Almonds aren’t just for snacking or drinking in as milk. Almonds contain within them and incredible oil that can benefit our skin.
The use of almond oil dates back thousands of years. If we look into the ancient stories about almonds, you will find them spoken about in creation and mystical stories of almost every culture and religion. Ancient skin and body care recipes were known to contain sweet almond oil. It was seen as a sacred anointing oil; one known to nourish and protect. Let’s look at some of the healing properties of this beautiful oil.
Sweet almond oil contains vitamins and nutrients, such as vitamins A, B, D and E, potassium, magnesium and calcium. It is rich in unsaturated fatty acids, linoleic acid which protects skin from UV radiation, and palmitic acid (saturated fatty acid) which supports the skin barrier from external environmental factors. Almond oil has a very low acidity, so it is mild on the skin.
· Vitamin A: The retinol in vitamin A has the ability to stimulate the production of new skin cells and smooth fine lines.
· Vitamin E: This nutrient has antioxidant properties that may help prevent cell damage, reduce skin damage caused by the sun, reduce the signs of aging, and fade scars.
· Omega-3 fatty acids: These nutrients may help prevent premature aging and safeguard against sun damage.
Almond oil soothes the skin from irritations, protect the skin from the sun’s damage and restores the skin’s natural moisture barrier.
Specific benefits for the skin:
· Treats dry skin & skin irritation. Almond oil has been used for centuries to treat dry skin conditions including eczema and psoriasis.
· Improves acne. The oil’s fatty acid content may help reduce excess oil on the skin, which may reduce the appearance of acne and improve cell turnover while decreasing the inflammation caused by acne.
· Helps reverse sun damage. The vitamin E in almond oil may help reduce damage to the skin caused by UV exposure.
· Reduces the appearance of scars. The vitamin E content may contribute to helping smooth the skin and a reduction in formation of scar tissue.
· Reduces stretch marks. With almond oil’s extraordinary softening properties, when it is applied to areas where stretch marks typically occur on your body, it will help soften that skin and allow for it to stretch without worsening the marks. The softened skin can handle stretching more than untreated skin.
· Improves complexion and skin tone. Due to its emollient properties, almond oil evens out your skin tone and improves the complexion over time.
· Reduces puffiness and under-eye circles. Because almond oil is an anti-inflammatory, it may help reduce swelling of the skin in this area.
· It also has antifungal properties, and can be used to prevent athlete’s foot or to help remove other fungal infections.
Almond oil is generally considered safe to use on your skin. However, if you’re allergic to nuts, avoid using almond oil on your skin. If you’ve never used almond oil on your skin before, do a patch test before applying to your face. The shelf life for almond oil is 1-2 years. My advice – any products that have almond oil as an ingredient should be used within 6 months to 1 year of purchase.
In my opinion, this oil is a little thick on its own; but when combined with other oils, adds a warming, protecting dimension to blends, which is why you will find almond oil in our sacred scents, body oil and cuticle oil blends. If you are allergic to almond oil, we will happily make you a customized product by excluding the almond oil and replacing it with an oil that is better suited to your skin care need.