This article contains sponsored links from my favorite brand Mountain Rose Herbs. I love their high quality organic/fair trade products, and am blown away by their commitment to zero waste.
There are so many anti-aging products on the market, yet you can easily create your own skin serum at home in minutes. Here are 5 wonderful anti-aging carrier and essential oils to create your own healing beauty product. Two carrier oils and 2-3 essential oils of your choice will create the most amazing DIY skin healing serum.
Carrier Oils
Rosehip Seed Oil
Rosehip seed oil is a natural form of retinoic acid, vitamin A, known for regenerating damaged skin tissue. It reduces scars and hyper-pigmentation, and softens wrinkles. It’s anti-inflammatory properties helps heal burned skin and eczema. Rosehip seed oil is a wonderful skin rehydrator for aging, weathered, and dry skin.
Sea Buckthorn Oil
Sea buckthorn oil is anti-oxidant rich containing vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta-carotene, all wonderful for dry, aging, or neglected skin. It is known for healing acne, hyperpigmentation, burns, eczema, and radiation injuries.
Pomegranate Seed Oil
Pomegranate seed oil is extremely rich in antioxidants, therefore fights free radical damage and aging skin with a potent source of punicic and ellagic acids. Pomegranate seed oil is richly nourishing to the outer epidermal layer of the skin enhancing skin elasticity and regeneration, while protecting and healing skin aliments such as dry, cracked, irritated, sunburned skin, eczema, and psoriasis.
Essential Oils
Carrot Seed Oil
Carrot seed essential oil is known as a skin detoxing oil wonderful for rejuvenating the skin and softening wrinkles. Although it is most popular in anti-aging products, it also helps heal eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis, and other skin rashes and irritations. It blends extremely well with geranium essential oil which lifts the mood and also very nurturing to many skin ailments.
Neroli Oil
Neroli essential oil is very calming and soothing to nerves. It has a light sweet floral fragrance and is a wonderful perfuming oil. It has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antiseptic properties. Neroli essential oil is good for all skin types: sensitive, dry, oily, and mature. It is great for healing scars, increasing circulation, anxiety, headaches, as well as for wrinkles and stretch marks. Neroli blends well with chamomile, geranium, rose, and lavender essential oils which are all wonderful in skin care products.
Creating Your Own Serum
To create your own anti-aging oil serum mix a light carrier oil such as jojoba, apricot, or almond oil with your nutrient rich anti-aging carrier oil, and one or two essential oils. You can do a 60/40 mix of carrier oils, using more of your less expensive carrier oil, and adding 5-6 drops of essential oils to one ounce of carrier oil. Customize your oil as you wish and add to a clean 2 or 4 oz glass bottle with glass dropper for easy application.
Most likely you’d love to see a sample recipe on exactly how to make your own facial serum for dry, damaged, or mature skin types. If that’s the case, then you will love this recipe for the Rosehips & Carrot Seed Facial Serum. Creating your own moisturizing facial serum is extremely easy!
If you have acne prone skin, then definitely read about oils specifically for acne prone skin.
(Image by D Sharon Pruitt)
Rae says
Currently, I’m using sunflower oil. It’s good. It keeps my post-acne hyperpigmentation at bay.
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Rae, Good to know. Sunflower oil is also a ceramide oil and good for hair too. Have a beautiful beautiful day!
Jean says
Wow, there’s really so many different oils for your skin.. it’s almost overwhelming! I have some scars, so neroli looks enticing. I also want to try pomegranate oil.. I use the 100% Pure Pomegranate Moisturizer and it’s awesome! I see you’re a 100% Pure fan too – aren’t they awesome? 😀
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Jean,
I’m a big 100% Pure fan! I love their skin care, makeup, and body care! Yes there are so many wonderful natural oils to choose from. As soon as I run out of one I like to try another, and they can be very different from each other and still wonderful in their own way. We really can find everything that we need in nature.
Best,
Dawn Michelle
chineze says
i love natural oils. I presently use sesame oil, almond oil and palm kernel seed oil.
Regine says
I use organic extra virgin coconut oil for both my face and prepoo. I spray my face with rose water Glycerine ( from Whole Foods), then apply he evco. I do this at night and in the morning but in the morning i also use a 20 or 30 SPF oil free lotion.
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Regine, I love coconut oil, yet noticed that I can not use it on my face any more. Kind of a bummer since it is a wonderful natural oil. I do use coconut oil for hair and as a body oil though. Thanks for sharing your all natural skin care regimen!
Summer says
This is great! I currently have a mixture of rose oil, jojoba oil, and water that I spray on my face right after the shower and then I use tea tree oil to help prevent any breakouts and then CeraVe facial lotion. At night I will also use pure vitamine E oil on areas where I have acne scars and this routine has cleared up my acne and acne scars
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Summer,
Thanks for your comment and beauty tips! Rose essential oil is amazing and so is jojoba oil! I haven’t used tea tree oil in a long time, but it is fantastic for healing piercings too.
Also I looked up CeraVe Moisturizing Lotion to learn more about it as it has gained a lot of popularity lately, but the ingredients aren’t too cute:
Water (Purified), Glycerin, Capric/Caprylic Stearic Triglyceride, Behentrimonium Methylsulfate/Cetearyl Alcohol, Ceteareth 20, Ceramide 3, Ceramide 6 11, Ceramide 1, Hyaluronic Acid, Cholesterol, Dimethicone, Polysorbate 20, Polyglyceryl 3 Diisostearate, Potassium Phosphate, Dipotassium Phosphate, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Disodium EDTA, Phytosphingosine, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum.
It takes time to understand what ingredients are used for, which synthetic ingredients aren’t healthy for the body, and which ingredients make the product amazing, yet it is so worth learning and knowing what you are putting on your body. There are a bunch of natural organic brands with wonderful moisturizing lotions that you can check out with super healthy ingredients on this page if you are interested. Hope you’re having a beautiful day and again thanks for sharing!
tears says
Hi Dawn,
Thanks for this post! Sea buckthorn oil interests me personally as I have old acne scars. Do you know whether there’s a difference between the seed oil and the fruit/berry oil?
Dawn Michelle says
Hi tears, This is what I found out… http://montecho.wordpress.com/2011/02/22/sea-buckthorn-fruit-oil-vs-seed-oil-do-you-know-the-difference/
Victoria says
Hi Dawn!
I was interested in buying an oil that would help with my hyperpigmentation and uneven skin tone. I am debating between rosehip seed oil and sea buckthorn oil. What is your opinion? My mother and grandmother want me to use dangerous skin lightening creams, but I know that I don’t want to take that risk. Thanks!
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Victoria,
To really help heal hyperpigmentation I suggest using both a facial wash or treatment as well as a natural moisturizer. It is also important to wear a natural sunscreen or mineral makeup with SPF so that the areas that you are evening up do not get darker from the sun. Here is an article that I wrote on hyperpigmentation that offers 10 natural solutions. Another which I discovered after writing this article is turmeric powder which I wrote about in this DIY facial mask recipe.
Be gentle with your skin and use maybe two of the natural solutions. You can also use a q-tip and spot treat any dark spots on your face at night with turmeric powder by mixing it with a bit moisturizer or natural facial oil and applying it directly to the spot. It isn’t glamorous yet it does help. Just make sure that you cover your pillow with an old towel so that you do not stain it with turmeric. Use kasturi turmeric if you are fair skinned which is different than the turmeric you will find in the cooking section of the grocery store. I use organic turmeric from the grocery store, yet it does not stain my skin tone.
Hope this helps!
Victoria says
Hi Dawn! I love love love your blog!! I was wondering if, instead of mixing the fancy oils with carrier oils, it would be possible to mix them with something else, such as aloe vera, to obtain a lighter consistency more suitable for oily skin. Also, I´d love to know your thoughts on neem oil and how to use it. I´ve read all sorts of wonderful things about it, and that it´s good for acne prone skin. Thank you so much for all this amazing info!!
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Victoria,
When you say fancy oils I’m thinking you mean essential oils. Yes you can mix the essential oils with aloe vera. It would be a lighter consistency as you said and great for your skin. Try adding a few drops of essential oil per ounce of aloe vera. When mixing carrier oils with aloe vera you will need an emulsifier to combine the carrier oil and aloe vera together.
Also I haven’t used neem oil in a long long time and only had a tiny bit when I did purchase it. It is a great antibacterial and anti-inflammatory oil, yet with a strong scent with a medium to thick consistency. You can use neem oil for skin and hair and even better mix it with one of your favorite carrier oils.
Thanks for the love and hope this was helpful <3
Anum says
I can’t decide which anti-aging carrier to use! They all sound great! Can I use a few drops of each mixed with an essential oil? or would that be too much? Thank you
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Anum,
I loving mixing oils! To make sure that an oil suits my skin I will try individual carrier oils first by themselves. I will then try individual essential oils in the carrier oils. Essential oils need to be heavily diluted in carrier oils when placed on your skin. I suggest no more than 10 drops of an essential oil to 1 ounce of a carrier oil or carrier oil mix. You can also use even less essential oil and have a quality product. It just depends on the mix and your skins needs.
Best wishes <3
Cynthia says
I currently use jojoba, rosehip, evening primrose and a bit of tea tree to prevent acne. I have combat skin and am 35. Do I still need to use a serum prior to putting on my oil mix (such as Clarins Double Serum Complete)or can I do without the serum completely?
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Cynthia,
I personally like to keep my skin care regimen as simple as possible. I don’t think it is absolutely necessary to layer serums with moisturizers, yet some products do work in synergy with each other. When using new products I like to isolate them, and use only one at a time so I know how my skin reacts to it. With combination skin sometimes only the drier areas may need to be layered.
I’ve noticed with my own skin that using gentle cleansers that do not disrupt the skin’s pH balance calm the skin in general. I also have combination skin. Hope this is helpful!
~Dawn Michelle
Cynthia says
I meant I have combination skin!
Dawn Michelle says
I thought so 🙂
Bettie king says
What about coconut oil?
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Bettie,
I’ve learned overtime that coconut oil can be a bit tricky. It can be soothing to some skin types while causing acne in others. Because I am acne prone, I’ve stopped using coconut oil on anything other than my hair on occasion or for oil pulling. I also use coconut oil to cook with and other food preparations because it is a very healthy oil to consume. Coconut oil also has wonderful antibacterial properties though and smells amazing.
Best wishes!
Connie says
I am currently using carrot seed essential oil mixed with aloe for my skin. I am 55 and have dark circles so I wondered if the Kasturi Tumeric powder mixed as previously explained would help with that?
Also, what is an emulsifier and how would I add that to the carrot seed/aloe mix? (Probably a silly question, but I don’t know.)
Thank you so much.
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Connie,
Carrot seed oil is wonderful! Turmeric is fantastic for brightening and healing skin as well. As for the dark circles I always suggest looking to see what is going on within the body. Our face can literally be a map of our health. You can see this Chinese Face Chart here and see what I’m talking about. As for emulisfiers, they bind oil to water to create creams, lotions, and gels. A few natural emulifiers are lecithin, beeswax, and guar gum. Google “easy lotion recipes” to learn more about how to create your own.
Best,
Dawn Michelle
pamela murphy says
I have been using argan oil, it is wonderful but expensive, would so much rather make my own. Thank you so kindly.
Dawn Michelle says
You are so welcome Pamela! It is so fun and rewarding to create your own beauty products. Have a beautiful day!
pamela murphy says
I have been using Argan oil,it works great but is so expensive, would live to try mixing my own
Linda says
I use a mix I buy from a woman in Oregon, it has shea butter, Emu oil, Arnica, Hemp oil, and Ginger. Wonderful stuff! Both for face and body, also for a muscle rub. I use it every day, I’m 51, and have hardly any signs of aging. I use honey and lemon to wash my face.
Dawn Michelle says
This sounds amazing Linda! Thanks for sharing!
Connie says
thanks Dawn…appreciate the information and help!
Dawn Michelle says
You’re so welcome Connie!
KatieLynne says
What a fantastic topic…in fact, I want to thank you for your entire blog!! I’m learning so much because you make it so easy to absorb (little pun :)). Can’t wait to get started with using a personalized concoction. You’re just wonderful for sharing and explaining all of this in such a beautiful way.
Dawn Michelle says
Thank you so much Katie Lynne! I’m glad that you liked this article. Let me know if you make your own oil serum and how it turns out.
Carla says
Hi,
I have combination acne prone skin would you recommend I use rose hip seed oil as a carrier oil?
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Carla,
For acne prone skin maybe try jojoba or even hemp oil. I plan to do a series of article on natural skin care and also some more tips for acne prone skin in the next week or so. In the meantime check out this article that I wrote about acne and hyperpigmentation. Hope you are having a great weekend!
doyin says
Hi Dawn. You are an amazing soul, thx for the tips and information! Am going to try making my own serum. What can I add to my oil as a brightening agent, annd also what natural product serves as spf?
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Doyin,
I do have two brightening masks that I think you’ll really like. You can find the recipe here and here. Have a beautiful day!
Carolyn Kauffman says
Wish you made your pages user friendly to print so don’t have to run so many extra pages, waste of paper and ink 🙁
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Carolyn,
I’ll definitely keep this in mind. In the meantime you can specifically select text to be printed to save paper or even go paperless all together. I hope this helps and enjoy your day!
Rita says
Which one is good for shrinking pores?
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Rita,
I have a feeling that enlarged pores may possibly be congested pores. I personally love steaming my face to hydrate my skin and also provide a deep cleansing. You can read more on that here. I use the oil cleansing method with oils high linoleic acids because I am acne prone. Rosehip seed oil, pomegranate oil, and evening primrose oil would be great options because they are high in linoleic acid and also fabulous anti-aging oils. Let me know how this works out for you.
Best wishes!
Elizabeth says
Hi Dawn Michelle,
I would like to blend oils to target dark circles and include anti-aging properties.
I understand it is recommended to dilute some pure form of oils and while I’m only in the beginning stages of research I would like to know your thoughts on the following list of oils I plan to use:
5 drops – Arnica 100% Pure Essential Oil
5 drops – Sea Buckthorn Berry 100% Pure Oil
5 drops – Chamomile Essential Oil Blend (sweet almond oil + chamomile oil)
20 ml – Sweet Almond Oil 100% pure
Many Thanks,
Elizabeth
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Elizabeth,
I have not used all of the oils that you have listed, yet I will share that to every 1 oz of a carrier oil I would only add up to 10 drops of an essential oil or combination of essential oils. I hope this helps some. Have a beautiful day!
Alix says
I was wondering how often one would use one of these serums? Daily? Once a week?
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Alix,
You can use these serums daily. Have a beautiful day!
Charlotte says
Hi Dawn,
Great tips! I am a great fan on natural oil and using Barbary fig seed oil (from cactus seed). Extremely rich in antioxidants. Great for dark circles and wrinkles.
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Charlotte,
Thanks for sharing this and have a great weekend!
carole says
I am 68 and have small warts on my forehead, neck, and on my left cheek. I remove my makeup with coconut oil then rinse with organic apple cider vinegar. I then apply a serum I bought over the Internet. I also have dark circles under my eyes. I haven’t seen any changes in my skin. Any suggestions you have would be appreciated.
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Carol,
I don’t know too much about warts outside of them being caused by a virus and possibly developing from a weakened immune system. I would see a holistic doctor or homeopathic nutritionist to help you creat balance inside your body. In my opinion all skin ailments are imbalances inside the body being shown on the surface. The same goes with dark circles which are related to the kidneys based on the Chinese face chart which you can see here. I would also use a gentler toner such as a hydrosol for your skin versus apple cider vinegar. Rosehip seed oil makes an excellent moisturizer too by the way.
april W says
Hi. Love reading all of this. What would you recommend to use to tighten facial skin and neck????
Dawn Michelle says
Hi April W,
Rosehip seed oil is incredible for skin rejuvination and anti-aging skin in general. I’d also suggest oil cleansing to using traditional facial cleansers which can dehydrate skin. Gently massaging oil into the skin feels divine and I feel helps to tone the skin. I use a warm/hot damp microfiber cloth to remove the cleansing oil, then splash my face with water and follow up with moisturizing with oil to seal in the moisture. <3
S says
Hi Dawn,
Can you please suggest me an oil which can treat my dry,dull dehydrated skin with lots of pimples and acne.
I m using rahssoul clay to cleanse my skin and It is helping with fading the scars but doesn’t help at all in clearing my acne or pimples at all and also make my skin dry.
So I need a moisturizer which I can apply after rahhsoul cleansing.
I need a moisturizer that can heal my acne,scars without leaving any oily residue.
Can you please tell me which of the following oil is best for my dry acne prone skin.
(1) Tamanu oil
(2) Argan oil
(3) Rose hip seed oil
(4) grape seed oil.
Can you please give me the reasons of which oil is best.
Dawn Michelle says
Hi S,
I would try rosehip seed oil. Also definitely look into creating a synergistic lifestyle to help heal your acne. You can get more info on that here and here. Hope this helps!
Rhonda says
Hello Dawn,
What kind of oil do you suggest as a cleaning oil? I use a homemade Goats milk soap with tea tree oil along with lavender oil. I would like to use a cleaning oil first. This way I can cut back on the lye base soap.
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Rhonda,
You can literally use any carrier oil that is compatible with your skin to oil cleanse your face with. You can read more about oils for acne prone skin here and some of those oils recommended are also great for dry skin such as rosehip seed oil which I wrote about here. Hope this helps some!
RW says
I have tried numerous sources to find Pomegranate Seed Oil but have been unsuccessful. If anyone has a good source and wouldn’t mind sharing I would greatly appreciate it.
Dawn Michelle says
Hi RW,
You can find organic pomegranate seed oil from Mountain Rose Herbs. They have incredible quality oils, butters, teas, herbs, spices etc. Have a beautiful day! <3
YB says
Hi…I’m a 46 year old woman and my skin is not looking too good! I feel like it’s loosing its firmness especially around my mouth. It almost looks like my whole face is starting to sag a little. In addition to that I’m noticing discoloration, especially around my mouth and chin! I’m starting to use a lot more concealer…AND my pores look larger and I’m seeing Crow’s Feet around my eyes. I’d like to try essential oils but there are so many that claim they can help….can anyone help me find the proper essential oils that will help ALL my aging issues on my face? Thank you so much!
Dawn Michelle says
Hi YB,
The carrier oils and essential oils listed in this article will be helpful to you. This recipe includes some of these ingredients as well. Along with good skin care, and not using cleansers which dry out the skin, definitely focus on getting your beauty sleep, minimizing stress, drinking enough water, and eating a whole foods nutrient rich diet. Happy holidays!
sherrie voto says
HI,
I am new to your blog and love it. I have been delving into natural beauty for sometime now, however the hair dye issue is so difficult to find natural organic to cover grays well. I have a question I heard if I had color in my hair that using a henna would cause drastic problems with my hair. Just inquiring to see if this is true especially coming from hair professionals. I want to make the switch as I am coloring every three weeks. Thank you
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Sherrie Voto,
I’ve heard many hair professionals say the same thing. Henna and indigo which are both natural ingredients used for hair dye can’t be lifted away from hair the way chemical hair colors can. For example if you used natural body art henna because you wanted to dye your hair a beautiful rich red tone and your natural hair was an ash blond, you would not be able to bleach your hair back to blond. The hair bleach would remove your natural color and leave behind the red from the henna.
Also hair professionals are not in favor of henna because they have also had bad experiences themselves or with clients who have used henna dyes that also contained metallic salts and other nasty chemical ingredients which reck havoc on the hair. This is why it is so important to only use organic henna and body art quality henna. When using henna to dye hair, you must be interested in keeping your hair a natural hair color and not switch up your hair color frequently. The dye will fade slowly but it is a permanent dye.
On the other side of things henna is the only true hair conditioning hair color I know of. It strengthens hair like no other and gives dark hair a red tint. You can not lighten your hair with henna as it only comes in on color which is red. Henna can be mixed with cassia also called neutral henna to create strawberry blond shades, and also mixed with indigo to create chestnut brown to black hair shades. Definitely do your research before you dive in and also read this article where I share my experience with henna and indigo.
Best wishes!
salina says
I didn’t see this and reactivated my fb just to ask u a question lol ,my question is I’ve looked at hundreds of natural serums and creams and often have ingrediant I’m allergic or extremely sensitive to,in your create your own serums article you say to use a light carrier oil then a nutrient rich anti aging oil,I wanted to make a eye serum with sweet almond oil,carrotseed oil,and vit e,I also read what u said about pumkinseed oil and sound good for my acneRome skin,but don’t know if I can use that around eyes,so is this a good mix and w all these ingrediants can it be used all over face,I also like grapeseed oil…and jojoba I can only use around eyes bcuz that and cocanut oil ,ake me break out,any advice I’d appreciate than you
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Salina,
I use pumpkin seed and rosehip seed oil all over my face and even eye area. As long as your skin enjoys the oils that you choose you can also use them around the delicate eye area as well. If you are acne prone, using high linoleic oils may be the best fit. I hope this helps some.
Gracie Villarreal says
I use this and I’m always told I don’t look my age (56) , they tell me I look 40
I love it
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Gracie Villarral,
Thanks so much for sharing this and I hope you have a beautiful day!
Maria DeAngelo says
I love you products. They have kept me looking youthful. I will not use anything else.
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Maria DeAngelo,
I’m so glad that the DIY beauty recipes here have been so helpful to you. Thank you so much for sharing this and have a beautiful day!
Ellen says
I need a serum for black skin wrinkles, need mixer of oils, which oils can I buy for a beautiful face and, to remove wrinkles under my eyes. Also have a very bad scar on my face. I need proper oils to mix for anti aging. I’m 42 years old
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Ellen,
The suggestions in this article are all wonderful for creating an anti-aging oil serum. You can also see my anti-aging skin care regimen which includes specific products or ingredients to brighten and hydrate the skin plus remove dark spots here. I shared everything that I am currently using from cleanser to anti-aging serum and more. I hope this helps you!
Hamza says
Use neroli oil I have 68 years
Congratulations
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Hamza,
I love neroli hydrosol too! It’s so awesome that you’ve been using the essential oil for your skin for such a long time. Have a beautiful day!
Anna says
Hi Dawn Michelle,
Thank you so much for your blog; it is the first time I have read about natural skincare and actually taken actions to try it rather than the usual giving up because whatever I read left me with more questions than answers. I am very excited to begin the journey of finding out what specific natural skincare works best for me, and your blog is my main source of information and inspiration.
I have acne-prone skin but would like to use something specifically for anti-aging under my eyes where acne is not an issue. My question is, have you found that what you use under eyes bleeds down into the cheeks and causes breakouts at all? I had an eye cream do this, I believe, so I want to make sure whatever I use under my eyes will either not run/bleed or will not cause breakouts and so will not matter if it runs/bleeds a little. Thank you.
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Anna,
Thanks so much for your lovely comment and I’m so glad that you are finding the info here helpful. I actually have to used an eye cream for awhile now but my favorite is by 100% Pure which I wrote about here. Also you can see my current regimen for anti-aging and hydration here. I’ve noticed that the healthier that I eat, the less dark and puffy my undereye area is in general. I used to conceal that area with makeup and now I don’t wear concealer or foundation anymore unless it is a special occasion or for a performance. Please keep me posted on your natural skin care journey!
sue says
I have made the reship & carrot seed facial serum recipe and my skins still feels very dry in the morning. Can I tweak the recipe in some way to alleviate the dryness please? Its an old skin – 67!!
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Sue,
Have you ever tried using organic unrefined shea butter to moisturize your skin? You can definitely add it to this recipe (with a stick blender) and create a facial cream/butter. Shea butter is high in oleic acid which isn’t great for acne prone skin, but if that is not a concern then you might love it. Also definitely increase your water intake and eating healthy fats to moisturize your skin from the inside out. I hope this helps some.