There are two different types of almond oil: sweet almond oil and bitter almond oil. Though almond oil, in general, is found in a multitude of skin products, sweet almond oil has the most positive benefit to your skin out of the two forms.
Not only does this oil contain nutrients needed by the skin, but it also supports healing wounds with other ingredients contained within it. Aside from this, it contains moisturizing properties and helps protect the skin when applying pure essential oils.
What Nutrients Does It Have?
There are four main nutrients within sweet almond oil that benefit the skin. These are vitamin A, vitamin E, Omega-3, and zinc. Each of these serves a different purpose and helps within different aspects of skincare. These vitamins can help with dry skin conditions, pores, and overall skin health.
Aside from this, it is also high in magnesium, which helps regulate cell growth, and potassium, which helps soften the feeling of the skin. Almond oil also contains omega-3 fatty acids, which are great for healing your skin after too much exposure to UV rays and UV radiation.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is essential to the skin not only because it deposits and maintains moisture, but also because it helps stimulate cell growth. Vitamin A is also known as retinol, which is produced within the skin.
Retinol helps support and stimulate cell growth, making it possible for Vitamin A to support cell growth within fine lines and wrinkles. Aside from this, it keeps the skin healthy because it helps avoid rapid deterioration which can come from a lack of retinoids.
Vitamin E
Sweet almond oil also has vitamin E. Vitamin E contains antioxidants, which help not only to avoid cell damage but also to aid in reducing the damage from the sun.
Antioxidants stop oxidation in the skin, avoiding any damage related to such. Vitamin E helps to avoid damaging properties from the sun as well and may support reducing chronic damage from sunburns. If you mix it with lavender oil, it'll help with relief and damage related to sunburns!
Aside from this, vitamin E is also helpful for the hair and the scalp. Vitamin E is essential for hair to maintain its healthy appearance, and sweet almond oil contains high amounts of this vitamin.
Along with this, it maintains hydration in the scalp, keeping it from flaking, drying out, or itching. If the skin or scalp is dry or has dandruff, it serves as a dry skin conditioner to help replenish and hydrate the skin.
Omega 3
Omega-3 also helps reduce sun damage, but it also is efficient in helping prevent premature aging. Omega3 is a fatty acid, which helps rough and dry skin, and maintains hydration of the skin in order to avoid too much oil production and breakouts.
This fatty acid helps to reduce skin irritation and is anti-inflammatory as well, so if you have a case of dermatitis, it will help support the relief from irritants. It can help with problems like eczema and psoriasis, in terms of helping receive itching and irritation. Omega-3 introduces fatty acids to the skin, adding moisture, relief, and hydration.
Zinc
Zinc is commonly known to help reduce scarring. This includes acne scarring, scars from wounds, and the like. Although vitamin E contains zinc, zinc is most efficient for this when taken orally, thus it would help slightly with wound care, but would be more helpful with this is coupled with an essential oil that may help, like lavender oil.
How To Use Sweet Almond Oil
Sweet almond oil can be used on the skin directly, since it is not pure essential oil, and is instead a carrier oil. It does not need to be diluted like other essential oils. Yet, you could always use it to dilute other oils that can add to the benefit of sweet almond oil. If you have any allergies to nuts, it is best to steer clear of sweet almond oil, given that it may cause an allergic reaction.
If you are unsure if your skin or scalp can handle it, you can always do a patch test: you apply it to a small area like the wrist and watch the test area for itching, scarring, or redness. If none appear within a couple of hours, it is more than likely safe to use.
Applying on the Hair and Scalp
There are different ways of applying this carrier oil by itself, without the introduction of essential oils. One would be to massage the scalp with sweet almond oil. In order to do this, it is best to apply it after shampooing.
When in the shower or bath, apply the shampoo to your scalp and wash it out, then massage the sweet almond oil into the scalp. At this point, you can wash it out after a few minutes or keep it in your hair and scalp for added hydration.
Using almond oil for the scalp and hair not only helps with hydration, though. It can be applied to the hair after showering, or even with dry hair. Almond oil has properties that help to maintain healthy hair.
It softens the hair by filling in cellular gaps—it is considered to have emollient properties for this reason. Aside from this, it was also shown to have oleic and linoleic acids, which were found in other nuts that proved to help with breakage and damage in the hair.
To use it for this, you would simply apply a few drops on your palms, and run that through your wet or dry hair. It would better help to section off the hair to make sure you are putting some in each section.
What you could also do is apply it after shampooing and before conditioner in the shower on the strands of hair. This will help repair the hair with its emollient properties and also moisturize the hair.
Applying on the Skin
Given that it contains properties and nutrients that greatly help sun-damaged skin, as well as itchy or inflamed skin, you can either apply it to the affected areas by itself or with essential oils that further enforce the effects of sweet almond oil. Aside from this, you can also use it for everyday skincare.
One method of using it is to use it as a cleanser or a makeup remover. To be used as a makeup remover, you simply apply it to cotton balls, or makeup remover cotton pads, and remove the makeup as usual.
This is beneficial not only because of antibacterial properties that help prevent acne but also because of its emollient properties. It helps the complexion and skin tone by filling in cellular gaps, as it does with hair, and absorbing more moisture and nutrients into the skin.
Sweet almond oil was also used in Ayurvedic medicine, which is an Indian medicinal system, to treat acne. Given this, you can also use it as a cleanser in your skincare routine, but couple it with an essential oil that amplifies its antibacterial properties.
Some oils that could help would be lavender oil, as well as lemon oil. This will help the skin’s complexion, elasticity, and health by removing dead skin cells and helping the body to revitalize the skin naturally. You can also use the Lavender roll-on, which is prediluted with sweet almond oil, for day-to-day care.
You can also use sweet almond oil by itself as a moisturizer, or use it to dilute other essential oils that help moisturize and protect the skin. You can simply apply it to the skin, and go about your day.
Another benefit of this is that sweet almond oil is that because it is a carrier oil, you can add something like lavender oil or lemon balm oil to give a calming effect, and refute the effects of anxiety throughout the day, as long as the scent remains.
Sweet Almond Oil Is Good for the Skin
The given information not only shows the various properties sweet almond oil has in order to help the skin and hair, as well as to help with anxiety, but it also shows that adding it to your skincare regimen and hair care process can help drastically with hair and skin health, as well as to help inflammation, irritation, and damage in the skin.
Sweet almond oil can be very beneficial if used correctly, but should always be tested using a patch test if you are unsure of how it will affect you. Regardless, it has various positive properties within it, like vitamin E and magnesium, that help with repairing cells, adding moisture, and maintaining healthy and balanced skin.
Sources:
Almond Oil for Your Face: Benefits and How to Use | Healthline
Vitamin A for Skin | Healthline
Almond Oil: What Are the Benefits? | Healthline
Almond Oil for Hair: Benefits and Uses for Longer, Stronger Hair | Healthline