Vegetable oils are particularly popular in cosmetics thanks to their numerous virtues and properties. Applied pure to the skin, they restore the hydrolipidic film of the epidermis and thus restore comfortable and soft skin. How to choose and use a natural oil? What is the best organic oil for dry skin? The answers in this article.

How to choose a vegetable oil for dry skin?
Thanks to their known richness in essential fatty acids (omega 3 & 6), vitamins, antioxidants, polyphenols and phytosterols, vegetable oils alone represent a complete beauty treatment1 and are particularly suitable for dry and/or sensitive skin. To choose your vegetable oil carefully, we advise you:
– to check that it comes from a cold extraction, which allows all the properties of the oil to be preserved,
– that it is a virgin oil, which has not undergone any transformation.
– ensure that the oil does not leave a greasy film after application so as not to clog the pores of your skin (and thus avoid the appearance of skin imperfections).
Which organic oil for my dry skin?
Softening, nourishing, anti-oxidant, firming… vegetable oils all have their own virtues to meet the specific needs of your skin type. Dry or dehydrated skin is by definition sensitive and requires special attention. Due to their richness in lipids, the majority of vegetable oils are suitable for dry skin. However, it is important to favor nourishing and protective oils which help restore the skin’s protective film, protect it from external aggressions and prevent drying. Here are some examples of oils that are effective on dry skin:
– Organic Apricot Oil: revitalizing(2)
– Organic Sweet Almond Oil: softening (3.4)
– Organic Argan oil: regenerating (5)
– Avocado Oil: antioxidant(6)
– Organic Borage oil: antioxidant(7)
– Organic Calophyll Oil: anti-redness(8)
– Organic Hemp Oil: anti-drying(9)
– Organic Coconut Oil: emollient(10)
– Organic Macadamia oil: softening(11)
– Organic Hazelnut Oil: astringent and emollient(12)
How to use vegetable oil on dry skin?
We advise you to heat 3 to 4 drops of vegetable oil in your hands and then apply it to cleansed skin, using circular massages.
To properly massage your face with vegetable oil, apply the oil from the inside to the outside of the face with the entire palm of your hand on each area (forehead, eye contour, nose, cheeks, chin), for at least 2 minutes so that the oil penetrates properly. If the oil has not been completely absorbed, it is probably not suitable for your skin type. If, on the contrary, your skin seems to have absorbed it in a few seconds, opt for a richer oil, which will nourish it deeply.
(1) Lipids, La Pivoine Magazine n°2, January 2020
(2) IDEA Clinic – Study 215841 – 04/01/2019 – Usage test carried out on 21 volunteers for 21 days, application once a day on the face and on the nails and 2 to 3
(3) Slavica, Almond (Prunus dulcis) oil, 2019
(4) Sultana, Effect of pre-treatment of almond, 2007
(5) El Monfalouti, Therapeutic potential of argan oil a review, 2010
(6) Sies, Antioxidant Functions of Vitamins, 1992
(7) Plantes et Santé, “Borage: a depurative and an elixir of youth”, Published on 07/15/2014, [Online] https://www.plantes-et-sante.fr/articles/plantes-medicinales/2085-la-bourrache-un-depuratif-et-un-elixir-de-jouvence [Accessed] 10/11/2020
(8) Plants and health, “The sacred oil of warm seas for regenerated skin”, Published on 01/14/2015, [Online] https://www.plantes-et-sante.fr/articles/huiles-essentielles/2256-lhuile-sacree-des-mers-chaudes-pour-une-peau-regeneree [Accessed] 11/27/2020
(9) Plants and health, “Hemp, friend of the skin”, Published on 07/16/2014, [Online] https://www.plantes-et-sante.fr/articles/plantes-medicinales/2124-le-chanvre-la-plante-amie-de-la-peau [Accessed] 01/09/2020
(10) Evangelista, The effect of topical virgin coconut oil on SCORAD index, transepidermal water loss, and skin capacitance in mild to moderate pediatric atopic dermatitis, 2014
(11) Navarro, Macadamia oil extraction methods and uses for the defatted meal byproduct, 2016
(12) Contini, Antioxidants in Hazelnuts (Corylus avellana L.), 2011