Filters are great for photos but they’re not permanent. Makeup can lift your mood and make you feel on top of the world but it’s also not permanent. At least if you want to prevent spots from erupting, you’d take it off and cleanse before bed every night. Skin care is about looking and feeling your best. It might not be instantaneous but you’ll see the results down the road. What’s more, the right skin care now can spare you from various skin concerns later on – things like dry and flaky skin or zits.
If you browsed the beauty aisle of drugstores and department stores, you’re spoilt with choice. It’s just – there’s a thing that smells create, keeps your skin healthy for a long time, and improves elasticity. Please let me introduce: almond oil.
If you’re anything like me, probably you’d also shy away from slathering oil all over your face. The first oil I ever added to my skin care years ago was almond oil. Now, I’m a convert – a true believer of adding a facial oil towards the end of my routine. My skin looks and feels tons better. You know, just like adding a filter: it smoothes out imperfections but without triggering breakouts and the glow…!
Want to know more? Keep scrolling and read how it heals and regenerates while protecting it from irritants and the environment.
Almonds
The almond tree (Prunus amygdalus or Prunus dulcis – both are used interchangeably) is native to Central Asia. The fruit tree has a long life span and can live more than 100 years. As a member of the rose (Rosaceae) family, it’s related to other commercially important plants such as cherry, peach, plum, and the rose.
Although in the West it’s not particularly known, almond fruits can be eaten. As a member of the rose family, the almond is known as a stone fruit or drupe. Just like the peach, it has a fleshy part that surrounds a hard stone. The hard stone is a shell protecting the seed inside. These seeds are typically not eaten since they can be poisonous in some cases. Remember how the fictional detective Poirot finds out someone was poisoned with cyanide? Exactly the smell of bitter almonds. More about bitter and sweet almonds a bit later.
The season for almond fruits is very short, just a few weeks in spring. It’s hard to come by so people think of them as a rare delicacy. But also that they are a bit strange to eat. Depending on the type of almond, its texture is jelly-like or creamy but covered with fur like the peach. And then it tastes a little tart, not quite almond-like, and also a bit like a vegetable.
Usually, people just eat the seeds hidden in the hard shell. You can get the almond seeds shelled or unshelled, with its seedcoat or without.
Sweet and bitter almonds
The main type of almond produces fruits with sweet seeds. A variant called Prunus dulcis var. amara, Prunus amara dulcis, or Prunus amara produces bitter seeds. On a side note, the kernel from other spices of Prunus such as apricot, peach, plum, and cherry are also always bitter.
The raw seeds of bitter almonds are poisonous. They contain amygdalin which, when eaten, breaks down into hydrogen cyanide. This is the famous poison used in many of Herule Poiroit’s mystery novels.
Culinary delights
Almonds make a healthy snack. They can be raw or toasted, as part of a trail mix, or sprinkled on top of your breakfast cereal. They’re used in many cuisines around the world, perhaps most famously as the base to make marzipan.
The seeds are also great to make a (cow) milk substitute. Almond milk makes a great alternative for lactose intolerant people and vegans.
Almond oil
When you weigh dry almonds, almost half of their weight is oil, making them a great candidate to make oils.
Almond oil is extracted from the raw almond seeds. When the seeds are pressed at room temperature, the oil so obtained is called cold-pressed because no heat or chemicals are used to extract it. Cold-pressed is the best option because neither heat nor chemicals will damage the delicate nutrients within the almond.
Depending on what almonds you use, it yields sweet almond or bitter almond oil.
Sweet almond oil is as you’d expect what sweet almonds yield. It’s commonly used in skin and hair care. It’s also used as a carrier oil in aromatherapy.
Bitter oil comes from the bitter almonds. It shouldn’t be ingested and is used in fragrance, soaps, aromatherapy, and massage therapy, as well as food flavouring thanks to its much stronger scent. It’s also popular in medicine thanks to its antibacterial effects.
Your skin loves almonds
Almond oil has proven itself through centuries and in different regions as it has been used in traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine to treat different skin ailments from dry skin to abrasions.
The almonds and hence also the almond oil are a rich source of fatty acids including
- 32% monounsaturated oleic acid (an omega 9 fatty acid)
- 13% polyunsaturated linoleic acid (a omega-6 essential fatty acid)
- Ca 10% palmitic acid and stearic (saturated fatty acid)
And then it’s an outstanding source of vitamin E. The oil also contains vitamin B complex. Also present are trace minerals including
- copper
- magnesium
- manganese
- phosphor
- zinc
No wonder it has been around for a while and is used to soothe and soften skin.
Your skin loves healthy fats and oil. Just a glance at the chemical makeup of your skin cells’ structure, and you’ll understand:
The membrane, the “skin” that holds each cell of your skin together is called the lipid bilayer. It’s a thin membrane made of two layers of lipid (fat) molecules. So, in essence, the barrier or skin of each cell of your skin cell is made of fat.
Oleic acid can soften your dry skin, prevent moisture loss (AKA dryness), and reduce wrinkles.
Linoleic acid is anti-inflammatory and great for soothing skin. It also provides lipids for a resilient skin barrier
Palmitic acid improves your skin barrier functions.
Stearic acid is an emollient as well as an emulsifier (has cleansing properties).
Since almond oil is an excellent source of vitamin E, it has both anti-inflammatory and antioxidant qualities. It’ll help to protect the cells in your body for the damaging effects of free radicals, caused by pollution, UV rays from the sun, cigarette smoke, and other environmental, and factors.
The different vitamin Bs all contribute to keeping your skin healthy and functioning well.
Thanks to zinc in almond oil, it improves wound healing. It’s key to treating zits and scars.
Closing words
That’s why your skin loves almonds. And, it has a low comedogenic rating of two (out of five) to boot. This makes almond oil unlikely to block your pores and trigger zits.
An oil light in texture and low in acidity, it can be used by all people with all skin types. It moisturises oily and acne-prone skin without blocking pores. It leaves dry skin feeling super soft and it’s calming on sensitive skin. And lastly, when you apply it, it’ll protect your skin from free radical damage from UV rays and pollution.
That said, if you have a history of nut allergies, avoid it.
Tell me in the comments if you want ideas for how to use it.
