Healthy, happy and radiant skin comes from a whole collective of elements working together in harmony to keep your skin feeling hydrated, smooth and glowing. One of these elements that’s often overlooked is our skin’s natural oils. They’re a vital part in maintaining a healthy skin barrier – which means they’re essential for our overall skin health too.
When our natural oils are depleted, our skin can become dry, irritated, and more at risk of environmental damage. And since over-using some of skincare’s most popular and powerful products can strip these oils away, it’s easy enough to fall into a routine that keeps our natural oils running in low supply.
The good news? These oils can be replenished and then retained. By bringing natural oils back into balance through a hydrating skincare routine and some other easy steps, you can support the overall wellbeing of your skin as well.
the skin’s protective oil barrier
Otherwise known as the epidermis, the skin’s barrier is the outermost layer of our skin (or the part you can see). It works hard to protect the deeper levels of our skin from the outside world.
There are three parts of your skin barrier – and one of those is the lipid barrier. That’s where you’ll find our skin’s natural oils. While the lipid barrier serves multiple functions, it’s most helpful for locking in moisture, and keeping out harmful pathogens and environmental stressors.
making sense of sebum
The natural oils in the skin are also called sebum. They’re produced by the sebaceous glands and include fatty acids, squalene, and other lipids (which explains why they’re a part of the lipid barrier!).
These natural oils come with all kinds of benefits to your skin and its health. They help to moisturise our skin, preventing water loss to keep it smooth and soft, while protecting it against environmental damage. The fatty acids in these oils are also helpful for maintaining our skin’s elasticity and softness. Not only that, natural oils have antimicrobial properties – which can help prevent infections and promote healing.
the skin’s protective oil barrier
Otherwise known as the epidermis, the skin’s barrier is the outermost layer of our skin (or the part you can see). It works hard to protect the deeper levels of our skin from the outside world.
There are three parts of your skin barrier – and one of those is the lipid barrier. That’s where you’ll find our skin’s natural oils. While the lipid barrier serves multiple functions, it’s most helpful for locking in moisture, and keeping out harmful pathogens and environmental stressors.
making sense of sebum
The natural oils in the skin are also called sebum. They’re produced by the sebaceous glands and include fatty acids, squalene, and other lipids (which explains why they’re a part of the lipid barrier!).
These natural oils come with all kinds of benefits to your skin and its health. They help to moisturise our skin, preventing water loss to keep it smooth and soft, while protecting it against environmental damage. The fatty acids in these oils are also helpful for maintaining our skin’s elasticity and softness. Not only that, natural oils have antimicrobial properties – which can help prevent infections and promote healing.
stripping our skin of natural oils
There are a number of ways our skin can be stripped of its natural oils. All of them can lead to dryness, irritation, and a compromised skin barrier. In some cases, environmental factors like harsh weather, pollution, and UV radiation might be to blame. Other times, it’s our own skincare routine.
Overusing acids, exfoliants and active ingredients like retinoids, vitamin A and exfoliating scrubs can disrupt your skin’s oil balance. They strip the skin of these natural oils – and in doing so, compromise your skin barrier. That’s when you might notice your skin looking and feeling more sensitive, inflamed and irritated – or even having a harder time healing from wounds or infections.
replenishing your skin and promoting oil production
There are a number of steps you can take to replenish your skin’s natural oil – and most of them are part of a hydrating skincare routine that’s all the more gentle on your skin.
start with a hydrating cleanser
Switch to a mild, hydrating cleanser that maintains the skin’s natural pH balance and doesn’t strip away essential oils. Look for ingredients like hyaluronic acid, glycerin and ceramide in them.
Our Ceramide Cleansing Balm is particularly helpful, as it contains Ceramide NG – which works to improve the barrier strength, hydration level and suppleness of your skin.
enrich your complexion with facial oils
Facial oils like jojoba, rosehip, or argan oil are natural wonders that can help restore your skin’s lipid barrier. They mimic your skin’s natural sebum, which works to provide nourishment and hydration, boosting your complexion to its most radiant.
Rather than settling for one oil, try our Vitamin Treatment Oil – which contains argan, avocado and rosehip oils all working together.
hydrate and moisturise
Regularly use a nourishing moisturiser that contains ingredients like ceramide and glycerin to help retain moisture, support your skin barrier and prevent natural oils from being stripped away.
For an altogether deeper level of hydration, our Cellular Repair Face Cream offers a peptide-rich moisture experience that enriches your skin to help replenish your natural oils.
(Speaking of hydration, drinking plenty of water and eating foods with high water content like cucumber are helpful too!).
limit the actives and exfoliants for a while
Exfoliation and the use of active ingredients like retinol and vitamin A are both great additions to your skincare routine – but overuse can damage your skin barrier.
keep environmental stressors at bay
A broad-spectrum sunscreen is essential for protecting your skin from UV damage – so make sure it’s always a part of your daily routine. You might also want to use products with antioxidants like vitamin C and E for extra levels of protection.
get an in-depth treatment by an expert
Sometimes a little expert support goes a long way. If you’re concerned about your skin’s barrier and natural oils supply, a Customised Facial at your nearest endota location can bring back a beautiful, healthy glow. Your endota therapist will assess the current health of your skin – then guide you through a tailored treatment to help replenish and revitalise.
Remember, a healthy skin barrier is the foundation of beautiful, resilient skin – and replenishing your natural oils is an essential part of this. By keeping an eye out for signs your sebum might be in shorter supply or embracing the skincare steps that elevate natural oil production, you can count on your barrier to be in its best condition all year round.
