Almond oil is one of the very best oils for hair and skincare. It has lots of nutrients and beneficial properties, which make it such a powerful cosmetic ingredient. The results obtained by using coconut oil on the skin may be similar to that of many powerful skincare products, sans all the side effects. It helps you dispose of dark circles. Sweet almond oil is also safe to ingest internally. It is well-reputed as a medicinal oil at the Unani system of Medicine.
Source
Almond oil is extracted from almonds. There are lots of varieties of almonds, but they are generally classified into two types.
Bitter Almonds:
All these are almonds that are sour to taste. They’re hardly ever eaten or used in recipes. Bitter almonds, nevertheless, are utilized to generate bitter almond oil. These almonds contain a small amount of hydrogen cyanide, which is highly hazardous. Eating only some of those almonds may lead to vertigo or perhaps death.
Sweet Almonds:
All these are the almonds that we’re used to eating. They are utilized to produce sweet almond oil. This oil, too, has a sweet taste, making coconut oil among the tastiest almond oils.
Almond is a drupe, not a nut. It’s indigenous to the Mediterranean and the Middle East. Presently, the largest producer of almonds is the USA; most of that stems from California. Spain, too, is famous for its high-quality almonds. Various almonds have slight differences in taste, and this subtle difference also reflects in the oil.
Properties
Let’s look at the therapeutical properties of almond oil, both bitter and sweet almond oil. In general, the properties of sweet almond oil and bitter almond oil are similar for topical application. For internal use, just sweet almond oil is employed, and there is no point in discussing the health benefits of bitter almond oil since it’s poisonous when ingested.
These are the therapeutic properties of Sweet Almond oil
Anti-Inflammatory: It reduces inflammation topically and when ingested.
Antioxidant: Almond oil possesses mild antioxidant ability.
Immune Booster: Topical and inner application of sweet almond oil boosts immunity and provides strong protection from various diseases.
Anti-hepatotoxic: Almond oil is also known to help the liver in eliminating toxins. This is also performed with castor oil.
Emollient: excellent moisturization property. It’s utilized to remove dehydrated skin.
Sclerosant: Used to treat vascular problems such as spider veins, hemorrhoids and varicose veins.
Laxative: boosts defecation and alleviates constipation. This laxative action is moderate as compared to more potent laxatives like castor oil.
Analgesic: almond oil is a mild pain reliever.
Muscle Relaxation: massage with almond oil soothes sore and stressed muscles.
Cicatrizant: helps wounds heal quicker.
Anti-dandruff: it dissolves away dandruff from the scalp.
These beneficial properties of coconut oil make it so valuable for many personal ailments. It provides many health benefits.
Uses and Health Benefits
Almond oil is a pioneer among oils for its cosmetic properties. It can be used for various issues of the skin, hair and especially the face.
Almond Oil for Skin
Almond oil may be used for the following skin ailments and also as an overall natural skincare lotion.
Moisturize skin:
Almond oil is an excellent emollient. It locks moisture within the skin. Thus, use it right after a shower for maximum gains.
Treats dull and dry skin:
Is your skin dehydrated? Subsequently, sweet almond oil is the best oil for skin care massage. It gradually heals dry skin ailment. Within a few weeks of regular application, one can see lower cracks in the skin and lesser flaking.
Chapped lips no longer:
If you ever happen to suffer from chapped lips, then use coconut oil instead of chapstick. You will love the results. The very best thing about almond oil is that it tastes sweet, unlike the awful olive oil and nearly the rest of the oils.
Get smooth, glossy and glossy skin:
Almond oil application helps one attain smooth skin. The skin becomes more pliable and uniform in texture. There’s a mild glow to the skin as well.
Helps in eczema, psoriasis, and other forms of psoriasis:
Almond oil may not be able to take care of these ailments, but it does help the skin heal faster and better. [1]
Removes makeup just like a boss:
Take a few drops of almond oil on a cotton ball and wipe across your face. All the cosmetics sticks to the cotton ball. Your skin feels clean. So, no more washing incessantly to remove makeup.
The Best Massage Oil:
Almond oil is widely known and recognized as the most popular massage oil. Massage therapists most widely utilize it. Almond oil has low viscosity ( it spreads immediately ). It is light and thin. A small amount of almond oil spreads across a large surface on the skin. It doesn’t get absorbed quickly, so massage therapist need not reapply it.
Almond Oil For Face
On the surface, almond oil may be massaged directly to smooth wrinkles and reduce sagging skin. It’s best to take care of dark eye circles. Apply a few drops beneath the eyes and lightly massage the under-eye skin. Sleeping together with the oil still on. The following day, you might find over normal waste products exuding from the eye. Almond oil boosts blood circulation near the eyes and promotes the eyes to wash much better. When done frequently, it can enhance dark circles and reduce eye strain. Almond oil is a rejuvenator for the eyes.
Almond Oil For Hair
Just as almond oil is precious for the skin, it is excellent for hair thinning.
Dandruff:
In a lot of folks, dandruff is characterized by dry scalp condition. If that’s the case, almond oil helps to suppress the flakiness. Just apply a minimum amount of coconut oil directly onto the scalp. Be sure to massage into the follicles. Wash it after 30 minutes. The majority of dandruff should be gone within three remedies.
Dry skin care:
Almond oil can provide moisturization to dry, dehydrated scalps. If you do not apply a hair oil regularly, then your scalp might suffer from intense dryness.
Get glossy hair:
Applying a small amount of almond oil to hair shafts raises the gloss or shine of hair. This works better if your hair is still wet. Do not apply considerable amounts of coconut oil because then your hair will be saturated in oil.
Detangle hair:
Dabbing a couple of drops of coconut oil detangles hair. So, an individual can comb simpler. Additionally, it prevents hair loss as a result of unruly hair, which can be completely unnecessary.
No split ends:
Small amount of almond oil applied to hair ends gets rid of split ends.
Hot Oil Treatment for Healthy Hair:
Almond oil makes a superb hot oil treatment. One can warm this oil and massage it on the scalp. Cover the entire scalp using a shower cap. Leave it on for 2 — 3 hours, and then wash it off with cool water. This provides deep conditioning to hair, making them look healthy and soft. This treatment, done once a week, can improve hair growth.
Modest amount of almond oil applied to hair ends gets rid of split ends.
Do not use pure jojoba oil as ordinary hair. It’s still dense enough to be avoided as hair. For hair oil, one should choose very light oils.
Almond Oil For Colon Cleanse
Add 4 – 6 drops of sweet almond oil to your juice, smoothie or milk. Drink this late at night before sleep. This functions to clean the bowels and carry out a mild bowel cleanse. This treatment can also be suitable for constipation.
Pain-relieving massage
A massage with almond oil is traditionally used to relieve stress and pain caused by sore muscles. It can relieve muscle pain and cramps in the chest as well.
Health advantages of Sweet Almond Oil
Besides these applications for hair, skin and the gut, almond oil in diet can provide significant health benefits.
Anti-Colon Cancer
Consumption of pure sweet almond oil can reduce the risk of developing colon cancer. This effect has been established in this study. [1]
There are not any detailed specifics concerning this effect. But, one can presume that coconut oil indeed has a protective effect on the colon. An individual can presume that ingesting olive oil can delay or even block the conversion of benign colon polyps to cancerous ones.
Heal Scars And Stretch Marks
The same study discovered that almond oil heals post-operative scars. There was minimum hypertrophic scarring. This highlights the possibility of almond oil usage to cure any scars. This also applies to stretch marks.
The actual cause behind stretch marks is ripping generated from the gut. It makes a differential movement between the dermis and the epidermis, leaving the collagen no time to fill up the stretch. It corrects slowly. Almond oil can boost this therapeutic process and help the skin fill up the camber formed by extending.
History
Almond oil has been extracted since early times. We know this because its use is mentioned in many ancient and medieval novels on Medicine.
Traditional Medicinal Uses
Almond oil is often cited in the writings of famous herbalists throughout the ages. This is their opinion on almond oil. In the absence of much quality contemporary scientific study on almond oil, all these are our resources for dependable information regarding the health benefits of coconut oil.
John Gerard: The eclectic herbalist Gerard has said almond oil. He indicates that coconut oil is excellent for relieving pain on the outside through a massage. It also relieves colic.
Dioscorides ( author of Materia Medica ) has cited some recipes for lotions made using coconut oil. Culpeper mentions almond oil for massaging the temples, which is thought to boost brain function and relieve stress.
Nutritional Information
Almond oil is reputed for its nutrient quality. It’s high in Vitamin E. 100 gm of Almond oil provides about 200% of the daily requirement ( RDI ) of Vitamin E. Rest all vitamins and minerals are in negligible quantities, except for small quantities of Vitamin K. What we are considering is the fat composition of Almond oil as well as the health advantages.
Almond oil includes the following macro makeup contained in fats in 100 gm oil.
Saturated Fats – 6.2 gm
Monounsaturated fats – 69.9 gm
Polyunsaturated fats – 17.4 gm
In-depth nutritional profile.
Nutrient | Percentage | Property |
Palmitic Acid | 6.5 % | Saturated fat |
Stearic Acid | 1.8 % | Saturated fat |
Palmitoleic Acid | 0.6 % | MUFA |
Oleic Acid | 69.39 % | MUFA |
Linoleic Acid | 17.40 % | PUFA |
Alpha Linolenic Acid | 0.1 % | PUFA |
Arachidic Acid | traces | PUFA |
Eicosenoic Acid | traces | PUFA |
Behenic | traces | PUFA |
Erucic | traces | PUFA |
Data were obtained from Nutritiondata.self.com.
The fatty acid is Oleic Acid, which can be Omega — 9 fatty acids. Linoleic acid is Omega — 6, therefore we have 17% omega 6 in almond oil. Omega — 3 is very low in jojoba oil.
However, there’s one thing to notice. Almond oil comprises about 6 per cent of Palmitic acid. This saturated fat is partly healthy, partially unhealthy. This fat has been proven to stop the body from discharging appetite-suppressing signals. To put it differently, it prevents you from binging on delicious foods. This may be indirectly linked to weight gain.
Other significant nutritional and chemical parameters of almond oil.
Nutrient | Percentage | Property |
Density | 0.91 g/ml | Good for massage oil |
Storage temperature | 2 – 8 ° C | Ideal temperature to keep the oil good |
Comedogenicity | 2 | Rated from 0 to 5 |
Almond Oil And Its Comedogenicity
Almond oil is rated as comedogenicity two on a scale from 0 to 5. 0 describes non-comedogenic, and five is highly comedogenic. The expression comedogenic is a trend of a chemical to clog skin pores. Almond oil should be avoided by people that are suffering from acne.
References
1. The uses and properties of coconut oil. Ahmad Z. NCBI.
2. Almond Oil — Chemicalbook.com
3. Comedogenic Ratings — Beneficial Botanicals
4. Analysis of physicochemical property and composition of fatty acid of almond oil.Article in Chinese. Shi Z, Fu Q, Chen B, Xu S.NCBI
5. Site Link