Grapeseed oil is one of the most popular carrier oils available for use with essential oils but it also has a lot of benefits for your skin, hair, and health on its own. Let’s take a close look at grapeseed oil, why it’s so beneficial, and the benefits it can have for your body.
What Is Grapeseed Oil?
Grapeseed oil is oil that’s been pressed from grape seeds. It’s most commonly obtained from grapes used in winemaking because grape seeds are a by-product of the grape pressing process.
Because grape seeds are so small, there are a lot of different methods of extracting the oil. Some companies use high temperatures and chemicals to extract large amounts of the oil quickly. Oils like this aren’t ideal. Both high temperatures and chemicals can affect the chemical composition of the oil and make it less effective.
Using a high-quality oil will drastically improve the beneficial effects it has on your body. How do you know that you’re getting a top-quality oil? Look for the following words on the label:
-
- Organic. True organic grapeseed oil is grown and processed without using any harsh chemicals. In order to get an organic designation in the US, the company has to show that they are using the proper methods and ingredients that meet organic qualifications.
- Cold Pressed. A lot of essential oils are extracted using conventional methods that use very high temperatures of more than 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperatures this high can cause chemical changes in the oil which can really affect how effective it is. This is exactly why a cold-pressed oil is better. While there is no official temperature limit required for a product to claim it is cold-pressed in the United States, the European standard is that temperatures must be no hotter than 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
(If you have a bottle of oil from the US and see claims that it’s cold-pressed, contact the manufacturer or do some more research to make sure. Because this statement isn’t regulated in the US, there is no certification process. You can’t be sure that the oil was really cold-pressed because companies are not required to back up this claim.) - Pure. This is how you know you’re getting 100% grapeseed oil that hasn’t been mixed with anything other substance, including perfumes and preservatives.
The benefits of grapeseed oil contain oligomeric proanthocyanin complexes, commonly known as OPCs. OPCs are natural plant compounds that have been studied and shown to have potent antioxidant properties and amazing benefits for your health.
5 Benefits of Using Grapeseed Oil
Because grapeseed oil is loaded with antioxidants and beneficial vitamins, it can do a lot of good for your health. Here are 5 of the best benefits for your skin, hair, and overall health.
- It speeds up wound healing. When applied topically to open wounds, grapeseed oil has been found to promote healing by helping to repair damaged vessels. It can also generate a lot of free radicals which help kill bacteria and could prevent infections that could lead to delayed wound healing and infection.
- It reduces scarring, even on hard to hide acne scars. Grapeseed oil contains a variety of vitamins, including a large amount of vitamin E as well as C and D. These vitamins all work together to help reverse skin damage and fade scars, including age spots, fine lines, and stretch marks. Plus, the astringent properties in grapeseed oil can even help reduce the breakouts and inflammation associated with acne while also diminishing scars from past breakouts.
- It does great things for your hair. Grapeseed oil is a great choice for a conditioner because it makes your hair soft and silky. It’s much lighter than olive oil or coconut oil so it won’t make your hair feel greasy. If you’re looking for a way to fight frizz or treat split ends, give grapeseed oil a try.
In addition to making your hair look good, grapeseed oil has other benefits, too. If you deal with dandruff, suffer from hair loss, or have brittle hair that’s prone to breakage, a deep treatment with grapeseed oil can make your hair healthier and stronger in addition to looking shiny and smooth.
- It can improve the health and look of your skin. We already talked about scarring but grapeseed oil has benefits well beyond that. The same properties that help reduce the look of scars and promote healing also minimize environmental damage. It can protect against skin damage and help tighten pores, too, which leaves your skin looking younger.
Grapeseed oil also contains linoleic acid which nourishes and soothes the skin. It can even be beneficial to calming acne, eczema, and redness from dermatitis. It makes a great moisturizer because it’s light and won’t leave a greasy feeling behind. And that’s not all. If there’s another essential oil you want to benefit from, just add a few drops to grapeseed oil, it makes a great carrier.
- It’s a good alternative to other cooking oils. One of the reasons that grapeseed oil is so good for cooking is because it has a high smoke point. That’s the temperature at which the oil basically starts to burn and give off smoke that contains damaging free radicals and fumes. The smoke point of grapeseed oil is 420 degrees Fahrenheit which means it can be used for stir-frying and sauteing as well as baking. Grapeseed oil is also naturally light and has a neutral taste that is perfect for using in salad dressings.
Because it’s smoke point is similar to that of olive oil and peanut oil, you can use grapeseed oil in much the same way. It’s a good choice because it’s full of great things that boost your health, like omega fatty acids, vitamins E and C, and beta-carotene.
More than a Carrier Oil
Grapeseed oil is well-known as a great carrier to use with other essential oils but it’s so much more than that. The benefits that grapeseed oil provides on its own not only help you look better, they help you feel better, too.