A guide to the best skincare oils (yes, even for oily types)

If your dry winter skin’s in need of relief, it’s time to look at oils.

Whether “slugging” onto skin, using to tame flyaway hair, adding to your bath or rubbing into cuticles, elbows and heels, oils are not only some of the most versatile skincare products, they’re great for every skin type (yes, even oily skins), helping to plump skin and lock in the goodness and hydrating properties of skincare ingredients.

A good balance of keratinocytes (skin cells) and lipids are crucial for a healthy skin barrier. Lipids are the glue that keeps your stratum corneum, the outermost layer of skin, intact. Without them, skin is compromised. Whether it’s as a result of your genetic make-up, the environment or an overenthusiastic peel treatment, damage to your protective barrier lets water out, creating dry skin. Oils help to lock this moisture in.

There are numerous skin-saving oils, including jojoba, rosehip, argan, marula, blue tansy, camellia and grapeseed. According to dermatologist Dr Stacy Chimento, argan oil is particularly useful. “It is great for patches of skin affected by psoriasis,” she says. “You can use argan oil alone or with your favourite face cream, and also on your hair.”

Meanwhile, Gwyneth Paltrow, Victoria Beckham, Kourtney Kardashian and Miranda Kerr are all fans of rosehip oil. Kerr raves about it, saying, “I like to wear it at night. It’s full of antioxidants.”

As well as helping to seal in hydration and actives, oils shield the delicate skin mantle and replenish the lipid layer. One of our favourites is The Jojoba Company’s Australian Jojoba ($53), which is great for face, body and hair as it mimics the oil found in human skin – we only wish it came in a jumbo size. Sealing your skin with oil should be done each night: cleanse and apply your night product, then apply a pea-sized amount of your favourite oil over your face as the final step.

For thirsty skin on the rest of your body, apply oils after your shower and massage them in while your skin is still damp; we like L’Occitane Almond Supple Skin Oil ($68). And for hair, try Olaplex No 7 Bonding Oil ($54), which is equally brilliant as a heat protectant before styling, or afterwards to calm frizz and flyaways.