Small glass bottle pictured with aloe vera plant

Plant Oils — Love Your Skin

Plant Oils — The Skin's Miracle Moisturizers.  

They are rich in natural active ingredients and today there is a great amount of buzz and rightly so, as we rediscover why plant oils are the key to healthy, attractive skin.

Here are 11 surprising facts you may not know about plant oils

  1. Oils have no added chemicals. Unlike using a facial cream that needs the support of a strong preservative. Oils are waterless. They don’t need preservatives because harmful microbes will not grow in them. Spores might land and rest on the product surface, but they will not germinate. 
  2. Oils are packed with antioxidants. An “antioxidant” is actually not a substance; it’s a behaviour. They are the first lines of defence the body deploys to keep free radicals in check. 2 Quality oils are a powerhouse of antioxidants. A current study at the Gazi University in Turkey show Hazelnut oil and Walnut oil exhibit the most potent antioxidant activity. Tests were carried out against a number of pathogens including e. coli, the fungi Candida, Herpes simplex and others. Their findings showed outstanding results from Hazelnut and Walnut oils antioxidant behaviour.3
  3. Oils lock in moisture. Plant oils are rich in essential fatty acids (EFA’s) which play a critical role in your skins appearance. Our bodies do not synthesis EFA’s and therefore its important to obtain EFA’s from our diet or by topical application. 4 EFA’s serve multiple functions but importantly they lock in moisture and they improve the skin barrier function. Evening Primrose Oil is exceptionally nourishing oil for the skin because its high in the EFA known as gamma-linolenic or omega 6.
  4. Plant oils will regenerate damaged skin cells with Omega 3 & Omega 6 as reported from the university in Poznan, Poland. Their studies show virgin cold-pressed oils rich in the most important linoleic acid (omega 3) and linolenic acid (omega 6) incorporate deep into the epidermis to regenerate damaged cells.
  5. Omega 9 is found to be the ultimate wound healer when applied topically. It triggers responses at the wound sight to cause faster wound closure and also inhibits the production of nitric oxide, a known free radical. Rich sources of Omega 9 are found in plant seed oils. 6
  6. Omega 7 combats wrinkles and other symptoms of malnourished and ageing skin. Until recently Omega 7 shadowed behind the more researched Omega-3 and Omega-6. Now we understand how Omega 7 is important for the skins deep nourishment, and metabolism. There are a host of benefits to the skin from omega 7 like boosting collagen production; restoring youthful resilience and plumpness to ageing skin cells; and protecting against skin sun damage, toxins and environmental stress; are just a few to mention. Rich sources of omega-7 are macadamia nut oil and sea buckthorn oil.
  7. Plant oils successfully fight skin infections reported from the Gulbarga University who evaluated edible oils for their antimicrobial properties against bacteria and fungi. Their results support the edible medicinal oils such as coconut oil, sunflower seed oil, peanut oil, sesame seed oil and others can be used topically to cure skin diseases.
  8. Oils are necessary for the treatment of acne as patients with acne have been found to have inadequate levels of essential fatty acids in their skin. Topical application from botanical sources of omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids can dramatically improve their skin. Jennifer Linder, MD explains in the Cosmetic Dermatology
  9. Plant oils are rich in Phytonutrients. These are plant chemicals. There are thousands of natural chemicals found in plant oils like vitamin E, sterols, carotenoids and many others.  Interestingly, vitamin E is found to provide a plausible role as a photoprotectant for the skin. 10  While, phytosterols not only stopped the slow-down of collagen production that can be caused by the sun, it actually encouraged new collagen production. 11
  10. Oils are extremely light sensitive and quickly deteriorate. They need adequate protection that isn’t found from plastic packaging or even clear glass packaging. Violet glass has been shown to offer a superior storage advantage. The manufacturers of Miron violet glass, have proven their quality glass product is the best option to store your delicate oils in. 1
  11. Plant oils are extremely complex in their active chemical composition.  These natural plant oils, carefully and knowledgable formulated together become a complete, active, powerhouse for your skin. They are your smartest choice on the market today — for you to use as your daily moisturiser. 

Alix ultimate face oil includes all the omega essential and non-essential fatty acids 3, 6, 7, and 9. It is beautifully formulated to be deeply penetrating and non-greasy. We have trialled the alix range of oils for 4 years and found it is not comedogenic or pore clogging. Instead stimulating healthy cell responses. Naturally nourishing and maintaining your skins moisture balance to enhance your skin health.

Alix oils are for all skin types. Especially where treatment is required for acne or ageing skin. Your skin will benefit immediately by using the alix natural oils range.

Want some? here's a special coupon — LoveYourSkin — to use with your first purchase .

Remember To Use The Coupon Code: LoveYourSkin for 10% off your entire order. Also, free shipping within New Zealand.

 

 

References

  1. chemistscorner.com/preservative-free-cosmetic-formulating-how-to-make-them/
  2.  http://greatist.com/health/what-are-antioxidants
  3. Evaluation of antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and antioxidant potentials of some edible oils and their fatty acid profiles İlkay ORHAN1,*, Berrin OZCELİK2, Bilge ŞENER1 Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Gazi University, 06330 Ankara - TURKEY Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Gazi University, 06330 Ankara -TURKEY Received: 30.07.2009
  4. http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/skin/EFA/
  5. Fatty acids in vegetable oils and their importance in cosmetic industry Aleksandra ZIELIŃSKA*, Izabela Nowak – Faculty of Chemistry, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, Poznań, Poland Please cite as: CHEMIK 2014, 68, 2, 103–110
  6. Wound Healing: Topical Omega -9 is Superior to the “Essential Fatty Acids” Wound Repair Regen. 2004 Mar-Apr;12(2):235-43. Influence of topical administration of n-3 and n-6 essential and n-9 nonessential fatty acids on the healing of cutaneous wounds.
  7. Clinical References: • Effect of dietary supplementation with sea buckthorn seed and pulp oils on the fatty composition of skin glycerophospholipids of patients with Atopic Dermatitis. Yang, B, et al., 2000, Jour Nutr BioChem, Vol. 11, 338-340. • Anti-inflammatory activity of sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) leaves. Ganju, L et al., 2005, Intr Immunopharm, Vol. 5, 1675-1684. • Composition and physiological effects of sea buckthorn (Hippophae) lipids. Yang, B, et al., 2002, Trends Food Science Tech, Vol. 13, 160-167.
  8.  IJPSR (2014), Vol. 5, Issue 10 (Research Article) Received on 04 April, 2014; received in revised form, 24 May, 2014; accepted, 17 July, 2014; published 01October, 2014 IN VITRO ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF EDIBLE OILS AGAINST HUMAN PATHOGENS CAUSING SKIN INFECTIONS Nuzhat Tabassum and G.M. Vidyasagar * Medicinal Plants and Microbiology Research Laboratory, Department of Post-Graduate Studies and Research in Botany, Gulbarga University, Gulbarga – 585 106, Karnataka, India
  9. Iredale J, Linder J. Mineral makeup and its role with acne and rosacea. Cosmet Dermatol. 2009;22:407-412. http://www.cosderm.com/the-publication/past-issue-single-view/mineral-makeup-and-its-role-with-acne-and-rosacea/903744aad42d759f3d957ebed1fed05b.html
  10. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3257702/   Nutrients. 2010 Aug; 2(8): 903–928.Published online 2010 Aug 24. doi:  10.3390/nu2080903PMCID: PMC3257702  
  11. The Role of Phytonutrients in Skin Health, ex Livestrong.co 
  12. http://www.miron-glas.com/en/to-protect-quality