How to choose your Vegetal Oil? Discover our list
Vegetal oils are coming back to the forefront. And for good reason, their effectiveness has been proven for centuries by ancestral uses. Today, their quality is very controlled. This allows you to have access to real treasures and to be able to truly trust their composition. It is therefore easy to choose the right vegetable oil based on the uses linked to the compositions, a particular smell, taste* or texture.
What is the difference between a Vegetal Oil and an oily macerate?
Vegetal oil comes from fatty substances extracted from the seeds, pips and cores of a plant. For example, we find vegetal oils of Apricot Kernel , Jojoba , Avocado , Nigella , Argan , Sweet Almond , Rosehip , Evening Primrose , etc.
While an oil macerate is a method of extracting the active ingredients from a plant by maceration in a neutral vegetable oil base. Generally sunflower, so that it soaks up as many active molecules as possible. For example, we find the macerate of Carrot , St. John's Wort , Arnica , Calendula , etc.
How to recognize a quality vegetal oil or macerate?
- In order to preserve the natural active ingredients it contains, the oil must be extracted exclusively mechanically at low temperature: this is cold pressing.
- The oil must not undergo any treatment before or after pressing. She is said to be a virgin
- The oil must be organic to avoid pesticide residues which would alter its quality.
- The oil should be stored away from air, heat and light.
- Its durability essentially depends on its fatty acid composition. Vegetal oils rich in essential fatty acids are more sensitive to oxidation. They cannot therefore be stored for more than 6 months while a vegetable oil almost exclusively composed of saturated fatty acids, such as coconut vegetable oil, oxidizes very little.
Vegetal Oil and Essential Oil?
Vegetal oil is a lipid extract from an oilseed plant, that is to say a plant whose seeds, fruits and nuts contain lipids. While an essential oil is obtained by the distillation of an aromatic plant. An essential oil is much more concentrated in active ingredients but non-greasy. It requires special precautions, such as dilution in a vegetable oil with which it goes very well, thus promoting the absorption of essential oils on the skin. The ideal is to combine the properties of essential oils and vegetable oils to create a well-balanced and targeted synergy for a cosmetic or health action.
Use
While vegetable oils are excellent bases for essential oils, they are also very useful when used alone. For example, to nourish and protect the skin or as a food supplement*. In this case, add them to your salads or at the end of cooking so as not to alter their virtues by too much heat. To choose them, carefully observe their composition in essential fatty acids and vitamins. This is to have indications on their rather healing properties like calendula, anti-inflammatory like arnica or anti-aging like evening primrose.
Usage precautions
Vegetable oils can generally be used by the whole family. In particular more neutral oils such as sweet almond or apricot kernel vegetable oil. Be careful, however, with rosehip vegetable oil which is not always tolerated by sensitive skin. When testing a vegetable oil for the first time, it is best to test it first in a very small amount in the crook of the elbow.
The specific benefits of popular Vegetable Oils
Vegetable Oils are precious allies for your health. Each has unique properties that meet specific needs.
A scientific study from the University of Côte d'Azur, the results of which were published in 2019, explored the benefits of certain Vegetable Oils:
- Almond: rich in oleic, linoleic, palmitic, stearic acids and vitamin E, this oil promotes epithelialization and is mainly applied to dry skin.
- Avocado: containing oleic, palmitic, linoleic acids and vitamins A, D and E, avocado vegetable oil helps regenerate the epithelium, the tissue covering the external surface of the mucous membranes and the internal cavities of the 'body.
- Cranberry: with oleic, linoleic, palmitic acids and vitamin E, this oil has antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities.
- Jojoba: rich in gadoleic, erucic, oleic acids and vitamin E, jojoba vegetable oil accelerates wound closure by acting on fibroblasts and keratinocytes, and stimulates the synthesis of type I collagen in fibroblasts.
These botanical oils offer a range of benefits that can be incorporated into a personalized skincare routine. The choice of oil should be in harmony with your individual needs, for an authentic and effective treatment experience.
*Not all vegetable oils are good for oral consumption. Find out beforehand to be sure of the recommended routes of administration.
