In the world of skin care, not every oil is created equal. If light moisture and the healing effects of Vitamin E are what you crave, grapeseed oil might be the one for you.
Grapeseed oil is a carrier oil. Science lesson! Carrier oils come from the fatty portion of the plants from which they are derived. Essential oils on the other hand are made by distilling the non-fatty parts of the plant. (http://www.savvybrown.com/health/carrier-oils-vs-essential-oils/).
Europe had been using grapeseed oil for centuries before it made its way to the US (foodfacts.com). In 1921, Frank Rabak published a paper to the Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, in which he recognized the seed waste that was a byproduct of the grape juice industry. Soon after, production of grapeseed oil became a large scale industry, using what would otherwise be seed waste from juice and wine production and turning it into an oil for cooking and skin care.
Though it has a high smoke point, a common belief is that the instability of grapeseed oil’s fatty acid chains make it unsafe to heat. Polyunsaturated oils like those present in grapeseed oil are easily damaged, so save the deep frying for saturated fats such as coconut oil (authoritynutrition.com), and use your grapeseed oil in salads.
What place does grapeseed oil have in the skin care industry? For one, it is lighter than jojoba oil or coconut oil, and thus better at controlling facial oils. Second, it has a great amount of vitamin E, about twice as much as olive oil! (Nutritiondata.com) This means it provides antioxidants for your skin.
An interesting study measured the ability of grapeseed oil to help oily skin. Grapeseed oil is high in linoleic acid, which has been thought to reduce clogged pores!
For a lot of us who have struggled with oily skin, oils are something we may have religiously avoided. “Oil Free” labels on products and the general association of oily skin can be misleading. Oils, in fact, can do wonders for your skin, especially when you know the best kind for your own skin.
So you can now stop worrying about whether or not you can put oils on your skin and dive in with grapeseed oil! Check out our Herbal Facial Oil for Normal and Combination Skin or for Oily Skin depending on your skin's needs.
By Hope Freije
My entire adult life I have struggled with acne and oily skin. Almost 2 years ago I discovered Grapeseed oil. I remove my make up with it every night and then apply it with a cotton pad to my clean face. My acne is gone and my skin has never looked better. I do not use any other products since my discovery! It has been life-changing for me.
Does grapeseed oil works for dark circle?
I mostly cook w grapeseed oil. Is avocado oil better?
Hi Elizabeth,
Avocado oil is better at withstanding heat than grapeseed oil. See this chart for more info: http://jonbarron.org/diet-and-nutrition/healthiest-cooking-oil-chart-smoke-points#.Ve8LF_lViko