When I was younger I used to think that only people with dry skin needed a moisturizer.
Oh, how wrong I was!
Yes, it makes sense that people with dry skin need to use something to moisturize their face, but did you know that some studies suggest that people with oily or combination skin may be producing too much oil because the skin is not getting enough moisture and the skin makes up for it by producing more oil?
Regardless of our age or skin type, we all need a great moisturizer to keep our skin hydrated, protect against the environment, and help prevent irritation.
When we wash our face, we often strip our skin of the natural oils (sebum).
By using a face serum (natural oils blended with essential oils), we are replenishing the natural oils on our face.
We all need to a moisturizer, but we shouldn’t all use the same one.
I’ve seen lots of DIY face serum recipes that offer the exact same recipe for everyone to use whether they have normal skin, dry skin, combination skin, sensitive skin, mature skin, acne-prone skin, or oily skin.
That just doesn’t make sense.
While everyone should moisturize their face, we don’t all have to use the same moisturizer.
Our skin is different and it has different needs. A face serum for sensitive skin needs to be gentle and calm irritated skin. A face serum for mature skin needs to hydrate, even pigmentation, plump fine lines and wrinkles, and increase skin’s elasticity.  Different needs for different skin.
How to Make DIY Face Serum with Essential Oil
It’s really simple to make a face serum. Just 2 ingredients and 3 very simple steps.
After you see the basic recipe, be sure to keep reading to see how to customize the face serum to be just right for your skin type. There’s a list of the best carrier oils and best essential oils for each skin type as well as a suggested face serum recipe for dry skin, sensitive skin, oily skin, acne-prone skin, mature skin, and normal skin.
step 1:Â add 2 ounces of carrier oil to a glass bottle
(see below for a list of which carrier oils work best for your skin type)
step 2:Â add 20 drops of essential oil
(see below for a list of which essential oils work best for your skin type)
step 3:Â put lid on bottle and gently roll the bottle in the palm of your hand for about 30 seconds to mix the essential oils in with carrier oil
That’s it. That’s all there is to making your very own DIY face serum with essential oil.
How to Use Face Serum
Step 1:Â remove makeup (find my homemade makeup remover wipes recipe here)
Step 2:Â cleanse face (find my favorite DIY face wash for your skin type HERE)
Step 3: use a toner (find my recipe for a simple, but super awesome 3-ingredient facial toner here)
Step 4:Â apply a drop of serum to forehead, each cheek, and chin
Step 5:Â gently massage in using small, soft upward strokes
store bottle in a cool, dark place
What are the best carrier oils for your skin type?
Normal:Â apricot kernel oil, jojoba, grapeseed oil, sunflower oil, sweet almond oil
Dry:Â avocado oil, sweet almond oil, rose hip seed oil, apricot kernel oil, sunflower oil
Acne:Â jojoba, sesame oil, argan oil, grapeseed oil, evening primrose
Sensitive:Â sunflower oil, jojoba, sweet almond oil, apricot kernel oil, rose hip seed oil, avocado oil, argan oil, grapeseed oil, evening primrose
Oily:Â jojoba, argan oil, grapeseed oil
Mature:Â rose hip seed oil, jojoba, sweet almond oil, apricot kernel oil, avocado oil, sunflower oil, tamanu oil
What are the best essential oils for your skin type?
Normal:Â lavender, frankincense, geranium
Dry:Â geranium, lavender, myrrh, patchouli, rose, frankincense, ylang ylang, cedarwood, clary sage, Roman chamomile, sandalwood, jasmine
Non-Cystic Acne:Â geranium, cedarwood, lavender, patchouli, tea tree, rose, Roman chamomile, lemongrass, rosemary
Sensitive:Â helichrysum, lavender, rose, jasmine, geranium, frankincense, sandalwood
Oily:Â frankincense, geranium, lavender, patchouli, tea tree, ylang ylang, clary sage, Roman chamomile, cypress, peppermint, rosemary, sandalwood
Mature:Â rose, frankincense, myrrh, helichrysum, sandalwood, geranium, Â lavender, patchouli, cypress, jasmine, rosemary, ylang ylang
Suggested Recipes — DIY Face Serum with Essential Oil for Your Skin Type {normal, dry, acne, sensitive, oily, mature}
Below is one suggested recipe for each skin type. Don’t have an oil or essential oil? Or don’t care for the scent of a particular oil or essential oil. That’s no problem. It’s easy to substitute. Simply refer to the charts above and find another carrier oil or essential oil that also works well for your skin type and substitute it in the recipe.
DIY Face Serum with Essential Oil for Normal Skin
To a 2 ounce or larger glass bottle, add…
2 oz. apricot kernel oil
8 drops lavender essential oil
8 drops geranium essential oil
4 drops frankincense essential oil
Put lid on bottle and gently roll the bottle in the palm of your hand for about 30 seconds to mix the essential oils in with carrier oil.
To use: cleanse face then apply drop of serum to forehead, each cheek, and chin. gently massage in using small, soft upward strokes.
DIY Face Serum with Essential Oil for Dry Skin
To a 2 ounce or larger glass bottle, add…
2 oz. rose hip seed oil
5 drops rose essential oil
5 drops jasmine essential oil
5 drops frankincense essential oil
5 drops geranium essential oil
Put lid on bottle and gently roll the bottle in the palm of your hand for about 30 seconds to mix the essential oils in with carrier oil.
To use: cleanse face then apply drop of serum to forehead, each cheek, and chin. gently massage in using small, soft upward strokes.
DIY Face Serum with Essential Oil for Acne-Prone Skin
To a 2 ounce or larger glass bottle, add…
2 oz. jojoba
5 drops tea tree essential oil
5 drops lemongrass essential oil
10 drops lavender essential oil
Put lid on bottle and gently roll the bottle in the palm of your hand for about 30 seconds to mix the essential oils in with carrier oil.
To use: cleanse face then apply drop of serum to forehead, each cheek, and chin. gently massage in using small, soft upward strokes.
DIY Face Serum with Essential Oil for Sensitive Skin
To a 2 ounce or larger glass bottle, add…
1 oz. jojoba
1 oz. sweet almond oil
5 drops helichrysum essential oil
5 drops sandalwood essential oil
5 drops frankincense essential oil
5 drops lavender essential oil
Put lid on bottle and gently roll the bottle in the palm of your hand for about 30 seconds to mix the essential oils in with carrier oil.
To use: cleanse face then apply drop of serum to forehead, each cheek, and chin. gently massage in using small, soft upward strokes.
DIY Face Serum with Essential Oil for Oily Skin
To a 2 ounce or larger glass bottle, add…
1 oz. jojoba
1 oz. grapeseed oil
10 drops cypress essential oil
5 drops peppermint essential oil
5 drops rosemary essential oil
Put lid on bottle and gently roll the bottle in the palm of your hand for about 30 seconds to mix the essential oils in with carrier oil.
To use: cleanse face then apply drop of serum to forehead, each cheek, and chin. gently massage in using small, soft upward strokes.
DIY Face Serum with Essential Oil for Mature Skin
To a 2 ounce or larger glass bottle, add…
2 oz. rose hip seed oil
5 drops rose essential oil
5 drops helichrysum essential oil
5 drops frankincense essential oil
5 drops geranium essential oil
Put lid on bottle and gently roll the bottle in the palm of your hand for about 30 seconds to mix the essential oils in with carrier oil.
To use: cleanse face then apply drop of serum to forehead, each cheek, and chin. gently massage in using small, soft upward strokes.
DIY Face Serum with Essential Oil for Combination Skin
To a 2 ounce or larger glass bottle, add…
1 oz. jojoba
1 oz. rose hip seed oil
5 drops frankincense essential oil
5 drops geranium essential oil
5 drops lavender essential oil
5 drops Hawaiian sandalwood essential oil
Put lid on bottle and gently roll the bottle in the palm of your hand for about 30 seconds to mix the essential oils in with carrier oil.
To use: cleanse face then apply drop of serum to forehead, each cheek, and chin. gently massage in using small, soft upward strokes.
don’t forget– be sure to also check out my recipe for DIY foaming face wash using essential oils. Just like this DIY face serum, there are versions of the foaming face wash for each skin type {normal, dry, sensitive, acne, oily, and mature}.
Where to get supplies to make face serum for your skin type
Apricot kernel oil (cold pressed, organic, 100% pure)
Argan oil (cold pressed, organic, 100% pure, extra virgin, and I love that you can make your face serum right in this glass bottle- it even has a dropper!)
Avocado oil (non-gmo, expeller-pressed, and packaged in tin to help avoid oxidation and prolong its shelf life)
Evening primrose oil (cold pressed, organic, 100% pure, 1 year money-back guarantee, and I love that you can make your face serum right in this glass bottle- it even has a dropper!)
Grapeseed oil (cold pressed, 100% pure, and I love that you can make your face serum right in this glass bottle- it even has a dropper!)
Jojoba oil (cold pressed, 100% pure, unrefined, organic, money-back guarantee, and I love that you can make your face serum right in this glass bottle- it even has a dropper!)
Rose hip seed oil (100% pure, unrefined virgin oil, organic)
Sesame oil (from raw seeds- don’t use toasted sesame oil, 100% pure, cold pressed, organic)
Sunflower oil (cold pressed, organic, 100% pure)
Sweet almond oil (organic, 100% pure, premium grade)
Tamanu oil (cold pressed, organic, 100% pure and I love that you can make your face serum right in this glass bottle- it even has a dropper!
Interested in more recipes, tips, and ideas for how to use essential oils?
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i need a face serum for glowing skin. can you recommend a reciepe for that.
What brand of oils do you use?
I use many different brands of essential oils, mostly doTERRA, Young Living, and Plant Therapy.
I try to create recipes that will work for most brands of essential oils so that you can use whichever brand(s) you like.