In our posts dedicated to natural beauty we propose each time recipes to realize 100% natural cosmetics, made with few, powerful and safe ingredients, which can often be found in the pantry of your home. Today we see what grapes and the oil obtained from grape seeds, called grapeseed oil, can do for our beauty.
Grapes for your beauty
Grapes are a source of health and beauty, not only as a food, but also for topical applications. In fact, the grape skin has a healing action able to accelerate wound healing (Nayak et al, Phytother res, Aug 2010). In addition, the grapes contain important antioxidants, such as resveratrol that is found mainly in the peel and that helps fight free radical damages and inflammations. Resveratrol is therefore useful to fight wrinkles but also irritation and inflammation of the skin, such as acne, by decreasing the formation of lesions and comedones (Fox et al, Molecules, Aug 2019). In fact, resveratrol is effective in countering Propionibacterium acne, a bacterium considered the main cause of acne (Taylor et al, Dermatol Ther, 2014). Another help in case of acne, oily skin and enlarged pores comes from catechins, substances found mainly in grape seeds, characterized by an astringent and anti-inflammatory action (Singh et al, Ann N Y Acad Sci, Aug 2015). Here is how you can do in order to get the benefits of grapes. Wash well 10 grapes, preferably organic, they can be black or black and white mixed together. Blend the grapes, pour a cotton pad into the juice and pass it over your face, leave on for 10 minutes, then rinse, spray a floral water and apply a drop of grapeseed oil, about which we will talk in the next paragraph.
Grape seed oil
Grapeseed oil is extracted from the seeds of the plant Vitis vinifera, namely the vine. It is characterized by a high content in antioxidant substances such as flavonoids and tannins, it provides vitamin E and linoleic acid. Not only that, this beauty oil also has an antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, healing, anti-tumor and anti-aging action, as proven by scientific studies (Tzu-Kai Lin et al, Int J Mol Sci, Jan 2018 - Rekik et al, Evid Based Complement Alternat Med., Nov 2016). So, grapeseed oil helps rejuvenate and regenerate the skin, helps make it soft and moisturized, fights irritations and pimples and reduces dark spots caused by the sun. You can use a drop of this oil as a serum in the evening. Apply to damp skin after spraying a hydrolate, massage and then apply your face cream. Also excellent as a scalp massage, useful in case of itching, dermatitis and dandruff. And in order to strengthen the hair and counteract hair loss, useful in this period of late summer and early autumn, you can also add 2 drops of lavender essential oil to a tablespoon of grapeseed oil. Massage the lotion on damp scalp and leave on for 10 minutes, then wash with the shampoo.
