DIY Glowing Face Oil: 5 Simple Facial Oil Recipes

Face oil is either the smartest step in your routine, or a bottle of wasted money sitting in your bathroom cabinet.

There’s no in between.

Buy the wrong blend for your skin and you’ll spend weeks wondering why your face feels heavier, shinier, or somehow both. Get the right one, and it does the one thing so many products promise and fail to deliver: it makes your skin look like skin, only better.

Here’s the part most posts skip. A face oil isn’t one ingredient, it’s a formula. And the ratio of fatty acids in that formula decides whether it sinks in and calms your skin down, or sits on top of it feeling greasy by lunchtime.

This isn’t a list of pretty bottles for a wishlist. It’s five actual formulas, built around what your skin barrier needs, so you can mix an oil that suits your skin instead of hoping a random blend from the internet happens to work.

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I’m Patri Hernández, a certified organic skincare formulator and dermocosmetic technician with a background in health coaching. I specialise in natural skincare, botanical carrier oils and practical, evidence-informed formulation, which is exactly the perspective behind every recipe below.

This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through one, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only ever recommend ingredients and tools I’d genuinely formulate with myself.

What five minutes of mixing actually saves you

A decent serum for hydration. Another for barrier repair. A third for antioxidant protection. By the time your shelf is doing what one well-built face oil can do on its own, you’ve spent considerably more than the cost of a few bottles of carrier oil.

Formulating your own facial oil solves a few problems at once, and not just the financial one.

• Fewer ingredients, fewer reactions. A typical shop-bought serum carries fifteen to twenty ingredients, several of them fragrance or preservative systems that can irritate reactive skin. A homemade oil blend usually has three to five.
• Built for your skin, not the average customer. A commercial “for all skin types” formula has to compromise somewhere. Yours doesn’t have to.
• No preservative headache. Oils don’t support microbial growth the way a water-based cream does, so a simple, well-stored oil blend stays safe without the preservative systems an emulsion needs.
• A better cost per use. One bottle of carrier oil typically makes several batches. Spread across weeks of use, it works out considerably cheaper than an equivalent serum.
• Under ten minutes, start to finish. Measuring, combining and bottling a batch takes less time than most people spend deciding which serum to buy online.

How to formulate a facial oil that actually works

Every plant oil is a mix of fatty acids, and two of them decide almost everything about how an oil behaves on your face: linoleic acid and oleic acid.

The research on the skin barrier is fairly consistent here. Oils rich in linoleic acid support the skin’s own lipid barrier and tend to sink in fast, without leaving a residue. Oils dominated by oleic acid behave differently: oleic acid loosens the structure of the outer skin layer, which increases penetration but can also aggravate skin that’s already struggling to hold onto moisture.

Your own skin’s oil has a fairly fixed ratio of these two fatty acids, close to three parts oleic acid to one part linoleic acid. Stray too far from that with a heavy, oleic-dominant blend and reactive skin can protest. Lean too far the other way with a very thin, linoleic-only oil, and dry skin may feel like it’s had nothing at all.

That’s the whole logic behind matching an oil to a skin type, and it’s the thinking behind every formula below.

Oil	Dominant fatty acid	Best matched to
Sunflower & safflower	Linoleic (roughly 65–75%)	Oily, acne-prone, sensitive skin
Argan, olive, sweet almond, avocado	Oleic (roughly 55–75%)	Very dry or mature skin needing occlusion
Jojoba	Wax ester, sebum-like	All skin types, balancing
Rosehip	Mixed linoleic/linolenic plus vitamin A precursors	Scarring, uneven tone, ageing
Evening primrose	Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA)	Inflamed, sensitised, mature skin

Jojoba oil isn’t technically an oil at all. Structurally, it’s a liquid wax, closer to the wax found in human sebum than to any vegetable oil on this list, which is part of why it sits on skin without feeling heavy.

Five face oil formulas to mix at home

Each formula makes roughly 30ml, a standard dropper bottle. Scale the amounts up or down as you like, as long as you keep the same proportions between ingredients.

1. The lightweight glow oil (normal and combination skin)

• 20ml jojoba oil
• 8ml grapeseed oil
• 2ml (about 40 drops) vitamin E oil

Why these oils: jojoba’s wax-ester structure balances your skin’s own oil production without clogging pores, grapeseed brings a thin, fast-absorbing, linoleic-rich texture, and vitamin E adds antioxidant protection while helping to stabilise the blend.

2. The dry skin comfort blend

• 15ml argan oil
• 10ml avocado oil
• 5ml sweet almond oil

Why these oils: three oleic-rich oils layered together for genuine occlusion. This is too heavy for oily skin, but exactly what chronically dry, tight skin is asking for. Sweet almond oil is a tree nut derivative, so anyone with a nut allergy should patch test carefully or swap it for a little more argan.

3. The mature skin blend

• 15ml rosehip oil
• 10ml evening primrose oil
• 5ml argan oil

Why these oils: rosehip carries vitamin A precursors and vitamin C alongside its fatty acids, which is where most of the clinical interest in it for scarring and uneven tone comes from. Evening primrose is one of the few plant oils containing meaningful gamma-linolenic acid, of particular interest for mature, easily irritated skin.

Two small clinical trials found rosehip oil sped up wound healing measurably faster than standard aftercare, in one case by roughly four days on average. That’s not marketing language, it’s the kind of result that explains why formulators actually reach for it in scar and tone-focused blends.

4. The combination skin balancing blend

• 15ml grapeseed oil
• 10ml jojoba oil
• 5ml safflower oil

Why these oils: three lightweight, linoleic-leaning oils that sit well on a T-zone prone to shine, without starving the drier areas of the face.

5. The antioxidant-rich blend

• 20ml rosehip oil
• 8ml pomegranate seed oil
• 2ml vitamin E oil

Why these oils: rosehip and pomegranate seed oil both carry meaningful antioxidant content, and vitamin E does double duty here, protecting your skin from oxidative stress while protecting the oil itself from going off early.

Vitamin C and vitamin E work as a pair in skin: vitamin C actually regenerates oxidised vitamin E back into its active form, which is one reason formulators like to pair a vitamin-C-rich oil like rosehip with a little added vitamin E.

How to mix any of these blends

1. Sterilise your bottle. Rinse a dark glass dropper bottle with hot water or a splash of vodka and let it dry completely before you start.
2. Measure by volume. Use a small measuring cylinder or a marked syringe. Eyeballing it throws the fatty acid ratio off, which is the whole point of the blend.
3. Combine the carrier oils first, in the order listed for each formula.
4. Add the vitamin E last. It’s concentrated, so a few drops go further than you’d think.
5. Cap and shake gently for ten to fifteen seconds, until everything looks evenly combined.
6. Label the bottle with the blend and the date you mixed it. Future you will be grateful.

How and when to use your face oil

Facial oils work best as the last step of a routine, applied to skin that’s still slightly damp rather than bone dry. The damp layer helps the oil seal moisture in rather than just sitting on the surface. If you already follow a set order for your other skincare products, slot the oil in after your serum and before, or instead of, a heavier cream.

• Two to four drops is genuinely enough for the whole face. More doesn’t mean more glow, it usually just means a shinier midday.
• Warm the oil between your palms before pressing it into skin, rather than rubbing it in. It spreads further and absorbs faster this way.
• Most people do well using it once a day, in the evening, and can add a lighter morning application once their skin has adjusted.

Common mistakes worth avoiding

• Using oil as your only source of hydration. Oil seals moisture in, it doesn’t add water to the skin. Pair it with a hydrating layer underneath if your skin runs dry, rather than using it instead of one.
• Choosing a heavily oleic blend for oily or acne-prone skin. Based on the fatty acid science above, that’s usually the wrong direction to go in.
• Skipping the shake. Carrier oils and vitamin E can separate slightly on standing.
• Storing the bottle somewhere warm or bright. Heat and light are the two biggest drivers of oxidation.
• Judging results after three days. Skin barrier changes take weeks, not days, to show up properly.

Safety and patch testing

Patch test before you use any new blend

Dab a small amount on your inner forearm and leave it for 24 to 48 hours. No redness, itching or irritation means it’s reasonable to try it on your face.

Who should be extra cautious

• If you’re pregnant or breastfeeding and want to add essential oils to any of these blends, check with your doctor or midwife first. None of the five recipes above require essential oils to work.
• If you have a tree nut allergy, be cautious with sweet almond oil and apricot kernel oil specifically.
• Facial oils support skin, they don’t treat diagnosed conditions. If you’re dealing with persistent acne, eczema or another skin condition, see a dermatologist alongside anything you try at home.

Storage and shelf life

Carrier oils aren’t shelf-stable forever, and how long yours lasts depends heavily on its fatty acid profile.

The more polyunsaturated an oil is, the faster it oxidises. That’s why a highly linoleic oil like rosehip or evening primrose typically lasts only four to six months once opened, while jojoba’s wax-ester structure means it can stay stable for two years or more.

• Store your finished blend in dark glass, away from direct light and heat, ideally somewhere below room temperature.
• Vitamin E slows oxidation but doesn’t stop it. A small addition extends shelf life without meaningfully changing how the blend behaves on skin.
• A change in smell is the clearest sign an oil has turned. If it smells sharp, sour, or like old crayons, it’s time to bin it rather than use it.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use a face oil if I have oily skin?

Yes, with the right oil. Oily skin usually does better with lightweight, linoleic-rich oils like grapeseed, safflower or jojoba, rather than heavier oleic-rich blends.

Do I still need a moisturiser if I use a facial oil?

For most people, yes. An oil seals hydration in but doesn’t add much water on its own, so it works best layered over a hydrating product rather than replacing one entirely.

Can I add essential oils to these blends?

You can, in small amounts, generally under one per cent of the total blend, so around five or six drops per 30ml. It isn’t necessary for any of these formulas to work. If you’re pregnant, breastfeeding or have sensitised skin, check with a doctor or midwife before adding any essential oil.

How long does a homemade face oil last?

Anywhere from four months to two years, depending on which oils you use. See the storage section above for specifics on each type.

Can I wear a face oil under makeup?

Yes, once it’s fully absorbed, usually a few minutes after application. Give it time to sink in properly before applying anything on top.

A final thought

A good facial oil doesn’t need twenty ingredients or a marketing team behind it. It needs a fatty acid profile that matches your skin, and a bit of care in how it’s stored. Once you understand the logic behind linoleic and oleic acid, you can adjust any of these five formulas, or build your own, with real confidence rather than guesswork.

References

• Vegetable Butters and Oils as Therapeutically and Cosmetically Active Ingredients for Dermal Use, Frontiers in Pharmacology
• The Role of Linoleic Acid in Skin and Hair Health: A Review, PMC
• Rosehip Extract and Wound Healing: A Review, Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology
• Vitamin E: A Critical Review of Its Current Use in Cosmetic and Clinical Dermatology, PubMed
• Update on Vitamin E, MDedge Dermatology

Love, Patri xx