Known for being an excellent cooking oil, new studies are informing the general public of the fascinating benefits of organic sunflower oil as a natural solution to skincare.
For example, did you know that the most abundant nutrient in organic sunflower oil is vitamin E? That alone makes the oil very helpful when processed into an all-natural skin cream, not only for moisturizing but also for protecting the skin. And that’s just one of the ingredients.
Millions of people have used sunflower oil in their kitchens as an alternative to olive oil. However, the use of organic sunflower oil in skincare is a relatively new approach. But thanks to recent scientific data, this vitamin E-enriched oil has been proven to be highly beneficial for treating anything from dry, irritated skin to advanced eczema to even acute, sun-damaged skin.
Organic Sunflower Oil – A Natural Skin Remedy
An article on Stylecraze1 says that, “When topically used, sunflower oil can have excellent anti-inflammatory effects. The oil also improves the skin barrier. This way, it further enhances skin health.”
That article cites a peer-reviewed research paper published at the U.S. National Library of Medicine2. Thanks to the vitamin E nutrients in sunflower oil (combined with unsaturated fatty acids for maximum absorption into skin tissue), this elementary yet nutrient-rich oil is ideally suited for repairing damaged skin. And because sunflower oil can be produced in nutrient-rich creams and lotions as well, organic sunflower oil is now an essential ingredient for anyone’s skincare regimen.
Sunflower oil is also high in linoleic acid. According to an international, cooperative research effort3 put together to improve skin health in third world countries, the naturally-occurring abundance of linoleic acid in sunflower oil makes this substance ideally suited for enhancing the skin barrier and for protecting against sun damage. In fact, sunflower oil came out on top in multiple trials when tested against other oils. Sunflower oil proved to be a better skin protectant than other vegetable oils like olive oil, mustard oil, and soybean oil.
The Nutrient-rich Nature of Sunflower Oil
Organic sunflower oil is made up of a long list of healthy and naturally-occurring nutrients. Case in point, this oil is rich in both vitamins A and E. Vitamin A promotes skin health thanks to its powerful antioxidant properties. For more details, see this article at NDTV Food4.
For a quick summary, vitamin A is known to:
- Regenerate damaged skin cells
- Remove acne-causing bacteria
- Moisturize the skin without blocking pores
- Treat dry, sensitive skin
And thanks to the vitamin E-rich nature of sunflower oil, some research even suggests that the topical application of sunflower oil could help prevent certain skin cancers. The research is still underway, but the tentative results are promising so far. One study titled, “Vitamin E in Dermatology,”5 says that,
“It (vitamin E) protects the skin from various deleterious effects due to solar radiation by acting as a free-radical scavenger. Experimental studies suggest that vitamin E has antitumorigenic and photo-protective properties.”
Given that sunflowers have both vitamin A and vitamin E as naturally-occurring nutrients within the plants, people who use the oil reap the benefits of two highly beneficial vitamins when they add sunflower oil to their daily skincare.
Using Organic Sunflower Oil in an All-Natural Face Cream or Skin Lotion
One of the benefits of sunflower oil that has nothing to do with its ingredients is the “transmutable nature” of the oil. What that term means is that organic sunflower oil, even in its liquid, oil form, can be processed into an all-natural skin cream. And furthermore, we can process the oil into a skin cream without losing any of the inherent health benefits of the oil. That makes organic sunflower oil ideally suited for people who:
- Spend a lot of time outside and who want to avoid potential sun damage
- Need a pure, organic, and plant-based lotion for dry, red, itchy, or irritated skin
- Require a fast-acting eczema cream or a psoriasis cream that does not block skin pores
- Need to find an effective face moisturizer that enriches the skin without increasing skin oils
For the above reasons and many others, organic sunflower oil is a must in skin care.
Sources:
1 https://www.stylecraze.com/articles/best-benefits-of-sunflower-oil-for-skin-hair-and-health/#gref
2 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4518179/
3 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12113324/
4 https://food.ndtv.com/food-drinks/6-incredible-benefits-of-sunflower-oil-1636359
5 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4976416/