Mommy Greenest Loves: Superfood Facial Oil

When I was 30, I visited a legendary Los Angeles facialist who told me to stop using so many hydrating products. “Your skin is naturally oily,” she said. “You make your own moisture.” From then on, I just used eye cream at night, and added sunscreen in the daytime — all natural and organic, of course. And that was that, for a while.

But now that I’m older, and it’s a whole different ball game. Why? As hormones plummet and cells stop renewing, my skin is becoming drier. In the past few years, I’ve tried a lot of different creams, but the only thing that seems to restore moisture is a pure, natural facial oil. I’ve been using certified organic argan facial oil for a while, but recently upped my game by switching to Superfood Facial Oil from British natural beauty brand PHB Ethical Beauty. It’s lightweight but seriously hydrating — my skin drinks it up!

How to use facial oil.

I use the PHB Ethical Beauty Superfood Facial Oil twice daily and have really noticed a difference. My skin is more hydrated, plumper, and smoother since I’ve been using it. (And no, it doesn’t clog pores or cause pimples — just make sure to properly cleanse your skin at night.)

For those of you who are frightened of using oil on your face because you’re worried it might make your hair greasy or get on your clothes, here’s how:

1. Squirt one drop into your palm and use your pointer finger to gently dab it around your eyes, making sure to always move from the outside of your eyes in.
2. Then rub your palms together and massage the remaining oil in the areas where you need it most — for me, this is around my nose and mouth.
3. I add a second squirt into my palm, rub my hands together, and massage the facial oil into my neck and décolletage (yes, this is important, although you must be at least 40 to understand why).
4. Then I finish with a few seconds of pretty vigorous massage of the lower half of my face and (more gently) around my eyes, to the blood moving around and the puffiness out!

The secret sauce.

Formulated with 20 bio-active, all-natural and mostly certified organic oils — including  pomegranate, sea buckthorn, and avocado, among others — PHB Ethical Beauty Superfood Facial Oil absorbs quickly and penetrates deeply. I see the benefits of the night regimen in the morning, and my tinted moisturizer goes on smoother when I use the facial oil first (allowing time for absorption, of course).

Did I mention that this facial oil smells incredible? It’s a top-secret blend of sweet neroli and ylang ylang essential oils that I usually end up dabbing on my wrists like perfume, too. Just like natural perfume (check out my recipe here), the scent doesn’t last forever, but it’s a super effective mood elevator!

PHB Ethical Beauty Superfood Facial Oil is more expensive than the basic oils I used before, but it’s so rich that I use a whole lot less, about four drops each day. At that rate, the 20 milliliter bottle will last a long time.

What’s PHB Ethical Beauty?

Made in the UK, PHB Ethical Beauty — which stands for Pure, Handmade, British — adheres to the highest ethical beauty standards and donates 20% of all sales to nonprofits. PHB Ethical Beauty is never tested on animals; it’s 100% vegan and certified by the Vegan Society; all products are halal certified and palm-oil free. Most ingredients are certified organic, as noted on ingredient lists. And all avoid parabens, synthetic fragrance, artificial color, sodium lauryl sulfate, petrochemicals, alcohol, formaldehyde, phthalates, and nanoparticles.

(Why are these kinds of standards important? Check out the Mommy Greenest Guide to Green Beauty. Inspired? Read this story about how quick and easy a beauty detox can be!) 

Obviously reducing plastic is paramount for me, and PHB fits the bill. Most products are packaged in glass, with post-consumer recycled plastic pumps and caps, plus aluminum lids. It would be great if PHB made refillable products — any excuse to visit the U.K.! — and I wish they’d chosen recyclable material for the caps and pumps, but all plastic is, at least, PCR.

All about the superfood.

PHB’s Superfood line — which includes a cleanser, moisturizer, serum, and tonic, in addition to the aforementioned facial oil — is designed to feed the skin with ingredients that are legendary for their complexion-enhancing abilities.

Yes, please. 

What’s your go-to hydration for dry and/or aging skin — and does it include facial oil? Please share in comments, below!