Instagram really is a skincare lovers best friend and worst enemy (mainly for the bank account though and everything else is all positive). Since posting my daily routines on Instagram and following other skincare junkies like myself, I have discovered a plethora of new brands and products. My skincare wish list has never been longer (much to the detriment of my bank balance)! One of my most recent skincare ‘discoveries’ is OSKIA Skincare, a British company that blends both science together with a more natural approach to skincare. For me, it all started with their infamous Renaissance Cleansing Gel, which immediately became one of my favourite cleansers and more recently I purchased two different oil/serums to add to my collection. Both serums absolutely blew me away, but the one that is currently saving my skin currently is OSKIA’s Restoration Oil. I recently had a really bad reaction to a product and this oil has been such a saviour to my skin. My skin has been super dry, scaly, flaky and in some areas like the eyes, its been red and raw. Awful! As those on Instagram would know, this oil has been frequenting my routines quite often lately and it is mainly due to its calming, hydrating and repairing properties. I have been using it more so in the last few days as I have noticed that my skin just has been healing better when I use this.
OSKIA Skincare was founded by Georgie Cleeve, who by chance discovered how well the ingredient MSM (Methyl Sulphonyl Methan), a natural form of an organic sulphur compound, improved her skin and her overall complexion when she had a skiing injury. MSM is traditionally consumed orally and is used as a food supplement to improve joint health for flexibility and mobility. OSKIA Skincare is one of the pioneering brands that is currently using MSM in conjunction with the latest biotechnology to harness the benefits of MSM to the skin. More about MSM and the sulphur compound can be found below which has been taken from the OSKIA website:
From OSKIA Skincare – https://www.oskiaskincare.com/skin-nutrition/msm/
What Is It:
The OKSIA Skincare Restoration Oil is a lightweight dry facial oil made from a blend of beautifully well thought out skin loving ingredients. It aims to replenish, restore and rejuvenate the skin.
What Does It Do:
The Restoration Oil is not only made to hydrate the skin but to rebalance and add some radiance into the complexion as well. It is a dry facial oil made with a nourishing but high tech blend of oil and natural actives from botanicals such as: African Acmella, Lupin, Sea Fennel, Heart Seed Vine, Turmeric, Starflower, Rose Hip Seed & Evening Primrose. The combination of these ingredients help to heal, firm, hydrate and replenish the skin.
Ingredients:
The ingredients for the OSKIA Restoration is as follows (taken from the OSKIA website):
Oryza Sativa Bran Oil, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Coconut Alkanes, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil Unsaponifiables, Oenothera Biennis Oil, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Octyldodecanol, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Parfum (Natural Essential Oils), Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Oil Expressed, Pelargonium Graveolens (Geranium) Oil, Lavandula Hybrid (Lavandin) Oil, Cinnamomum Camphora Linalooliferum Wood Oil, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Mentha Arvensis Herb Oil, Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil, Rosa Damascena Flower Oil, Santalum Album Oil, Limonene**, Tocopherol, Geraniol**, Crithmum Maritimum Extract, Lupinus Albus Seed Extract, Linalool**, Borago Officinalis Seed Oil, Citronellol**, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Spilanthes Acmella Flower Extract, Alaria Esculenta Extract, Retinyl Palmitate, Cardiospermum Halicacabum Flower/Leaf/Vine Extract, Citral.
** Component of natural essential oils.
As you can see in the ingredients above, the Restoration Oil is heavy of different botanical oils and extracts with the addition of tocopherol which is Vitamin E. It is a very hydrating and nourishing formulation.
My Thoughts:
I traditionally dislike face oils due to the fact it is that heavy ‘oil’ feeling that I do not like on my skin. If I were to purchase a facial oil it would have to be something that absorbs nicely into the skin and doesn’t leave a greasy feeling. Before I purchased the OSKIA Restoration Oil, the only other facial oil I owned was Sunday Riley’s Luna Oil which I love due to the fact it seamlessly sinks into the skin. The OSKIA Restoration Oil is another oil game changer for me, simply because, like the Sunday Riley’s Luna, it just blends and sinks beautifully into the skin without leaving that heavy ‘oil’ feeling on the face. Unlike the Luna Oil however, I can happily use OSKIA’s Restoration Oil not just during the evening but also during the day time, especially if my skin needs that little bit of TLC (which it definitely needs at the moment) as this oil provides my skin with such a boost of hydration (goodbye flaky skin) and nutrients to keep it protected and soft and to help my skin heal.
The Restoration Oil features an abundance of different botanical oils to help hydrate, firm, restore and rejuvenate the the skin. I won’t go through all of them, but I will go over briefly some of the more powerful ones that are shown in the ingredients list. The Restoration Oil’s main base or ‘carrier’ oils are Rice Bran Oil and Sunflower Seed Oil which are both lightweight oils that are rich in both antioxidants and vitamins that are essential to skin health. Rice Bran oil is rich in Vitamin E which is deeply moisturising, making it a great ingredient to fight the signs of ageing and to hydrate dry skin. Another benefit of rice bran oil is that it contains squalene which helps to regeneration of the skin, keeping he skin looking fresh and healthy. Sunflower Seed Oil is another fantastic carrier oil as it is also quite lightweight but also acts as an anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial. This makes it great for those with oily/combination skin as it helps prevent skin from further breakouts due to these properties. Sunflower Seed Oil is also rich in antioxidants such as Vitamin C which helps to brighten the skin and also Vitamin E. OSKIA’s Restoration Oil also features a number of different active oils such as Crithmum Martimum extract from Sea Fennel which aids in the production of collagen in the skin and is also found to help repair the skin’s natural barrier function which helps to protect the skin. OSKIA has also included a patented form of Lupin Seed Extract which also aids in the production of collagen. Rosehip Oil is also present in this formulation and it is well documented that Rosehip Seed Oil has many healing, hydrating and soothing qualities for the skin as it is high in essential fatty acids such as Linoleic acid (45%), Linolenic acid (32%), Oleic acid (15%). It has been a treatment that has been used for centuries stemming from the Ancient Egyptians and studies have shown that it does have a positive effect on scars, stretch marks and age skin.
Just from a brief discussion of the ingredients alone, you can see that the Restoration Oil really aims to hydrate, soothe, maintain and repair the skin. It’s main oils are rich in Vitamin E which is a powerful nutrient to keep the skin soft and hydrated. It also helps to protect the skin from free radical damage. Other ingredients have a real collagen boosting focus to help in the reparation of damaged skin and also to keep the skin firm and smooth to fight the signs of ageing. There also seems be a real anti-inflammatory and healing focus as well as OSKIA have chosen botanicals which help to ease inflammation within the skin (thus to prevent scarring and increase healing time) and also the use of rosehip seed oil which is often touted as a wonderful oil that helps in the healing of wounds and scars.
Whilst I don’t have battle scars or wounds to heal, my skin did have a horrible reaction to a product last week. This caused my skin to become so dehydrated, dry and flaky to the point it actually started to sting when I applied even the most gentle of products. The area around my eyes was the worst and after a few days of using the OSKIA Restoration Oil, I noticed immediately a change in my skin. My skin started to calm down from perhaps the anti-inflammatory ingredients but also those dry patches and raw skin started to heal from using this in the evening. As soon as I would apply this, my skin felt like it was getting an instant relief, it didn’t feel tight and most importantly it did not sting when I applied this on my face. It basically felt like a warm comforting blanket had been applied on to my skin and almost instantly I could feel the nourishment, calming and softening properties kick into action. The hydrating qualities of this oil is phenomenal and it is no doubt due to it carefully curated ingredients which are so rich in Vitamin E and fatty acids which provide an instant boost to the skin without it feeling oily. The areas which were dry, have either returned back to its normal self or, for those really bad patches, are well on the way to becoming firm and smooth again (thank god).
I have also found that my skin has healed at a much faster rate as well. In the areas that were dry AND skin was raw, the Restoration Oil has completely soothed and calmed these areas upon application. What I didn’t expect was it to heal so quickly. Overnight whilst the skin still remained extremely dry, I noticed that the horrible raw feeling was almost gone and my skin didn’t feel so sensitive to other products that I would apply. My skin is now becoming smoother and softer and is no longer dry, flaky or scaly. In terms of healing and diminishing scars, I am unable to comment as I do not have any scars on my face and if I did, I haven’t use the product long enough to comment on this.
When it comes to scent, this oil has the most feint smell which is due to the botanical oils used in this product. The smell is extremely feint (I had to put this quite close to my nose to detect it) so those who are sensitive to smells will most likely find this okay to use. In terms of texture, this is an extremely light oil, it is slightly more viscous than water and you will find that a few drops is more than enough for the face. It will sink in seamlessly and effortlessly into the skin and will not leave a heavy residue or that tacky oily film like finish on the face.
What I have discussed is mainly the acute effects of OSKIA’s Restoration Oil and how it has managed to be an little bottle of miracles for my skin whilst having a bad reaction to another product. This oil is also fantastic to use when you skin is healthy and ‘normal’ as well due to it being packed full of ingredients with antioxidants and age prevention qualities. It is also fantastic for those with combination skin who are looking for some extra oomph into their skincare routine. In summer, its a wonderful oil to use in the evening and I think this will be a great oil to use in winter for both day and night when the skin needs some extra nourishment. At the same time, if your skin is prone to having its ‘moments’ where it is so sensitive, this oil is a solution your should consider. It will not only calm down your skin and offer some protection and hydration but you will also find that it really kick starts that healing process. Your skin will start to feel a difference within 24-36 hours and from first application you will also get that instant calming and soothing relief as well.
Repurchase YAY or NAY:
Since my skin can sometimes get a bit crazy as it is quite sensitive, I will most definitely be repurchasing the OSKIA Skincare Restoration Oil as out of all the products I have used, it has shown to help not only relieve my skin of discomfort but also help to heal, nourish and hydrate it back to its normal self. This oil is not only a great oil to use as a treatment for when the skin becomes sensitive or dry, it is also a fantastic oil to use as general maintenance of the skin due to it being packed full of wonderful and nourishing ingredients for the skin.
This product is on the pricier side as it does cost GBP £62.00 for a 30ml bottle and it is available on the OKSIA Website and Cultbeauty. However, I do think a little will go a long way as few drops is all you need to apply this on to the face (and a little bit more if you need to use it as a treatment) and I think this will last you a good 3 months if using this day and night on a daily basis and a lot longer if you wish to use this in the evening only. It really is a beautiful product and in such a short amount of time, I have really enjoyed using this and I am so glad that I was introduced to OSKIA Skincare.
Have you tried OSKIA? What are some of your favourite products from this brand? I would love to hear your thoughts!