Swapping out your regular facial moisturizer for oil brings on an almost-instantaneous reaction among women: we see our skin as it looked when we first started puberty, with the violent upheaval of hormones surging through our bodies creating volcanic outbursts on our faces. Oil = pimples & acne. We grew up seeing oil as the antithesis for clean, well-maintained, healthy skin.

Recently, however, oil is becoming more and more readily accepted as a solution for problem skin. Oils not only help improve hydration levels and retain more moisture, they can deliver potent nutrient packages that moisturizers simply can’t. Here are just a few of the reasons you may want to consider swapping out your moisturizer for an oil-based product:

1. Oils are great for dry skin. Even oily skin can become prone to dryness in the winter, when the combination of forced indoor heat and cold, dry outdoor air wreaks havoc on moisture levels. The moisture contained in oils is higher than that of moisturizers, and tends to last longer.
2. Oils can reduce wrinkles. Many oils pack an antioxidant punch along with their hydrating properties. Antioxidants effectively smooth skin and reduce facial lines and wrinkles caused by sun and other damaging environmental factors.
3. Oils really protect skin. Because they are deeply penetrating in nature, the effects of oils last longer and are more potent than the effects of cream or lotion moisturizers.
4. Oils can actually reduce acne flare-ups. Tea tree oil in particular is a great combatant of acne, and a potent zit-zapper in itself. Regular application of jojoba oil in moderation helped actually reduce the skin’s production of oil.
5. Targeted oils can actually help ameliorate rosacea as well as other sensitive skin flare-ups, redness and inflammation. Auspect’s Rednomore serum is specifically formulated for calming redness and rosacea-prone areas. Women who used this serum in addition to or in lieu of a daily moisturizer attest that “the product begin to immediately calm the stressed out skin gradually reducing the inflammation, calming and reducing the redness”.

If your skin is feeling tight and itchy, or you’re suffering from redness and other signs of inflammation, you might do yourself a favor and try swapping out your regular moisturizer for an oil or oil-based serum. Oils don’t actually cause acne, after all, contrary to the beliefs we all grew up with, and their formulation is perfect for protecting, hydrating and delivery of potent botanicals to treat inflammation and other skin sensitivities.