5 Simple Uses for Rosehip & Argan Oil | Hello Pretty Bird! - A beauty and not-so-glamorous lifestyle blog

01 June, 2014

5 Simple Uses for Rosehip & Argan Oil

Affiliate Links Press Sample

I don't know about you, but I really like using oils as part of my moisturizing routine. I've found that it actually makes a huge difference in my skin, and there are a number of oils that don't seem to exacerbate my acne, so I'm totally on the oil bandwagon at the moment. I recently found myself in possession of two ENORMOUS bottles of rosehip seed oil and argan oil thanks to InstaNatural, and wondered "How am I going to use this all on my face before it goes bad?"

Instanatural rosehip seed oil and argan oil

I have a not-so-secret secret to share with you—oils can be used for more than just rubbing straight on your face. So I thought I'd share a few of my favorite uses for rosehip and argan oil with you today. These ideas aren't really groundbreaking, but maybe some of them will inspire you to use oil in new ways.

First things first though: Let's talk a bit about these two oils and why they're so popular:

Rosehip seed oil:
Extracted from the fruit of the rosehip plant. This oil is very high in essential fatty acids, namely Linolenic and Oleic acids. It's a popular choice amongst folks with mature and/or dry skin because it supposedly has antioxidant properties. I've also read that it can be used to reduce the appearance of scars, though I don't have much personal experience with that. This oil is usually a deep amber color.

Argan oil: Extracted from the seeds in the fruit of the argan tree. This oil is wildly popular at the moment, and with good reason—it's also rich in fatty acids and natural vitamin E. If you have a body part that needs moisturizing, argan oil is likely a good choice—it provides an excellent level of hydration and absorbs easily. This oil is often a light golden color.

Both oils can be applied directly to the skin. Makes sense so far, right? So without further ado, here are my top five favorite ways to use these oils:

  1. As a moisturizer mix-in. Have you ever put oil on your skin, only to discover that it left you with a tinge of greasiness? One way to prevent that is take a bit of your regular moisturizer in your palm, add a couple of drops of oil, mix it together, then apply from there. This can be used with either oil (on face or body). It's also a great way to "winterize" your regular moisturizer as the oil will make it a touch more hydrating.
  2. As a bath oil. Oh how I miss the days when I had a reasonably-sized bathtub—nothing better than a hot soak at the end of a stressful day. Anyway, for those of you who are lucky enough to have tubs, I'd highly recommend adding a few drops of oil to your next bath. It won't add fragrance or anything like that (better for all your sensitive-skinned folks out there!) but it will make your skin super-soft. Just be careful not to slip!
  3. On dry feet. Have you ever tried a moisturizing oil, found that it quite work on your facial skin, but weren't quite sure what to do with the rest of the bottle? Put it on yo' FEET! Both rosehip and argan oils are excellent for nourishing dry, crusty foot skin. (Mmmmm.) Again, be careful not to slip after applying. Socks are your friends.
  4. In DIY hydrating toner. Adding a few drops of oil to rosewater or aloe water makes for a simple, natural hydrating toner. I'd recommend doing this in a spray bottle so you can spritz yourself—ahh, refreshing! Make sure to shake up the bottle before spritzing.
  5. On dry/brittle nails and cuticles. There's a reason I don't really post pictures of nail art on this blog—my cuticles are often a mess. Both rosehip and argan oil can nourish dry, damaged cuticles and help prevent brittle nails from splitting. Win-win.

Bonus usage: I've also read about people using argan oil in DIY sugar lip scrubs, but I haven't tried it for myself yet. I guess that's next on the list of things to try because it sounds DIVINE.

As for the InstaNatural brand oils: I am not really an expert or anything, but their quality seems to be on par with other oils I've tried. What really stands out about them is the mega-jumbo bottles they come in:

Instanatural rosehip seed oil size comparison
Left: A 4oz bottle of InstaNatural oil - Right: A 1oz bottle of NOW oil

The InstaNatural rosehip oil pictured above is currently on sale for $22.99, which works out to about $5.75 per ounce. I can't remember exactly how much I paid for the other rosehip oil pictured above, but I think it was around $7 for 1oz—so InstaNatural is like the family-sized oil value pack. Great if you really love your oils or live in a household of oil-absorbing fiends.

Where to buy: You can find InstaNatural rosehip oil here and InstaNatural argan oil here (both on Amazon). They seem to have some discounts going on at the moment if you buy multiple items, so make sure to scroll down and read through to see if your purchase qualifies.

Do you ever use rosehip or argan oil? If so, how?

Disclosure: The Instanatural Rosehip & Argan Oils featured in this post were provided to me for review purposes, however any opinions expressed above are honest and my own. I did not receive any other form of compensation. This post contains affiliate links. For more information, check out my full disclosure policy.


  1. I haven't tried either oil straight-up yet, only as ingredients in other products, like the shampoo bar I'm using has argan oil as a first ingredient. My scalp is happy but I think that much argan oil is too heavy for my hair.
    What does the rosehip oil smell like?

  2. Argan oil is INSANELY popular in hair treatments at the moment. I feel like I can't look at an haircare article these days without seeing something about argan oil. That's why I didn't mention hair treatments at all above, haha.

    Rosehip oil has sort of a nutty, earthy smell. It's not my favorite scent of all time, but it's totally tolerable. I've read some online reviews (like on Amazon and stuff) where the reviewer(s) HATED it though, so I guess YMMV. I think if you were to add a few drops to a bath or lotion or whatever you would barely notice it at all.

  3. Lyn (Cheap As F*ck)June 1, 2014 at 7:15 PM

    This is helpful, thanks! My skin doesn't love argan oil, but rosehip oil is great for it. Even the small bottles I can never finish in a year, though! I find the oil feels a bit heavy in the summer, so I use it mainly in winter.

  4. Yeah, a little oil definitely goes a long way! I think those jumbo bottles would be best if you were sharing with someone or making some sort of large-scale DIY project (argan lip scrubs for all!)

  5. I haven't used either but it they would be great for my feet in the summer. They get so dry and cracked from wearing sandals and flats all the time. Nasty lol

  6. Feet tend to get pretty nasty in general, haha. I rarely wear sandals and mine still get sooooo dry. The only reason mine aren't totally gross is because I sometimes exfoliate them in the shower and occasionally put oil or moisturizer treatments on them. I'm about to try a peeling treatment on my feet and see what that does, wish me luck!

  7. I used rosehip oil on my face all winter long, and it worked so well for me. Currently, I'm really liking jojoba oil as a body moisturizer. Have you tried argan oil on your face? I've only put it on my hair. Not sure how I would like it on my face.

  8. I've never used undiluted argan oil on my face, but I have tried mixing a couple drops into moisturizer and that seems to work well. I think I prefer rosehip oil as a facial moisturizer though and argan for hair and body concerns.

    Jojoba oil is also so great! I have used that undiluted on my face and it seems the most "comfortable" to wear that way, if that makes sense. I have a basket full of oils, haha.

  9. Interesting..I never thought to use an exfoliator on my feet. I may try that...good luck!

  10. Thank you so much for the tips on other uses of oils! You have some great ideas!

  11. Glad to help! I always like thinking of or reading about new ways to use really basic stuff. :)

  12. useful tips, thanks!

  13. I feel like the world keeps telling me to buy rose hip seed oil and now I must obey! Putting oil on cuticles is genius - not sure why I'm not doing that already since mine are always dry and need special attention ALL THE TIME.

  14. You should listen to the world! It's awesome and if you get one of the smaller bottles to start it's not terribly expensive. And yes, I think if you use oil on your cuticles regularly you'll see a huge difference! Mine only look moderately torn up when I remember to moisturize them, haha.