The 7 Best Oils for Moisturizing Acne Prone Skin

Acne, medically known as Acne Vulgaris, is a skin disease that involves the oil glands at the base of hair follicles. It commonly occurs during puberty when the sebaceous (oil) glands come to life – the glands are stimulated by male hormones produced by the adrenal glands of both males and females. Acne is the most common skin condition in the United States. Although it’s common, accurate information about acne can be scarce. This can make it difficult to get clearer skin.

Causes of Acne

Acne occurs when the pores on your skin become blocked with oil, dead skin, or bacteria. Each pore on your skin is the opening to a follicle. The follicle is made up of a hair and a sebaceous gland. The oil gland releases sebum (oil), which travels up the hair, out of the pore, and onto your skin. Sebum keeps your skin lubricated and soft. Acne can be caused by one or more problems in this lubrication process. It can occur when:

Too much oil is produced by your follicles
Dead skin cells accumulate in your pores
Bacteria build up in your pores

All of these problems contribute to the development of pimples. A zit appears when bacteria grows in a clogged pore and the oil is unable to escape.

On the other hand, some studies showed that some of the certain foods can cause acne, including dairy products, high glycemic index foods, and gluten containing foods (1, 2, 3).

Importance of Moisturizing

Any skincare routine is not perfect if it does not give importance to moisturizing technique. Leaving it out might quickly cause redness or flaking, and in time it can allow wrinkles and other aging signs to show up on your skin earlier than they otherwise might. Also, if you have sensitive skin or a skin condition, moisturizing regularly might help ease some of the irritation.

Common sense tells us that curing acne is matter of drying up the skin. Countless skin care experts tell us that everyone who has acne needs a moisturizer. And both pieces of advice are correct in their own way.

If you have acne, especially if you have the kind of acne that causes tiny red pimples on your forehead cheeks, and nose, you may see great improvement on your skin when you begin to use moisturizers. If you have naturally oily skin that gives you lots of whiteheads and great big blackheads, you also may occasionally need moisturizer. But not everybody who has acne needs the same moisturizer in the same amounts all the time.

The beauty industry doesn’t want you to know how pointless moisturizing lotions actually are. All you need is high quality plant oil to do a better job for less money. If you want to avoid all of those nasty additives, then break it down to the most basic component of lotions – the oil that actually provides the moisturizing action that your skin needs.

Oils for Moisturizing Acne Prone Skin

To ensure your facial skin stays acne-free, look for oils that noncomedogenic (4).

Oils have comedogenic rating between 0 and 5. An oil that has a comedogenic rating of 0 is widely believed to be noncomedogenic and will not clog your pores.

A comedogenic rating of 1 signifies a slight chance that the oil will clog your pores. A comedogenic rating of 2 tells you that the oil will not clog pores for most people, but some will begin to notice clogged pores or a “purge” in some cases.

A comedogenic rating of 3 is where a lot of people will break out using this oil, but a lot of people may not break out depending on their skin type. A comedogenic rating of 4 suggests that most people will break out using this oil unless they have a good tolerance to it. This largely depends on a number of skin type factors.

A comedogenic rating of 5 is basically a guaranteed chance of breaking out. Very few people can tolerate oils labeled as a 5, but they do exist.

Here is the list of oils to moisturize acne prone skin.

1. Argan Oil

Argan oil contains 37% linoleic acid, <0.5% linolenic acid, 43% oleic acid. Its comedogenic rate is 0. Argan oil contains relatively high contents of squalene, which is suggested to be protective against skin cancer. Its high content in vitamin E prevents wrinkles and delays aging. Furthermore, by stimulating cells oxygenation, argan oil restores the hydrophtlic layer and skin cells thus making the skin more elastic, smooth and shiny.

It boasts some pretty amazing skin reparative benefits along with the very low chance of clogging pores. Another reason to reach for this oil is for its ability to treat acne and acne scars. Argan oil regulates the production of sebum which helps prevent further breakouts and its Vitamin E content helps fade scars and smooth out the skin’s texture. Suitable for most skin types.

2. Black Raspberry Seed Oil

Black raspberry seed oil contains 48% linoleic acid, 28% linolenic acid, 10.5% oleic acid. It has a comedogenic rate between 1-2.

Black raspberry seed oil is a wonderful oil for supporting lipids in the skin and deflecting free radicals. It keeps the skin smooth and plump. Suitable for those with dry or acne prone skin.

3. Hemp Seed Oil

Hemp seed oil helps reduce pore size by helping eliminate blackheads and acne. It also protects the skin from free radicals and improves elasticity. Because of its anti-inflammatory qualities, it is often recommended to treat psoriasis and eczema. It is made up of 80% essential fatty acids (EFAs) and is said to contain the ideal ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 EFAs, which allows it to penetrate the layers of the skin (5).

Hemp seed oil is a very dry oil, and works best when mixed with a thick oil like castor oil or jojoba oil. And since essential fatty acids are so delicate and go rancid very easily, hemp seed oil should be refrigerated.

4. Blueberry Seed Oil

Blueberry seed oil contains 44% linoleic acid, 25% linolenic acid, 23% oleic acid. It has a comedogenic rate between 0-1. It is a powerhouse of anti-aging properties that offer protection against free radicals, collagen degradation, and loss of vibrancy.

Blueberry seed oil has an exceptionally high anti-oxidant content and is an amazing oil to add to your OCM (oil cleansing method) formula or to use as a spot treatment for wrinkles, rough skin, and areas of redness and inflammation. It repairs the skin and absorbs quickly without an oily finish. Suitable for most skin types, especially if you have oily acne prone skin.

5. Tamanu Oil

Tamanu oil has been used in traditional medicine for ages, specifically for its ability to speed the healing of wounds by fighting bacteria and regenerating skin cells (6).

It helps regenerate skin tissue. For this reason, it helps heal broken skin, and repair sun and acne damaged skin. It also has anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antibiotic, and antioxidant properties, making it ideal for acne sufferers. The thing that sets tamanu oil apart from the rest is a certain lipid called calophyllolide, which is not found in other oils and is a very strong anti-inflammatory.

6. Jojoba Oil

Jojoba oil is very light, and the nearest in molecular structure to our own natural sebum. It is the perfect carrier oil for oily skins, as it tricks the skin into stopping the overproduction of its own oils. Active essential oils can’t penetrate into the deeper layers of the skin so should always be contained in a carrier oil like jojoba.

7. Rosehip Oil

Rosehip oil is a dry oil that penetrates to the deepest layers of the skin where it regenerates cells, increasing collagen production. It is rich in vitamin C, Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, all of which are known to help heal scar tissue. It is also high in retinoic acid, which studies show reduces the appearance of wrinkles and brightens the skin.