Thinking about making your own face wash, body wash, lotion, moisturizer, or anything else for your skin? You’ll find TONS of recipes online, and many of them may call for carrier oils and essential oils. The first question, though, is: Which oils are best for my skin type? This post will help you decide!

First off, let me explain a bit about what carrier oils and essential oils are. Carrier oils do just what their name implies: they carry the essential oil to the skin. Essential oils can be quite potent, so carrier oils dilute them a bit to make them gentler for your skin. Essential oils are naturally occurring compounds found in the seeds, roots, bark, flowers, and other parts of plants. Read more about them here.

So now back to the question at hand: Which carrier oils and essential oils should I choose for my skin type?

Carrier Oils

Normal Skin:

• Apricot kernel oil: good for all skin types including sensitive and aging, fast-absorbing
• Jojoba oil: great for all skin types; very similar to skin’s natural oils; reduces wrinkles, stretch marks, and appearance of pores over time; more expensive than other carrier oils
• Sunflower oil: especially good for dry, damaged, and aged skin; deeply nourishing and conditioning; fast absorbing
• Sweet almond oil: hypoallergenic (safe even on babies), light texture, reduces appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, penetrates deep into pores to clear and prevent acne and blackheads, reduces fine lines and wrinkles

Oily, Acne-Prone Skin:

• Grapeseed oil: light texture, fast absorbing, great for oily or acne-prone skin
• Jojoba oil: great for all skin types; very similar to skin’s natural oils; reduces wrinkles, stretch marks, and appearance of pores over time; more expensive than other carrier oils
• Sweet almond oil: hypoallergenic (safe even on babies), light texture, reduces appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, penetrates deep into pores to clear and prevent acne and blackheads, reduces fine lines and wrinkles

Dry Skin:

• Avocado oil: good for sensitive, irritated skin; great for reducing wrinkles; extra-thick texture ideal for over-dry skin
• Jojoba oil: great for all skin types; very similar to skin’s natural oils; reduces wrinkles, stretch marks, and appearance of pores over time; more expensive than other carrier oils
• Olive oil: good for dry and mature skin, has anti-inflammatory benefits (extra virgin is most beneficial)
• Sweet almond oil: hypoallergenic (safe even on babies), light texture, reduces appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, penetrates deep into pores to clear and prevent acne and blackheads, reduces fine lines and wrinkles
• Sunflower oil: especially good for dry, damaged, and aged skin; deeply nourishing and conditioning; fast absorbing

Combination Skin (yep, it exists!):

• Grapeseed oil: light texture, fast absorbing, great for oily or acne-prone skin
• Jojoba oil: great for all skin types; very similar to skin’s natural oils; reduces wrinkles, stretch marks, and appearance of pores over time; more expensive than other carrier oils
• Apricot kernel oil: good for all skin types including sensitive and aging, fast-absorbing
• Sunflower oil: especially good for dry, damaged, and aged skin; deeply nourishing and conditioning; fast absorbing

Essential Oils

Oily, Acne-Prone Skin:

• Orange
• Lemon
• Lime
• Geranium
• Melaleuca
• Geranium
• Lavender

Dry Skin:

• Cedarwood
• Geranium
• Sandalwood
• Roman or German chamomile
• Lemon

Combination Skin:

• Lavender
• Bergamot
• Orange

Aging Skin and Dark Spots:

• Ylang-ylang
• Sandalwood
• Lavender
• Frankincense