The cold and dry air of winter has a way of wreaking havoc on our skin and nails. Our remedies include drinking plenty of water and creating barriers to moisture loss.

For our hands, we’re a huge fan of balms. Most of ours are made at home with a combination of beeswax, moisturizing carrier oils, and nourishing extracts and essential oils (think calendula, lavender, comfrey).

We won’t shy away from using a balm on our cheeks if we’re heading out for a day in the elements, but for everyday use, we want some thing a touch lighter than. And that’s when we grab a DIY face oil.

Why DIY?

Face oils are so easy to blend that you really should start making your own at home. It’ll save you some major dough (designer face oils can be expensive!). And, even more importantly, by making your own, you get to customize your blends.

If you want to get started, you should check out our first face oil post.That post contains a great list of online sources that we use when blending oils. We discuss everything from carrier oils to essential oils and give you a basic “summer face oil” recipe.

Winter Face Oil

You’ll see that the following potion isn’t that different from our summer face oil. The whole reason being that we really like our base formula and are only adjusting it slightly to add a bit of extra protection against the dry winter air.

We chose the following combination of ingredients for both their moisturizing and healing properties. For example, calendula is well known for its soothing and healing properties. I can only purchase olive oil infused with calendula, and so, olive becomes one of the carriers in this recipe. It can be a bit heavy, but again, during the winter, I think that works well with my skin. Rosehip oil provides an all-around treatment for skin: moisturizing, evening tone, and reducing the signs of aging. Myrrh is a great essential oil for healing dry or chapped skin and the signs of sun damage.

An added benefit from this combination of oils is the scent. Leaning heavily on the myrrh essential oil, creates a nice woodsy scent that I find comforting and relaxing at this time of year.

Carrier Oil Formula:

• 1/2 oz calendula-infused olive oil
• 1/2 oz rosehip seed oil
• 1/2 oz raspberry seed oil
• 1/2 oz jojoba oil

Essential Oil Additions:

• 10 drops myrrh essential oil
• 5 drops sea buckthorn essential oil
• 5 drops carrot seed essential oil
• 5 drops geranium essential oil

How to blend :

• Put the calendula-infused olive oil, rosehip, and raspberry seed oils in a 2 oz bottle. Add the essential oils and then top it off with the jojoba oil. This ensures that there will be enough room for the essential oils, and if I don’t use a full 1/2 oz of the jojoba oil, it’s not a big deal.
• Once all oils are in the bottle, put the cap on and gently swirl the bottle to mix the oils.

How to use :

• Once blended, use the dropper to apply approximately 4-5 drops to your face. One drop on each cheek, one drop on the chin, and one to two drops on the forehead. Gently rub the drops, spreading the oil over your entire face.
• Even though this oil has some SPF properties from the oils, I don’t rely on it explicitly for sun protection on my face.