Grapeseed oil, cosmetic use

Grapeseed oil is obtained through cold pressing of the grapes, the berries of Vitis Vinifera. We have already seen its nutritional benefits on the body when used for cooking thanks to its content in antioxidants and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Grapeseed oil is in fact a help to counteract free radicals, the aging processes and, if inserted in a balanced diet with the intake of omega 3 fatty acids, it is also useful to protect the heart by keeping under control the levels of cholesterol. But this plant based oil is also perfect to take care of your beauty and for the health of skin and hair. The grapeseed oil is useful indeed in case of dry and saggy skin. It has antioxidant, moisturizing and soothing properties and is able to regulate the sebum production, it isn’t comedogenic and this means that you can use it even if you have an oily and acne-prone skin. In addition to this, grapeseed oil can also be absorbed without leaving an oily effect. You can add some drops to your home made cream or you can use it as a serum together with your daily cream, it will help you prevent wrinkles and the loss of elasticity in tissues, but can also be a treatment for dry and cracked skin because it acts by retaining water. Thanks to the antioxidants and the fatty acids grapeseed oil is able to counteract dark skin spots, protects the skin form external agents such as sun, pollution and wind and strengthens the blood vessels. It is useful in case of itching, dermatitis and stretch marks and, on the basis of a scientific study, promotes and speeds up the healing of wounds (Shivananda et al, Phytoter Res, 2011). Moreover, grapeseed oil is also a great ingredient in make up removers and micellar waters because it is very efficient to remove the make up and other impurities on the skin. You can read the post about Oil cleansing in order to understand better the functioning of this technique that makes possible to clean skin with a plant based oil! It is easy, pour some drops of oil on a damp cotton disk and clean in this way your face until all the make up is removed, then rinse your face with lukewarm water. Finally, grapeseed oil can be also used for hair care. In case of dandruff or brittle and dry hair you can massage the scalp with some drops of grapeseed oil, then wash the hair with your shampoo. This treatment activates the microcirculation and is also useful to counteract the hair loss, according to a scientific study published on The journal of investigative dermatology by a Japanese team (Takahashi et al, 1999).