Avocado oil might be all the rage in the kitchen these days, but your roast potatoes aren’t the only thing that can benefit from it. This incredible ingredient also has lots of great uses for skincare! It’s packed full of helpful vitamins and minerals, fatty acids, and much more besides.
Before you run to the pantry and pour that bottle directly onto your face, there are less messy ways to incorporate this wonder-oil into your skincare routine. Read on for all the benefits of avocado oil for skin care and our favorite ways to use it.
Where Does Avocado Oil Come From?
Unsurprisingly, avocado oil is made from avocados. Specifically, the pulp of the avocado fruit (yes, it is a fruit!) This delicious green flesh is around 60% oil. So, mechanically press the pulp to extract the good stuff, and voila!
Shockingly, it takes somewhere between 15 and 20 avocados to make just 250ml (1 cup) of oil. This explains why it’s a bit pricier than some of the more common or easily extracted oils, but avocado oil has so many benefits that it is more than worth the price.
For the environmentally conscious, it’s important to note that avocado growth uses a lot of water, and there are ecologically unsustainable farming practices going on around the world. When you pick up your bottle, look for the organic and Fairtrade labels to ensure you’re supporting ethical and sustainable produce.
Avocados are often associated with high CO2 emissions due to the distance they travel from harvest to market – consider prioritizing avocados grown closer to you to help mitigate this!
Why’s it So Brilliant for Your Skin?
Where do we start? Avocado oil has so many astounding skincare benefits. For one, it’s both anti-inflammatory AND anti-bacterial. Hello, dual-action skin-soothing! If you’re dealing with any irritation or bacterial skin problems, a balm made with avocado oil will work wonders.
Because of this, it’s also brilliant for eczema and psoriasis sufferers – and it smells much nicer than steroid cream! Whether it’s medical skin conditions, itchy skin, chapped skin, or even wound healing, apply avocado oil and you may just see a world of difference.
That’s not all, though. Avocado oil is a natural emollient: It softens the skin and traps moisture, leaving your complexion dewy and vibrant. Plus, it promotes collagen production – which helps maintain your skin’s natural elasticity. It even helps heal marks or blemishes, as avocado accelerates skin cell turnover! Honestly, it’d be quicker to list the things avocado oil can’t do for your skin.
The Good Stuff: What Are The Benefits of Avocado Oil For Skin
Let’s break it down. What ingredients make avocado oil such a fantastic skincare oil?
Avocado, and therefore avocado oil, is very high in oleic acid. This nifty monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) absorbs UV radiation, helping to protect the skin from sun damage. Don’t go replacing your sunscreen, though! You’d need liters of avocado oil to provide a high level of SPF coverage.
This oil is also very rich in antioxidants, such as vitamin E, which help absorb free radicals from the world around us that can damage and break down skin cells over time. Don’t forget the other vitamins, either: Vitamins A, C, and D are all in on the act and plentiful in avocado oil. These are great for skin cell turnover, anti-aging, skin barrier function, collagen production, and even combatting hyperpigmentation. Essentially, avocado oil is a delightful cocktail of treats for your skin.
What Is A Carrier Oil?
If you’re already a DIY skincare pro, feel free to skip this part. For the uninitiated, a carrier oil is the oil you use to dilute your essential oils. This makes them safe to apply to the skin, as concentrated essential oils are so potent that they can cause irritation and damage if applied directly.
Avocado oil is only one of many carrier oils you can incorporate into your skincare blend, but it’s undoubtedly one of the best. Avoid it if you prefer an unscented oil or if you’re prone to acne (avocado oil may increase sebum production), but otherwise, it’s an excellent carrier oil to use.
Applications of Avocado Carrier Oil
Liquid carrier oils are always a skincare winner because they’re so versatile. It’s far easier to blend a liquid oil with other ingredients or essential oils than with, say, coconut oil, which is solid at room temperature. Being a liquid makes avocado oil ripe (pardon the pun) for use as a base for lotions, creams, and serums.
But there’s no need to add anything to avocado oil if you don’t fancy it! Feel free to simply massage it into the skin, and you’ll begin to enjoy all its skincare benefits. But, for the more adventurous among us, here’s some DIY inspiration for you…
- Mash a whole avocado and mix it with some avocado oil to make a delightful face mask! Apply like you would a clay mask, and wash it off after 15 minutes. Your face will thank you.
- As mentioned above, avocado oil is an excellent carrier for your essential oils. Craft an essential oil blend that’s perfect for you and your skin, dilute it with avocado oil, and you’re away. Not sure where to start with essential oils? Try our comprehensive Savvy Homemade essential oils guide for the full lowdown.
- For rough or dry skin, try an equal-part blend of avocado oil and olive oil and apply it a couple of times a day. Trust me, it works wonders. Consider adding a drop of your favorite-smelling essential oil to provide a delicate waft of scent.
- Get creative! As a neutral carrier oil, avocado oil is such a versatile ingredient. The sky is the limit for what you can do with it! Play around and find some of your favorite pairings. How about making a balm with cocoa butter? Or adding some to Vaseline to help repair dry lips? Mixing some in with your next DIY moisturizer or lotion bar? It’s hard to go wrong. However you choose to incorporate avocado oil, your skin will still feel the benefits.
Add Avocado Oil to Your Skincare Routine and See the Benefits
By now, you should have learned all about avocado oil’s skincare benefits and how to incorporate it into your skincare routine. Use this information, experiment, and find out what implementations work best for you.
Whether that’s whipping up a lotion, blending in essential oils, or just lathering it on from the bottle, your skin will start feeling the benefits in no time!
