Avocado Oil

Is avocado oil good for your skin? Are there any avocado oil benefits for hair? You bet! The oil is deeply moisturizing which makes it perfect for dry skin. And there are even studies that show you can use avocado oil for psoriasis, wrinkles and more. It's true! So let us get into profiling this oil.

Quick Glance at Avocado Oil

Pros:
Avocado oil is thick and heavy which makes it excellent for dry, dehydrated skin. It also absorbs very quickly and has a moderately low comedogenic rating (2 out of 5). That means it isn't very likely to cause acne. Avocado oil may also have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits.

Cons:
As I said, avocado oil is very thick when first applied to your skin. So if you prefer a light oil, avocado may not be your first choice.

Precautions
There aren't many warnings for this oil. But you should still patch test before lathering it all over your skin.

Properties of Avocado Oil

Here are just a few properties of avocado oil to consider:

Name

Avocado's botanical name is Persea americana. Be sure to check for this name when buying the oil.

Color & Smell

What does avocado oil smell like? Or look like? It depends on if it is refined or not. Unrefined, cold-pressed avocado oil is dark green and has a nutty smell. Refined or food grade avocado oil is pale yellow and odorless. You can use both oils for skin care. But, bare in mind, the refined oil may not contain all the beneficial compounds that the unrefined oil has.

Texture

As I mentioned before, avocado oil is pretty thick and heavy. Of course, this is ideal for dry, chapped, and dehydrated skin. But it may be a little too thick for oily skin types. The good news is the oil does absorb pretty quickly so you can still use it.

But there's another catch. Avocado oil may cause breakouts. Its comedogenic rating is 2 out of 5, which means it has a low to moderate chance of causing acne. So you should patch test the oil thoroughly before using it.

Compounds

Avocado oil is rich in fatty acids, vitamins A, C, D, and E, and minerals.

More specifically, studies found avocado oil has: oleic acid which makes up 50% of the oil, palmitic acid (20%), linoleic acid (10%), docosadienoic acid (8%), palmitoleic acid, beta-sitosterol, beta-carotene and lecithin.

These compounds may have long technical names but they are behind the benefits of avocado oil for skin and hair.

You should also know there is no such thing as avocado essential oil. An essential oil implies the compounds in it are volatile or evaporate quickly. But oleic acid and other compounds mentioned above are non-volatile. So avocado oil is NOT an essential oil.

Avocado Oil Benefits

So you've seen the properties of avocado oil. Now it's time to check out the benefits of avocado oil!

1. Avocado oil is a great moisturizer

We've been through this before. Avocado oil is pretty thick and heavy. So it is truly perfect for moisturizing dry, damaged, chapped, sensitive and normal skin types. If you have oily skin though, you should consider a lighter carrier oil (like jojoba oil).

Avocado oil works just as well for moisturizing hair too!

2. Avocado absorbs quickly

Avocado oil may be thick but your skin will absorb it very quickly. So it doesn't stay greasy at all! And the oil can get deep into your epidermis (skin layer). That's why it's used in so many commercial creams, lotions and moisturizers (seriously check the ingredients of your favorite brands!).

The fast absorbing and penetrating properties of avocado oil help to transfer other ingredients like essential oils deep into the skin. This makes it a very effective carrier oil.

In fact, studies show your skin is more likely to absorb avocado oil faster than almond, sesame, safflower, peanut, jojoba, coconut and olive oils.

3. Avocado oil is great for wounds

Here is another great benefit of avocado oil. A 2013 study on rats has shown the oil is ideal for healing cuts, scratches, and wounds. The study showed oral or topical application of avocado oil to wounds caused them to heal several days faster than the control groups.

So don't be afraid to dab a little oil on your cuts to speed up the healing process.

4. Use avocado oil for psoriasis

Avocado oil's moisturizing and 'carrying' power can definitely help with chronic plaque psoriasis. In fact, a 2001 study showed that a vitamin B-12 cream containing avocado oil provided similar results to the commonly used treatment of psoriasis - Calcipotriol (marketed as Dovonex).

The study went further to show that the preparation with avocado oil did not have any side effects and could be used for the long-term topical treatment of psoriasis.

5. It repairs skin, stops wrinkles and more...

Avocado oil benefits are amazing! The oil really is good for you and your skin. This isn't just hearsay. The study mentioned above also noted you can use avocado oil for wrinkles, stretch marks, sunscreens, scleroderma, and even skin regeneration.

The article went further to identify the benefits of the compounds in avocado oil:

1. Oleic acid has anti-inflammatory effects.
2. Linoleic acid, beta-sitosterol and vitamin E are antioxidants.
3. Linoleic acid is also antimicrobial.
4. Unsaturated fatty acids increase collagen production and help skin to be stronger. This reduces the signs of aging and wrinkling.
5. Unsaturated fatty acids are also active in the wound healing process.
6. Mono- and poly-unsaturated fatty acids, beta-sitosterol, beta-carotene, lecithin, minerals, and vitamins all help to heal and repair skin.

You can clearly see avocado oil is an antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti-wrinkle, anti-aging, and antioxidant carrier oil with moisturizing and sunscreen properties.

Maybe that's the reason why the cosmetics industry embraced this oil. You can actually find it in creams, moisturizers, tanning lotions, sunscreens, make-up, face masks, anti-cellulite lotions, soaps, shampoos and hair conditioners.

How to make avocado oil

We've just seen the properties and benefits of avocado oil. But where to get avocado oil? And can you make it?

Typically, avocado oil comes from the flesh of the avocado fruit. The flesh actually contains a lot of oil. About thirty percent! The rest is water.

The flesh is pre-dried to remove as much water as possible. Then, it's mashed, heated slightly and added to a centrifuge (or squeezed) to separate the oil from any remaining water.

The result is cold-pressed avocado oil. This is just one way to get the oil; there are many other methods but you can try this one at home!

Sometimes, the oil is further treated, de-colorized and deodorized to make refined avocado oil. The refined version is usually used in cooking though, but you can also use it on your skin.

And, of course, you can get your avocado oil from your local health store or Amazon.com. Here're a few good ones:

Shelf life of avocado oil

Avocado oil can last for more than one year. However, you should keep it cool and in the dark to prevent it from going bad. If it's gone bad, avocado oil smells fishy and painty. Basically, you'll know when it's no good!

Avocado Oil Uses

Avocado oil benefits are awesome. So what are some avocado oil uses?

Even before using avocado oil for the first time, do a patch test. Dab a little oil on the inside of your elbow or behind your ear and monitor the area for 24 hours. If you observe any redness, wash it off immediately. If there isn't any redness, then you aren't allergic to the oil and you can try any of the following uses of avocado oil.

But, if you do have acne prone skin, you should probably NOT use this oil on your face since it can cause acne.

1. For dry and mature skin: These skin types require that extra moisturizing. You can use avocado oil mixed in a 1:1 ratio with another thick oil like wheat germ oil. Both oils are heavy but deeply moisturizing and perfect for dry skin. Note though, wheat germ oil can cause acne so you can adjust the ratios if you are mildly prone to acne.


2. For oil cleansing: You can mix a half teaspoon each of castor and avocado oil for oil cleansing. Gently massage the mix on your face and wait for a few minutes. You can also add a warm cloth over your face to help get out any extra dirt and microbes out.
   Once your done, simply and gently wipe off the excess oil from your face before rinsing with cold water.
   You can also swap out castor oil with hazelnut for a lighter mix for oil cleansing.


3. As a makeup remover: A few celebrities swear by avocado oil as a great makeup remover. And, because of avocado's thick consistency, you only need a few drops to get most of your makeup off.


4. Dark circles under eyes: Here is another avocado oil use many swear by. It can help to lighten dark circles under their eyes. It also helps to moisturize the area and keep it looking healthy and happy.


5. For hair: You can definitely use avocado oil for your hair. It's amazing! And many prefer it to coconut oil which solidifies at colder temperatures and can make your hair feel tough and hard.
   You can add avocado oil to your conditioner, massage it into your hair or use it as a leave-in treatment. It's awesome!


6. Hot oil treatment: You can even use avocado oil to give your hair a wonderful hot oil treatment.
   Mix a 1:1 ratio of avocado and olive oils and remember a little goes a long way. Then massage this mix for 10-15 minutes into your hair and scalp. But if you have oily skin, you can skip massaging your scalp.
   Next, wrap your hair in a warm towel and leave it for an additional 10-15 minutes. Then, when you're done you can shampoo and condition as you would normally do.

There are many other avocado oil uses. These are just a few. Try them and enjoy the benefits of avocado oil for your skin and hair!

What's next?

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- Carrier Oils Listing
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