What is Grapeseed Oil?
Grapeseed oil is a relatively new highly beneficial botanical oil for your skin derived from grape seeds after vinification. Previously discarded, this wine-making by-product has been found to be rich in Omega-6 fatty acids, Vitamin E and other antioxidants, including phenolic acids, anthocyanins, flavonoids, and oligomeric proanthocyanidin complexes (OPCs) which are highly beneficial for your skin. By processing grape seeds, the oil becomes a non-greasy, deep-penetrating, UV repelling, anti-aging, skin moisturizing, nourishing botanical oil.
What makes Grapeseed Oil good for your skin?
Polyunsaturated Fats
Rich with polyunsaturated fats, Grapeseed Oil is excellent at passing through the skin barriers reaching deep into epidermal layers. Though high in polyunsaturated fats, grapeseed contains linoleic acid, a fatty acid that helps to counter the typical associated skin inflammations the polyunsaturated fats may cause. As a result, grapeseed oil in mainly used in topicals to benefit your skin.
Vitamin E
The high amount of Vitamin E in Grapeseed oil is of great benefit for your skin. Vitamin E is a fat-soluble essential nutrient with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Vitamin E helps to keep your skin looking and feeling more youthful, bouncy and elastic by combating the effects of free radicals produced by the metabolism of food and toxins in the environment. It may also help prevent UV damage on your skin as well by increasing the amount of UV rays necessary to cause sunburn, a great benefit for those who spend a lot of time outdoors or tanning.
Oligomeric proanthocyanidin complexes (OPCs)
Grapeseeds contains oligomeric proanthocyanidin complexes (OPCs) which have been documented in strengthening blood vessels and treating chronic venous insufficiency – which can cause pooling of blood in the legs. Aside from some anecdotal evidence, more studies are needed to show if it is actually able to reduce or prevent varicose veins. Grapeseed oil is one of the best sources of proanthocyanidin, a powerful antioxidant that can help prevent disease and protect against oxidative stress, tissue damage, and inflammation. Studies have also shown that ingesting grapeseed orally can help treat melasma, a form of hyperpigmentation of the skin thought to caused by sun exposure, genetic predisposition, hormone changes, and skin irritation.
Omega-6 fatty acids
The high amount of fatty acids present in grapeseed oil, up to over 70% polyunsaturated, help improve skin moisture levels by reducing trans-epidermal water loss. This is actually beneficial for those with oily skin as retaining moisture can actually reduce oil production and help balance your skin oil levels naturally.
Best ways to use Grapeseed Oil for your skin
Is Grapeseed Oil good for your skin?
Like most carrier oils, grapeseed oil is very easy to use and very forgiving. It is not oily and won’t leave your skin feeling greasy like olive oil. It can be applied by itself directly to your face or body safely to help balance your skin moisture and oil levels. You can also find grapeseed in many commercial topicals with a simple google search or better yet, infuse a little into your favorite creams or lotions for a wider range of skin benefits. Grapeseed taken orally in a capsule has also shown help improve the symptoms of melasma, helping to even out skin tone and remove dark spots.
Grapeseed oil can help your skin by:
- Protecting against sun damage
- Treating Acne outbreaks
- Softening Skin
- Giving skin more elasticity
- Evening out skin tone
Looking for a grapeseed oil recipes to help balance your skin? Here are 3 great recipes for helping to even skin tone, reduce oily skin and acne and return your skin to a more balanced state.
Is Grapeseed oil good for your hair?
Many use grapeseed oil to help their hair health and shine, but what is in it that makes this possible? As you grow older, your scalp’s sebum production wanes, leading to a dryer scalp and dry, brittle hair. Oils like palm oil, but oils and even grapeseed oil have natural conditioning agents that can help relieve the dryness associated with sebum reduction. Since grapeseed oil is light and non-greasy, it can be used directly on your scalp and hair, adding moisture to your scalp and length and shine to your hair. In turn this can also help to reduce dry scalp and flaking as well.
Some anecdotal research shows Grapeseed oil can also facilitate actual hair growth. Using a mixture of peppermint, eucalyptus, jojoba and grapeseed oils, Rhonda Ridley of FearlesslyNatural.com used a similar mixture to help a client improve hair growth. Within 6 weeks the growth was noticeable and within 4 months was able to style the area that previously had been balding.
Is Grapeseed Oil good to cook with?
While grapeseed oil can be used for cooking, due to the high amount of polyunsaturated fats, it is not recommended to use grapeseed for frying as the polyunsaturated fats will convert into more harmful compounds for your body with heat. It is more commonly used is foods like salad dressings.
How to use Grapeseed Oil effectively
The key to success with grapeseed oil is to use it consistently. For hair growth and skin benefits, any applications should be used for an extended period of time. Results should not be expected immediately as grapeseed and other oils that benefit your skin take time to help deliver the balancing act they are expected to achieve. If you persist, you will see and experience the benefits if you are consistent.
CBD infused Grapeseed Oil
CBD is a fantastic addition to any skin care routine. CBD is anti-microbial and has anti-inflammatory and analgesic (pain relieving) effects. When infused directly into carrier oils, the CBD is able to be absorbed directly through your skin and can help to reduce blemishes, redness, inflammation and irritations.
Where to buy Grapeseed Oil?
Like all carrier oils, finding high quality grapeseed is the most important thing. The best carrier oils are expeller pressed which helps to retain the natural chemical structure of the oils and grapeseed oil is no different. Heat, as noted above, converts the natural structure into much more harmful compounds and should be avoided at all costs. This, of course, also goes for the processing. We now offer a complete line of pure expeller-pressed grapeseed oil with CBD infused for greater benefits and protection for your skin.
If CBD infused grapeseed oil isn’t what you need, we have a few recommendations on what to look for when you buy. Look for a certified organic oil as well to avoid any nasty pesticides and unwanted additives. Reviews are your best friend when finding oils and good oils and brands will have plenty of people raving about them. A good tip is to start with the worst and lowest reviews looking for previous users who may complain about the oil’s consistency, added fillers or a change in the quality of oil. If these don’t pass muster, then move on.
If you are looking for essential oils to add to grapeseed oil, check out our ultimate line of CBD infused essential oils.
