I’m really excited to review Living Libations Seabuckthorn Best Skin Ever and Zippity DewDab, a skincare routine they recommend for acne prone skin. As you already know, Living Libations is one of my favourite non-toxic, natural skincare lines. I’m always raving about their products because they’re great, and I find them especially good for balancing problemed-skin (and of course maintaining healthy skin as well).
I used to be scared of using skincare products with oil in them. Years ago I would never fathom putting oil straight on my acne prone face (I always thought oil would clog my pores, give me breakouts, and make my oily skin oiler).
But the reverse is true.
Through using Living Libations skincare products, I’ve come to see that oil is actually one of the best cleansers. It removes EVERYTHING, without stripping your skin of it’s own natural oils, and therefore helps to balance oily and combination skin, and keeps breakouts at bay.
I have found using oil as a cleanser to be especially nourishing for your skin. It keeps it soft and supple, helps breakouts and pimples heal faster, and can prevent scarring, fine lines, and wrinkles as well.
Once I started using oil on my skin (both as a cleanser, and at night as a moisturizer), I’ve never looked back. I especially have a fondness for Living Libations Best Skin Ever, it’s one of the best oil blends on the market.
Living Libations Products For Acne Prone Skin
In this review, I’ll be reviewing a Living Libations skincare routine for acne prone skin. The products are Seabuckthorn Best Skin Ever for oil cleansing and moisturizing, the Organic Hemp Face & Body Cloth that can be used with the Seabuckthorn Best Skin Ever for oil cleansing and exfoliating, and Zippity DewDab which is an essential oil spot treatment for pimples and blemishes.
This skincare routine is light, gentle and balancing. It’s suitable for all skin types that are prone to getting pimples and blemishes.
I first wrote this review and video back in June 2016. I’ve since come back in December 2020 to update the review. There’s some products I’ve continued using all these years, and others I’ve switched to something else. Continue reading to find out more!
Seabuckthorn Best Skin Ever
Seabuckthorn Best Skin Ever is a pure oil blend you can use in a variety of ways. It’s formulated as a cleansing oil for the face, but it can also be used as a makeup remover, face oil, body oil, bath oil, massage oil, etc.
Living Libations has a whole range of Best Skin Ever including the Seabuckthorn, and also Rose, Sandalwood, Frankincense, Immortelle, etc. I’ve tried almost all of them, and the whole range is pretty lightweight. The Seabuckthorn is right in the middle making it suitable for all skin types. In comparison, the Rose Best Skin Ever is ever so slightly more nourishing and has a soothing effect on the skin, making it a great choice for dry, sensitive or mature skin types. Frankincense Best Skin Ever is a touch lighter and more clarifying making it another great for oily, combination and acne prone skin. It’s also soothing and brightening which helps fade acne marks and hyperpigmentation. Sandalwood Best Skin Ever is the lightest of all the Best Skin Evers. Like Immortelle Best Skin Ever, it doesn’t contain any coconut oil, making these two the best choice for skin prone to clogged pores, pimples or acne.
If you are wondering which Best Skin Ever to choose, most people start with the Seabuckthorn Best Skin Ever. It’s Living Libations most popular product. It’s not heavy, nor too light. It’s truly suitable for all skin types. Plus, majority of the Best Skin Ever are made with the same base carrier oils (except for Sandalwood and Immortelle Best Skin Ever which doesn’t contain coconut oil). So if one Best Skin Ever works for you, there’s a high likelihood the rest will work for you too. Seabuckthorn Best Skin Ever is also the least expensive out of the range, so it’s good starting point and once you know it’s working well with your skin, you can try the others.
Seabuckthorn Best Skin Ever is Living Libations bestselling product. I can see why. It’s a great oil cleanser, and a great starter oil for someone completely new to oil cleansing and wanting to try it out. It’s very gentle, it applies easily to the skin, and it’s very balancing. I like that it lightly moisturizes the skin as it cleanses, but doesn’t leave behind a heavy or rich residue. You’ll see when you use it that it makes your skin soft and supple, never tight or dry like traditional face washes.
The base carrier oils are jojoba oil, seabuckthorn, and tamanu oil – all of which are non-comedogenic, and safe oils for acne prone skin. There is a little coconut oil in the blend but I’ve never had an issue with it. Normally pure coconut oil clogs my pores and gives me tiny raised bumps all over my face. Skincare products, oil blends and makeup containing small amounts of coconut oil have never been an issue for me, including the Best Skin Ever. In fact, using Seabuckthorn Best Skin Ever twice a day makes my skin soft, smooth and very clear.
I use the Best Skin Ever for cleansing my face twice a day. At night I double cleanse with it. You can also use a few drops to moisturize, but I personally much prefer Living Libations Rose Glow Serum, Soothsayer Serum or Chocolate Karat Serum for a moisturizing face oil. These are oil blends that I find absorb a lot better into my skin. I do like Seabuckthorn Best Skin Ever as a body oil (it smells amazing), but not as a facial moisturizer. I prefer just using it as an oil cleanser. But this is my personal preference, I know a lot of people who love using it as a face moisturizer as well.
As of 2020, It’s now been over 5 years that I’ve been using Living Libations Best Skin Ever range for oil cleansing. This is one product I buy over and over again. I rotate between the Seabuckthorn, Rose and Frankincense Best Skin Ever. Using this oil cleanser, I’ve notice a huge difference in my skin, and that’s why I keep re-purchasing it. I haven’t found many oil cleansers I like better. Cleansing with the Best Skin Ever has made my skin a lot clearer, brighter, smoother, and I like the ease of use.
For someone who has acne prone skin, the big standout is how this oil cleanser thoroughly cleanses your skin without drying it out. If you have oily skin, you could probably skip using a moisturizer completely because the cleanser will lightly replenish your skin as it cleanses. Plus, oil cleansers are great exfoliators without scrubbing or being harsh. Oil naturally loosens buildup of debris and dead skin cells off the surface of the skin, helps dissolve harden sebum clogging pores, and effortlessly removes makeup and sunscreen, so you’re guaranteed a thorough cleanse without stripping your skin.
How to use Living Libations Seabuckthorn Best Skin Ever
I know that Living Libations recommends putting 1-2 pumps of oil on a damp washcloth and rubbing the cloth on your face to wash your skin. I find this method too abrasive and doesn’t really wash your face properly, especially for acne prone skin.
Here’s how I recommend using Seabuckthorn Best Skin Ever for cleansing
- Apply 1-2 pumps of Seabuckthorn Best Skin Ever to dry skin.
- Gently massage the oil into your skin.
- Dampen a clean washcloth with warm water, wring out excess water, and lightly removing the oil from your skin using a light sweeping motion. Rinse the cloth as needed.
- Follow with moisturizer or serum (I recommend Soothsayer Serum for acne prone skin).
For more instructions on how to oil cleanse acne prone skin and video demo, click here.
CLICK TO SHOP: Living Libations Seabuckthorn Best Skin Ever
Organic Hemp Cloth
For Oil Cleansing, you’ll need a wash cloth. Living Libations have Organic Hemp Face & Body Cloths for oil cleansing.
Finding the perfect washcloth for oil cleansing is just as important as the oil you are using.
If a washcloth is too rough in texture, it can hurt or irritate your skin.
Over the years I’ve been trying a lot of washcloths because my skin is very sensitive. If a washcloth has too much texture, it makes my skin red and achy. But at the same time, if a washcloth is too smooth, it won’t wash your face properly. It will move everything around your face but not lift and remove the cleanser, debris and makeup properly.
I would prefer a 100% natural fiber washcloth, but unfortunately everything I’ve tried has always been too rough for my face.
Living Libations Organic Hemp Wash Cloth is definitely softer and more plush than most, but like all natural fiber washcloths, I find it too rough to use twice a day. In the beginning it was fine, but over time my skin started to get irritated.
If your skin isn’t so sensitive and you tolerate a little texture or scrub well, these wash cloths will be fine for you. What I do like about their wash cloths is how durable and strong they are (they’re high quality and will last years). They’re large, thick and plush. And they have the perfect amount of texture to remove makeup and exfoliate the skin.
So it really depends if you have sensitive skin or not. For me, I can’t use them every day for oil cleansing, but I do use them once in a while for an exfoliating treatment. Instead, for daily oil cleansing, I use GroVia Cloth Wipes which are much more gentle for my skin and perfect for cleansing.
Recently I started using the Living Libations Hemp Face & Body Cloths for oil cleansing and exfoliating my body. Since they’re super strong and hold up well, they’re great with a little oil for full body exfoliation treatment.
CLICK TO SHOP: Living Libations Hemp Face & Body Cloth
Zippy DewDab
Zippity DewDab is an essential oil blend formulated to cleanse and treat pimples and blemishes.
I was intrigued by this product because it doesn’t contain common essential oils used in pimple treatments like tea tree oil.
Instead it’s specially formulated with essential oils known for reducing scarring, inflammation, and irritation (carrot seed, blue tansy, immortelle, rosemary).
I will warn you, the scent is strong (it is an essential oil blend, and you’re only suppose to use a tiny drop).
Zippy DewDab is an anti-bacterial spot treatment formulated to speed up healing of blemishes and breakouts. What I liked most about this product it works wonders on fading dark spots and marks from previous breakouts.
The directions say you can add a drop to the Seabuckthorn Best Skin Ever or use neat as a spot treatment. I find the scent too strong to use all over my face even if you were to dilute it with the Seabuckthorn Best Skin Ever. Instead I recommend just dabbing it on pimples as a spot treatment where you need it (you can be diluted with a carrier oil or used neat). If you have old acne marks and scars, I recommend using it on those spots as well.
I used Zippity DewDab once a day, at night, after washing my face with Seabuckthorn Best Skin Ever. If you use a serum, lotion, moisturizer, or oil after washing your face, I recommend dabbing a tiny drop of Zippity DewDab on blemishes as the final step of your skin care routine (small dab on top of your moisturizer or oil, and just on blemishes).
UPDATE: Since doing this review, I’ve also tried Living Libations DewDab which is another essential oil blend but it’s formulated to fade acne marks and scars, hyperpigmentation, sun spots, melasma, and smooth skin texture. For me, it works great as a spot treatment as well. I prefer it. I find it’s less strong but still very clarifying. My skin responds well to frankincense and rose otto in the formula which soothes inflammation, shrinks large pimples, and supports skin healing.
When it comes to spot treatments, everyone is different with what works. Sometimes you have try a few different formulas and ingredients until you find something your skin responds to.
CLICK TO SHOP: Living Libations Zippity DewDab
Final thoughts
If you’re prone to blemishes and breakouts, these Living Libations products and skincare routine is definitely worth a try.
They’re light, gentle, balancing and nourishing.
For acne prone skin, I much prefer a minimal skincare routine. It’s all about finding a healthy balance so your skin can efficiently heal and repair itself without being overburdened or irritated
Oil cleansing can be a huge game changer. It keeps skin soft, supple and moisturized as it deeply cleanses. Unlike cleansing creams and balms, it doesn’t leave a heavy residue on the skin that can clog pores and cause pimples. And using the right oils can actually help balance overly oily and combination skin.
It’s one of those things that if it works for you, it REALLY works.
