Last time, in the very first part of our Base Oil Series, we broke down how to match the right oil to your skinโs needs. Now, weโre turning the page to explore how seasons affect your skin and which oils will keep it balanced year-round.ย
Your skin in January is not the same as your skin in July. Seems obvious, right? Yet most people slap on the same moisturizer year-round and act surprised when their face rebels.ย
Winter hits and suddenly that lightweight summer routine leaves your cheeks feeling like sandpaper. Summer rolls around and that thick winter cream turns your T-zone into an oil slick by 10 AM. Then you blame your skin for being "difficult" instead of admitting you're using the wrong stuff.ย
Seasons mess with your skin in ways nobody talks about. Cold air sucks moisture out. Hot weather cranks up oil production. Air conditioning strips everything dry. Heaters blast hot air that makes skin crack. Your poor face is trying to adapt to all this while you keep using the same products like some kind of skincare robot.ย
Smart people change their wardrobe when seasons change. Time to do the same with face oils.ย
Heavy oils work great when it's freezing and windy outside. Light oils make sense when you're sweating through your shirt. This isn't rocket science, but somehow the beauty industry acts like using the same routine year-round is some kind of virtue.
What You're Actually Dealing With
| Oil | Where It Comes From | Feels Like | When To Use | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fractionated Coconut | Cocos nucifera coconut meat | Water, basically | Hot months | Disappears instantly |
| Apricot Kernel | Prunus armeniaca fruit pits | Light lotion | Spring/Summer | Won't make you sweat more |
| Grape Seed | Vitis vinifera leftover wine seeds | Almost nothing | Oily summer skin | Actually reduces oil |
| Sesame | Sesamum indicum sesame seeds | Warm honey | Cold weather | Creates protective layer |
| Avocado | Persea americana avocado flesh | Thick cream | Brutal winter days | Deep repair mode |
| Shea Nut | Vitellaria paradoxa African tree nuts | Heavy butter | Skin emergency | Nuclear-level moisture |
Summer: Stop Drowning Your Skinย
Fractionated Coconut Oilย
Regular coconut oil is a pain in the ass. Solid when it's cool, melty when it's warm, clogs pores like crazy. Fractionated coconut oil fixes all that by removing the problematic parts.ย
What's left feels like nothing but still moisturizes. Perfect for days when regular lotion feels like wearing a plastic bag on your face. Absorbs before you can even tell you put something on.ย
Apricot Kernel Oilย
Apricot pits (Prunus armeniaca) get turned into this light oil that doesn't fight with your skin's summer routine. Has vitamins and good stuff but won't make you look like you dunked your head in a fryer.ย
Works when you need moisture but don't want to feel greasy. Summer skin still needs hydration - it just doesn't need to feel heavy about it.ย
Grape Seed Oilย
Here's something weird: using oil can actually make oily skin less oily. Grape seed oil from wine leftovers (Vitis vinifera) contains stuff that tells your skin to stop overproducing oil.ย
When your face gets dehydrated from heat and AC, it panics and makes more oil. Grape seed oil prevents that panic response. Less oil production, fewer breakouts, no greasy feeling.ย
Winter: Time for the Heavy Artilleryย
Sesame Oilย
Sesamum indicum seeds make oil that's been keeping people's skin intact through harsh winters for thousands of years. Heavier texture that actually feels good when it's freezing outside.ย
Creates a barrier against wind and cold air that would otherwise strip your face raw. Has this warming quality that makes sense when you're dealing with brutal weather.ย
Avocado Oilย
Avocado flesh (Persea americana) produces thick, rich oil loaded with fat-soluble vitamins. This is repair-level moisture for skin that's been beaten up by cold weather.ย
Takes its sweet time absorbing, but winter skin needs that slow, deep moisture. Summer you would hate this oil. Winter you will worship it.ย
Shea Nut Oilย
When your skin is completely fucked from winter weather, shea nut oil from Vitellaria paradoxa trees is what fixes it. Liquid version of shea butter that penetrates better but still brings the heavy-duty moisture.ย
Contains healing compounds that actually repair cracked, irritated skin instead of just covering it up. This is crisis management oil.ย
The In-Between Seasonsย
Spring and fall are tricky because your skin doesn't know what the hell is happening. One day it's 40 degrees, next day it's 75. Your face is confused, your routine is all wrong, and you're breaking out for no reason.ย
Apricot kernel oil handles these transition periods well. Light enough for surprise warm days, moisturizing enough for random cold snaps. Helps skin adjust gradually instead of freaking out every time the weather changes.ย
Geography Matters More Than Calendarsย
Live in Arizona? You might need heavy oils year-round because desert air is brutal. Florida resident? Light oils most of the time unless you're blasting AC 24/7.ย
Mountain climates, coastal areas, cities with weird weather patterns - they all mess with skin differently. Pay attention to your actual environment, not what some magazine says about seasonal skincare.ย
Your office might be a completely different climate from outside. Fluorescent lights, recycled air, temperature control set by people who apparently don't feel temperature. Your skin might need different oils for work versus home.ย
Don't Shock Your Skinย
Switching oils overnight when seasons change is like changing your diet from salads to cheeseburgers in one day. Your skin needs time to adjust.ย
Mix the new seasonal oil with whatever you're currently using for a week or two. Let your skin figure out what's happening before going full throttle with the new routine.ย
Keep backup oils around. Some days your skin needs more or less moisture regardless of what the calendar says. Flexibility beats following rules blindly.ย
Store oils properly or they'll go bad. Heat and light destroy the good stuff in oils. Cool, dark places keep them working longer.ย
Bottom Lineย
Your skin changes with the weather whether you acknowledge it or not. You can work with these changes or fight them. Working with them is easier and gets better results.ย
Stop being stubborn about using the same routine year-round. Your wardrobe changes with seasons. Your skincare should too.ย
Ready to stop fighting seasonal skin changes? Amrita Court Global stocks pure oils that actually match your climate needs - no seasonal marketing gimmicks, just oils that work when you need them. Get seasonal oils that make sense and stop forcing your skin to adapt to the wrong products.ย
Teaser: Up next, weโll dive into vitamin-rich oils that repair, restore, and bring back your skinโs natural glow.