size too, something that I and all my greasy-skin gals strive to achieve.

Bettyquette Get Up & Glow Day Oil, $45.00.

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This has quick absorption and feels deeply hydrating, containing over-achiever jojoba alongside sweet almond, vitamin E and argan oils. Doesn’t clog pores and expertly balances the skin, plus sneaky hack - can be mixed with foundation for a lighter, dewier glow.

Now we’ve dealt with face shiny shine, let’s move over to its sister, and our second myth - breakouts!

Myth number two: Ugh, oils cause breakouts!

If I got paid every time I heard this, I’d be rich. Immediately handed this one over to Jess to deal with, ‘cause I’m over hearing it, though she’s probably had more than her fair share too!

"It’s about the quality of oil. I do understand that there is a stigma regarding oils causing breakouts, but these are usually synthetic oils or badly distilled oils," she said. 

"Good quality natural oils don’t make you break out!"

Also, I’m just going to throw in there that many oil blends contain acne-fighting ingredients and are also superheroes when it comes to things like inflammation, redness and scarring. 

Here are my favourites for when I’ve had a breakout and need to call in the troops:

Salty Skin Co. Glow Elixir, $39.00.

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This one’s basically a multi-vitamin for your skin! It’s packed with antioxidants from avocado, blueberry and papaya seed oils, and kicks redness and inflammation out the door with anti-bacterial cucumber and lavender oils, plus vitamin E and rosehip.

Glory Oil by Eco Sonya, $49.95.

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Borderline supernatural, this lil bottle of cold-pressed liquid gold is bloody perfect for acneic skin. Chock full of jojoba, acai, chia, pumpkin and sacha inchi oils, this baby soothes, calms and helps clear both acne and its scarring.

Now, this one isn’t a ‘myth’ as such, more a never-ending debate…

Where should an oil feature in my skincare routine? 

Some people swear that it’s before moisturiser, and just as many, if not a few more, swear after! The answer to this isn’t as straight up as you may think… Jess, help!

"I like to think either-or is fine, and it’s up to the skincare user to trial. All oils are different viscosities (molecular sizes) and therefore will do different things," she said.

"If my skin is ever super unbalanced, I use it as my last step of skincare. I press it in over the top of my moisture as a way of 'slugging' (the K-Beauty craze) but without the skin-strangling effects of Vaseline. Oils are lipophilic, which means they have the ability to penetrate transdermally or deeply into the skin, helping to create true change at the root of the issue."

I also like to think that where your oil goes depends on how occlusive your moisturising cream is. If I’ve had a few big nights on the retinol, only a super thick occlusive cream that forms a protective moisture layer over the skin is going to do. 

BUT! If I wanna lube up with an oil as well (I do), it’s going to have a hard time penetrating that. 

So in that case, oil first, babies.

The mention of retinol has reminded me: anti-ageing! 

There are so many good, delicious, fatty oils out there that are going to help you with all your Benjamin Button endeavours.

These are my absolute top picks for bottled youth:

Lady Luxe Beauty Power Oil, $80.00.

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This bad boy is actually Jess’ product, so I’ll let her talk this one up!

"Coenzyme Q10 is one of my most favourite oily additives. It’s like putting cellular petrol into your skin. It energises the tissue assisting in good collagen formation," she said.

"There is also an extremely anti-ageing supplement you can ingest (obviously do not swig from the serum!) but every good health store should carry it. Studies have shown that when ingested and applied topically, Q10 may reduce wrinkle volume by 60 per cent over a two-week period.”

La Botanica Pendant La Nuit Overnight Elixir, $69.00.

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All-natural, totally iconic, actually magic, the Pendant La Nuit has a solid workforce made up of sea buckthorn oil, calendula, goji berry and passionfruit. 

It’s high in vitamin B1, B2, A and C and has super high levels of Omega 7 fatty acids — excellent for skin repair! 

Calendula is soothing and gentle enough for stressed or sensitive skin and both goji berry and passionfruit are sky-high in antioxidants.

Auki Black Seed Oil, $200.00.

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Oh boy, it’s a spenny one! 

With literally any other skincare product, I douse myself in such liberal quantities of it that it’s nothing but flagrant disregard verging on actual contempt for the instructions and recommended amounts as written. Pea-sized? Ha! I like really, really fat peas. 

But this one, I use SPARINGLY AF and only on special occasions because while it’s SO GOD DAMNED GOOD my face better go get a job if it wants me to keep using it. 

Containing ancient thymoquinone, B vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, phytonutrients and peptides... hot damn. 

And lastly, I wanna shout out my sisters of the Sahara, the dry, flaky babes that just need all of the love, care and deep, deep hydration they can get.

These are for you *chefs kiss*:

Aurae Skin Wonder Glow Revitalising Repair Oil, $65.00.

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MY LOVE! This, along with the Aurae Skin Rose Quartz Gua Sha tool, are the two best friends a girl could ever ask for. 

An expertly curated blend of sweet almond, jojoba, rosehip and sea buckthorn oils are enhanced by a formulation of active ingredients to nourish and repair the skin.

Rich in antioxidants, packed with old mate coenzyme Q10 and lightly scented with rose, this formula envelopes and hydrates, leaving behind a luscious, dewy glow. 

Biologi Br Organic Rosehip Oil, $28.00.

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Sometimes you just gotta keep it simple, and this one’s simplicity at its best. 

Biologi are pioneers when it comes to delivering extremely potent and completely undiluted plant-sourced products, containing 100 per cent active nutrients. 

There’s a reason everyone raves about rosehip, and that’s because the fatty acids naturally occurring within it are pretty similar to the fatty acids in your face, making it an absolute weapon for keeping your skin smooth and hydrated, with cell turnover at its healthy best!

I personally have every single oil featured here in my arsenal and dish them out according to the state of my skin. Is there such a thing as too many oils?

I don’t think so! 

Have you tried any of the above facial oils before? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below.

See more from Carly on her Instagram. 

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Feature image: Supplied / @_carly_sophia_