Palm oil or red palm oil has been used for thousands of years by both individuals and manufacturers of personal care and beauty products. It contains high amounts of saturated fats, vitamins and antioxidants.
Made from the flesh of the fruit of the oil palms (Elaeis Guineensis) primarily found in Africa, Southeast Asia and some parts of South America, the oil is a very rich source of Vitamin A and Vitamin E. Its unique composition and rich reserve of valuable nutrients makes it a perfect skin and hair-care product. Today, I’ll be delving into the skin benefits of using palm oil.
Palm oil has a surprising number of skin benefits—especially for problematic skin. Its deeply moisturising properties leave the skin feeling soft and supple. It also contains re-fattening agents that help restore the skin’s natural oils and acts as a relief to itchy skin and irritated cuticles.
Not only does Vitamin E protect your skin but it also has an anti-ageing effect by eliminating wrinkles when used on the problem areas of the face, contributing to proper blood circulation which results in active cell regeneration and the formation of new, healthy layers of skin. In addition, Vitamin E assists in evening out the skin for a clean and polished complexion.
Red Palm Oil is not only very high in vitamin E, but also in beta carotene—which when consumed is converted by the body into Vitamin E.
Red Palm Oil Benefits for Skincare
Do you know that there are so many great benefits of red palm oil, and that doesn’t just go for cooking? Asides kitchen use, red palm oil can be used for skincare.
Red palm oil is an excellent source of antioxidants, which can help to reduce the appearances of ageing and protect your skin. It’s also high in saturated fat. This means that red palm oil can get fairly solid when cool, unlike many seed oils.
Oils high in polyunsaturated fatty acids are chemically unstable in high amounts. This includes oils like flaxseed, corn, soybean, and sunflower. Many of these oils are also highly refined in a multi-step extraction process that includes bleaching, adding solvents, hydrogenation, deodorizing, re-flavouring, and adding preservatives.
Red palm oil is special because it isn’t highly processed, unlike refined seed oils. Instead, it’s a natural saturated fat. Saturated fats (like cacao butter and coconut oil) are chemically stable. This makes them better for your skin and hair because they don’t oxidize when they’re exposed to air, heat, or your body. Instead, they soak in, protecting and nourishing your skin.
When choosing your skin oils, it really a no-brainer to choose all-natural, skin-healthy products over processed, toxin-filled products.
Another reason red palm oil is so special is because it contains the tocopherol form of vitamin E, along with another, rarer form of vitamin E known as tocotrienols. This helps to protect your skin from the sun (along with the squalene and flavonoids found in the oil) and can reduce the appearance of scars.
Read Also: Wearing Sunscreen will save you!
And did you know that the oil is red because of the same thing that gives carrots, sweet potatoes, and tomatoes their colour? They’re called carotenoids. Red palm oil actually has the highest amount of carotenoids found in nature. While this means that you might find a little bit of red colouring on your skin, the carotenoids also help to protect your skin from UV rays, even protecting your skin down to the cellular level as it soaks in.
The hue of red palm oil is also how you can tell that the oil you’re getting is minimally processed. If it’s gone through a harsh refining process, the carotenoids and the red colour will fade away (along with the tocopherols and tocotrienols). You can determine your oil’s quality by looking at what colour it is.
Another great thing about Red palm oil is that it has CoQ10, which is found naturally in your body. However, your CoQ10 levels decrease as you age. One of the benefits of red palm oil is that adding CoQ10 to your beauty regime can actually reduce the appearance of aging. Interesting right! It’s also another antioxidant that can protect your skin and help it to increase elasticity and collagen. This is why CoQ10 is a major ingredient in many anti-aging creams and serums.
Red palm oil has a surprising number of skin-benefits—especially for problematic skin. I’m going to list out some for quick digest.
- It’s anti-ageing
- It glows the skin
- It eliminates wrinkles
- It improves blood circulation
- It causes cell regeneration
- It’s anti-inflammatory and fights acne
- It lightens the skin
- It evens out the skin for a clean and polished complexion.
- It soothes and heals burns and irritation
What’s more? It’s more than affordable! Now let’s get into How to use Red Palm Oil for your Skin
Not everyone can tolerate red palm oil on their face since it can cause breakouts and clogged pores, but this is based on your skin type so you can only determine if it’s good for you by trying it out. Some people who get clogged pores from coconut oil can use red palm oil on their face without any problem.
You can also apply red palm oil to your skin after a shower (when your skin is still wet) to help lock in moisture and nourish your skin. You might see a light shade of red left on your skin, but don’t worry, this washes off. Also, note that the red palm oil might leave your nails with a slight yellow tint temporarily.
For light skin like mine, the oil may give your skin that bright orangey colour. But when it’s well blended on the skin, you’ll be left with a sort of healthy, sun-kissed, shimmery glow on your skin, almost like an all-natural tanning lotion! For darker skin, the colour is less pronounced and just sits well too. It also gives my skin an incredibly soft and luxurious feel.
Another Procedure for use is to, wash your face, apply the red palm oil unto your face and neck region and massage into the skin. If you have a way of preventing the oil from staining your bed sheets you can leave it overnight, if not, leave it on for 1-2 hours or as long as you can, wash it off with a mild soap and water. It leaves the skin soft and supple, Consistent use helps fade sunburn and evens out the skin tone.
When using Red palm oil as a body moisturizer, mix equal parts of red palm oil and shea butter or mango or avocado butter and apply as you would apply a normal moisturizer. Please note that a little oil goes a long way, your clothes will get stained if you use much of the oil.
I can tell you that using red palm oil has been one of my recent beauty secrets and regime and fast becoming like a holy grail of beauty for me. Try it and send me your feedback. I’ll also do a post later on the benefits of oil palm for your hair as well.
