Avocado Base Oil (Persea americana): ‘The Rich One’
Avocado oil is a natural humectant (moisture-retaining), highly nourishing skin oil, packed with vitamins & anti-oxidants
I ♥ Avocado Oil
The Carrier Oil
- Obtained from the flesh of the fruit
- Gorgeous rich green colour – avoid pale, colourless or clear oil as this may indicate it has been bleached or commercially produced. If so it may be lacking in all that nutritional goodness
- Cold-pressed or solvent-extracted
Properties
- Humectant/moisturising: particularly good for dry, mature or ageing skin
- Natural UV protection: can help to protect & heal sun damage & age spots
- Anti-inflammatory (reduces inflammation, redness & irritation): good for skin conditions such as Dermatitis, Ezcema & Psoriasis
- Cytophylactic (helps to regenerate skin cells): so good for reducing scars/spots/blemishes
- Emollient (skin softening & smoothing): we all like softer skin!
The oil is absolutely packed full of goodies & is especially good to use during the summer months
Vitamins
- Rich in Vitamin A, B, D & E
- High levels of Vitamin E (an important antioxidant): essential in skin repair & protecting against free radicals, which slows down the ageing process
Other Goodies
- Rich in phytosterols & sterolin, lecithin, pantothenic & amino acids: helps to improve skin flexibility; indicated to reduce fine lines & wrinkles
Essential Fatty Acids (EFA’s)
- High levels of our friends the EFA’s, containing Omega-3 (alpha-linolenic acid or ALA) & particularly high levels of Omega-6 (Linolenic acid) & Omega-9 (Oleic acid). These make it a natural skin soother & anti-inflammatory
Prime Uses
- Highly moisturising for dry & mature skins
- Anti-ageing properties
- Nourishing Vitamin Boost
- Skin Conditions – good for rashes, Dermatitis, Eczema, Psoriasis, & other skin conditions
- Natural & gentle Sun protection
Avocado For Skincare – Easy Facial Masks To Try
For more detailed information on the many benefits of Avocado for the skin see this in-depth article from Biochemist & Blogger Sandra Dean – What are the benefits of Avocado Oil for Skin?
Sandra’s Health & Beauty website Always Healthy Living has a lot of great articles on skincare, & even better, if you fancy making some natural Avocado facial masks there are some delicious & nutritious recipes (I want to eat some of them!) – Homemade Avocado Face Masks
Safety – Natural Sunscreen
Consider using oils to boost your natural sun protection alongside proper UV sunscreens
Skincare & Sun protection from the UVA, UVB & UVC rays is essential for good skin health. I would always recommend a well-tested lotion or cream with the highest SPF for your skin type – anyone can be at risk from skin damage from the sun. There has been a lot in the press about using home-made sunscreen & I would not recommend using this oil for sun-bathing, as a full-body sunscreen or a full day in the sun. However, it can be used as part of a natural skincare routine in order to protect your skin as far as possible.
A Word About Extraction
Most carrier oils can be divided into organic & non-organic but when buying Avocado oil you also need to consider if it has been:
- cold-pressed: using crushing & pressure to extract the oil, not usually enough heat to damage the oil or reduce it’s properties substantially
or
- solvent-extracted: using solvent to extract the oil, which is subsequently removed, leaving trace elements only
- many prefer cold-pressing as it is more natural with no use of solvent, but it is more expensive
Confused by all the terminology? See my Glossary article to make all clear 🙂
Food For Health As Well As For Your Skin
For more information on the health benefits of Avocados as a nutritional food in general & incorporating them into your diet see this excellent piece from Health & Fitness shop on the 13 Health Benefits of Avocado
Rich & nutritious – inside & out
Moisturise your skin beautifully all Summer long….with this many
wonderful properties it’s worth spending £4.00 – £8.00 on Avocado Oil
Recommended Suppliers
Abbey Essentials
(non-organic, cold-pressed, refined, £5.20 for 100mls)
https://www.abbeyessentials.co.uk/Carrier-Oils/Avocado-Oil
Aromantic
(organic, £5.39 for 100mls)
http://www.aromantic.co.uk/home/products/vegetable-oils/organic-vegetable-oils/organic-avocado-oil-persea-gratissima.aspx
(non-organic, £4.19 for 100mls)
http://www.aromantic.co.uk/home/products/vegetable-oils/non-organic-vegetable-oils/avocado-oil-persea-gratissima.aspx
Baldwins Aromatherapy
(organic, cold-pressed, unrefined £7.39 for 100mls)
https://www.baldwins.co.uk/baldwins-organic-cold-pressed-avocado-base-oil
(non-organic, cold-pressed, unrefined, £4.69 for 100mls)
https://www.baldwins.co.uk/baldwins-avocado-cold-pressed-unrefined-base-oil
(non-organic, refined, £4.35 for 100mls)
https://www.baldwins.co.uk/baldwins-avocado-refined-base-oil
Base Formula
(non-organic, £4.80 for 100mls)
https://www.baseformula.com/avocado-carrier-oil
Kobashi
(non-organic, cold-pressed, unrefined £4.92 for 100mls)
http://www.kobashi.co.uk/essentialoils/Avocado-Oil_Persea-gratissima.html
Neal’s Yard Remedies
(organic, cold-pressed, unrefined, £7.50 for 50mls)
http://www.nealsyardremedies.com/aromatherapy/aromatherapy-oils-and-blends/enrichers/1506.html – start=2
Penny Price
(non-organic, cold-pressed, unrefined, £8.29 for 100mls)
https://www.abbeyessentials.co.uk/Carrier-Oils/Avocado-Oil
Avocado oil has a naturally beautiful vibrant green colour – it looks good enough to eat!
