Castor Oil And Frankincense Recipe Alternative: A DIY Anti Aging Face Oil

There’s a particular kind of scepticism worth having about “miracle” skincare oils, and I say that as someone who formulates them for a living.

Most of what gets called magic is really just chemistry that hasn’t been explained properly yet.

So let’s explain it properly.

Sea buckthorn oil is one of the few plant oils that genuinely earns its reputation. It’s the deep orange-red oil pressed from the berries and seeds of Hippophae rhamnoides, a hardy shrub that grows in some of the harshest climates on earth, from the Himalayan foothills to the coastlines of Northern Europe.

Pair it with frankincense essential oil, and you’ve got a combination that’s been used in skin care, in one form or another, for a very long time.

If you’ve been searching for a decent anti-ageing face oil recipe and keep landing on the same tired rosehip and frankincense blend, this one’s worth your attention. The colour alone is dramatic in a glass dropper bottle.

I’m Patri Hernández, a certified organic skincare formulator and dermocosmetic technician with a background in health coaching. I specialise in natural skincare, botanical ingredients, and evidence-informed formulation, and I pay close attention to which oils actually deserve a place on your bathroom shelf.

A quick note before we get into it: some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you buy through one of them, at no extra cost to you. I only ever recommend ingredients and products I genuinely think are worth using.

Why sea buckthorn is one of the best oils for face anti-ageing

There are two types of sea buckthorn oil.

The distinction matters more than most articles let on.

Fruit (or pulp) oil comes from the flesh and skin of the berry. It’s the deeper, richer orange one.

It’s extremely high in carotenoids and rich in the unusual omega-7 fatty acid, known as palmitoleic acid, which makes up a meaningful part of the skin’s own natural lipids.

Seed oil comes from, unsurprisingly, the seeds. It’s lighter and more yellow-orange.

It’s dominated by omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids rather than omega-7.

If you’re trying to work out the best oil for face anti-ageing specifically, the fruit oil generally has the edge, thanks to that carotenoid and omega-7 content.

Many commercial “sea buckthorn oils” are actually a blend of both. It’s worth checking the label if you’re buying rather than pressing your own.

What the research says about anti-ageing oils for face

I want to be straightforward here rather than sensational, because sea buckthorn gets talked about in some fairly overheated ways online.

Laboratory studies on human skin cells have found that sea buckthorn seed oil can reduce UV-induced oxidative stress.

It also appears to support the skin’s own antioxidant defences, including boosting levels of glutathione and vitamins E and A within the cells.

That’s a meaningful finding. But it’s worth being clear that this was cell-culture research, not a study of people applying the oil to their faces every night.

Separately, a fatty acid fraction purified from sea buckthorn seed oil has shown regenerative activity on normal skin cells in laboratory conditions.

This supports the oil’s traditional reputation for aiding skin repair.

So where does that leave us?

Sea buckthorn oil has a genuinely interesting nutrient profile: carotenoids, vitamin E, essential fatty acids, and that rare omega-7. There’s credible early-stage evidence that these compounds behave the way you’d hope on skin cells.

What we don’t have is large, well-controlled human trials proving it reduces wrinkles on your face specifically.

That’s a common gap in natural skincare research generally, and it’s one reason I’d always encourage a bit of healthy caution with any blogger who tells you an oil is “clinically proven” to erase fine lines. Very few natural ingredients have that level of evidence behind them, however confidently it’s marketed.

And a word of warning that matters more with this oil than most: sea buckthorn fruit oil stains.

Used at full strength, it can temporarily tint fair skin, and it will absolutely mark fabric, towels, and sinks if you’re not careful.

This is exactly why we’re diluting it into a serum rather than dabbing it on neat.

Why pair it with frankincense

Frankincense essential oil is steam-distilled from the resin of Boswellia trees.

The resin itself, not the essential oil, contains boswellic acids, compounds with reasonably well-documented anti-inflammatory activity. These are largely studied for joint conditions like osteoarthritis rather than skincare specifically.

The essential oil is a different matter.

It’s mostly made up of monoterpenes such as alpha-pinene and limonene. While it carries frankincense’s traditional reputation for skin health, the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health notes plainly that most studies on boswellia, including topical use, are small and not high quality enough to draw firm conclusions from.

That doesn’t mean it’s not worth using.

It has a lovely warm, resinous, slightly citrus scent that makes a serum feel genuinely luxurious. Essential oils like this have a long traditional use in skin care formulation.

I’d just rather you know the honest evidence picture than have me oversell it to you.

A note on castor oil and frankincense

You’ll see castor oil and frankincense recommended together a lot, particularly for brows, lashes, and scalp work.

Castor oil is thick, occlusive, and very high in ricinoleic acid, which makes it excellent for sealing in moisture on hair and skin that needs a heavier touch.

For a lightweight anti-ageing face oil, though, it’s usually too heavy and sticky to sit comfortably under moisturiser or makeup. It can also feel quite tacky on drier, more mature skin.

If you already have castor oil in your cabinet and want to experiment, you could swap it in for a small portion of the jojoba in this recipe, no more than a teaspoon. But for the face specifically, I’d keep it as a smaller supporting player rather than the main carrier.

Anti-ageing serum ingredients you’ll need

  • 1 tablespoon sea buckthorn oil (seed, fruit, or a seed/fruit blend)
  • 2 tablespoons jojoba oil or squalane, as your main carrier
  • 3 to 4 drops frankincense essential oil
  • 1 to 2 drops vitamin E oil, as a natural antioxidant to help protect the blend
  • A dark glass dropper bottle, amber or cobalt blue, to protect the oils from light

A note on ratios: sea buckthorn is concentrated and pigmented, so it should always be the minority ingredient in a blend.

Ideally somewhere between 5 and 15 per cent of the total oil volume. This recipe sits comfortably within that range.

Using it at full strength on your face isn’t necessary for benefit. It only increases the staining risk and the chance of irritation.

How to make this anti-ageing oil, step by step

  1. Sterilise your dropper bottle with boiling water or isopropyl alcohol and let it dry completely. Any moisture left in the bottle shortens the shelf life of your serum.
  2. Measure the jojoba oil or squalane into the bottle first, using it as your base.
  3. Add the sea buckthorn oil.
  4. Add the frankincense essential oil, drop by drop. Resist the urge to add more for a stronger scent; essential oils are potent, and more isn’t better here.
  5. Add the vitamin E oil, then cap and shake gently to combine.
  6. Store in a cool, dark spot, away from direct sunlight and bathroom humidity if possible.

That’s genuinely all there is to it. This is a five-minute job, not a weekend project.

How to use it

Apply two to three drops to clean, slightly damp skin, ideally in the evening.

Warm the oil between your palms first. Then press it gently into your face and neck rather than rubbing.

Do a patch test on your inner forearm 24 to 48 hours before using any new essential oil blend on your face, particularly with frankincense, as some people do develop contact sensitivity to it.

Because of the carotenoid pigment, apply the serum to skin only. Avoid light-coloured pillowcases and towels immediately after application until it’s fully absorbed.

Turning this into a DIY anti-ageing body oil too

There’s no reason to keep this blend confined to your face.

The same ratios work well as a DIY anti-ageing body oil for décolletage, hands, and neck, all areas that tend to show sun damage and crepiness earlier than we’d like.

For a larger batch to use on the body, simply scale the recipe up proportionally, keeping the sea buckthorn oil at that same 5 to 15 per cent ratio of the total.

Hands are a particularly good candidate. They’re exposed to sun and washing far more than most of us account for, and a rich oil like this can make a genuine difference to how they look and feel over time.

Who should be cautious

  • If you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, speak to your doctor or midwife before introducing new essential oils, as safety data on frankincense in pregnancy is limited.
  • If you have very fair or reactive skin, patch test carefully. The carotenoid content that makes this oil so orange is also what can occasionally cause a temporary tint on very pale, dry, or compromised skin.
  • If you’re on blood-thinning medication, be aware that boswellia has some documented effects on bleeding when taken orally in supplement form. This is less of a concern with topical use of the essential oil, but worth knowing.
  • Always dilute. Frankincense essential oil should never be applied to skin undiluted.

For a broader look at how to build oils like this into your evening routine, my guide to the correct order of skincare products walks through exactly where a facial oil fits in relation to your other steps.

And if you want to simplify the rest of your routine so the serum actually gets to do its job without being layered under ten other products, this piece on why your skin needs less is worth a read.

Storage and shelf life

Sea buckthorn oil is rich in unsaturated fatty acids, which means it’s more prone to oxidation than a very stable oil like jojoba.

Keep the finished serum in a dark bottle. Store it somewhere cool.

Use it within three to six months for the best results.

If the oil starts to smell noticeably different, sharper or slightly rancid rather than fruity and earthy, it’s time to make a fresh batch.

Frequently asked questions

Will this DIY anti-ageing serum stain my skin orange?

Used at the diluted concentration in this recipe, staining is unlikely for most people. It becomes a real risk when sea buckthorn oil is used neat or in very high concentrations, particularly on pale or dry skin.

Can I use sea buckthorn oil if I have oily or acne-prone skin?

It absorbs reasonably well and isn’t inherently comedogenic. As with any new oil, introduce it gradually and watch how your skin responds.

Its anti-inflammatory reputation makes it popular in blends aimed at reactive or blemish-prone skin, though robust clinical evidence for this specific use is limited.

Is fruit oil or seed oil better for anti-ageing?

Fruit oil generally has the edge for antioxidant and carotenoid content, which is why it’s the more common choice in anti-ageing formulations.

Seed oil is a gentler, lighter option if you’re new to sea buckthorn or have more sensitive skin.

Can I swap the frankincense for a different essential oil?

Yes. Geranium, rose, or neroli all pair well with sea buckthorn’s earthy, fruity character, though the specific evidence discussed above applies to frankincense rather than these alternatives.

How is this different from a rosehip oil serum?

Rosehip oil is lighter, higher in linoleic and linolenic fatty acids, and better suited to very oily or blemish-prone skin.

Sea buckthorn brings a heavier concentration of carotenoids and that unusual omega-7 fatty acid, making it a richer, more targeted choice for mature or dehydrated skin.

A final thought

There’s a lot of noise in natural skincare content, plenty of it written by people without the formulation background to know where the evidence genuinely stands.

Sea buckthorn oil is one of those rare ingredients that lives up to a good chunk of its reputation, provided it’s used at a sensible dilution and you go in with realistic expectations rather than promises of miracle results.

Give this blend a few weeks of consistent use before judging it, and store it properly so it keeps performing the way it should.

References

Love, Patri xx

Patri Hernandez is a Certified Health Coach (IIN), Certified Organic Skincare Formulator, and Co-Founder of My Klarity Health. A member of the International Association for Health Coaches, she brings over a decade of holistic wellness experience to every article combining evidence-based health coaching with ongoing studies in herbalism, aromatherapy, and dermo-cosmetics. At Oh Mighty Health, her mission is simple: make expert knowledge feel genuinely useful in your everyday life.

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