Macadamia oil and all its benefits
Macadamia oil is the ultimate carrier oil for skincare products, which is why you'll find it in many Mukti Organics products.
No matter what your age or skin type, oils are a wonderful skin food. When you're young, your skin exudes a luminosity and is nicely plump due to the abundance of naturally occurring oils. As we age, your cell turnover declines and so too does your skin's ability to produce oil.
A topical application of oils is an essential component of age defying skincare. Oils act as a carrier for other key ingredients, as well as improving the function of the lipid barrier, which keeps the skin moist and hydrated.
What is Squalene?
Squalene is a lipid that our skin cells produce naturally. It keeps our skin hydrated and healthy. But during our 20s and 30s, our skin’s ability to produce Squalene slows down and our skin becomes rougher and drier. Previously sourced from shark livers, squalene helps reduce oxidative stress, protect skin and prevent wrinkles.
This is where Macadamia comes in!
A cruelty free and vegan source of the essential fatty acid, Squalene has been found in Macadamia Oil. Squalene maintains the fluidity of cell membranes which is crucial to the outer layer of the skin. Skin high in squalene is hydrated and healthy. Dry and damaged skin is low in squalene. And Macadamia oil is packed with Squalene!
Macadamia Oil Helps Skin Produce Keratin
As well as containing Squalene, Australian Macadamia Oil is rich in Palmitoleic acid and Oleic Acid. Both Palmitoleic and Oleic Acid help the skin cells known as keratinocytes to produce keratin in the outer most layer of our skin. Like collagen, keratin is a protein necessary for healthy skin.
Keratin protects your skin barrier and works hard to keep your skin firm. This protective skin barrier keeps out skin damaging pathogens and potentially dangerous environmental factors (think smoke, pollution, UV…). One of the few plants to contain this keratin promoting and skin firming acid, Macadamia is a must for your skin! Macadamia oil closely resembles human sebum because of the palmitoleic acid and oleic acid.
4 key fits of macadamia oil for the skin
-
Macadamia oil helps repair scars and stretch marks
Macadamia oil nourishes the skin and is great at moisturising. Containing high oleic, linoleic and palmitoleic acid, it’s been found beneficial in treating stretch marks, prevent chapping and reduce scars. It has also been known to help smooth and repair dry hair.
-
Macadamia oil helps reduce itchiness and rash
Macadamia oil contains phytosterols which make it effective at reducing inflammation. Along with Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids, Macadamia oil can help with sensitive skin. It has been known to decrease the formation of rashes, reduces itchiness helping to ease eczema and psoriasis.
-
Macadamia oil helps prevent premature wrinkles
The palmitoleic acid and squalene present in macadamia seed oil help to prevent the premature formation of wrinkles by boosting the regeneration of skin keratinocytes. Linoleic acid also helps to reduce trans-epidermal water loss, keeping the skin well-hydrated and supple. These hydrating qualities of Macadamia Oil is useful for dry skin, mature skin, baby skin, lip balms and eye creams.
-
Macadamia oil is a rich antioxidant
Palmitoleic acid and squalene, found in Macadamia Oil, help prevent lipid peroxidation and reduces skin cell damage. This antioxidant boost helps to banish skin damage from environmental stress and promote healthy skin.
5 Benefits of macadamia oil for hair
-
Macadamia oil can strengthen hair
Macadamia oil penetrates hair more proficiently as compared to some other oils, like mineral oil. Mineral oil can build up on your scalp and after a while, it can make your hair feel heavier and look duller. However, fruits and vegetable oils such as coconut oil is said to penetrate the hair follicles more effectively. Macadamia oil too is known to have this same property.
When macadamia oil mixes with the hair shaft and infuses it with fatty acids, your hair follicles become stronger and healthier. Macadamia oil also has antioxidant properties which help hair to recover from environmental exposure to dirt and pollutants in the air.
-
Macadamia oil can smoothen the hair
Macadamia oil has moisturizing qualities that can help smoothen the hair, giving it a shinier look. If you use macadamia oil on your hair daily, it will become glossier and shinier over time.
-
Hair moisturizer
Macadamia oil has such moisturizing properties that make your hair healthy, soft, voluminous and thicker. If you are struggling with heat-damaged or dry hair, using just a few drops of macadamia oil on the ends of your hair can work wonders to your hair and will soften and moisturize them instantly!
-
Reducing Frizz
If you have curly hair, you’re probably on the constant search for products that can reduce frizz. Macadamia oil is great for soothing the hair of frizz, dullness and tangles. This non-greasy, lightweight, nutty oil adds shine and liveliness to your strands while covering your ends and keeping your scalp moisturized. Macadamia oil is overall beauty oil for scalp, skin, and hair and from hot oil treatments to scalp massages, this oil has been a staple for years because of its potent composition and lightweight nature.
-
Treating dry scalp
Macadamia oil contains palmitic acid which is known to nourish hair follicles by promoting healthy production of sebum. Macadamia is an excellent softener and useful if you have curly or coarse hair because of its ability to penetrate.
3 proven health benefits of macadamia oil
-
Heart health improves with monounsaturated oils
Macadamia oil contains one of the highest levels of monounsaturated fats amongst all food oils, and is even higher than Olive Oil. While it may sound bad to have high levels of fat, it is the type of fat that matters. These types of fats (monounsaturated) actually help to lower the bad type of cholesterol (saturated) This is great for heart health, because LDL cholesterol (the bad type) contributes to plaque in the arteries, and the HDL cholesterol (the good type), carries the LDL type back to the liver, where it is broken down and passed through the body. This lowers your bad cholesterol and results in less chance of heart disease or stroke.
-
Macadamia oil contains natural antioxidants
Macadamia oil is also very high in natural antioxidants and contains Omega 3 and Omega 6, which can have a powerful effect on the overall health of the body. Antioxidants fight off free radicals, dangerous atoms in the body which have a spare electron and want to attach to something. They are dangerous because once they attach onto you, they can corrupt your DNA, causing cancer.
A healthy balance of antioxidants can reduce cancer risk, slow the ageing process and lessen the risk of vision loss due to cataracts and macular degeneration.
-
Macadamia nut oil is a great source of fibre to increase energy levels
Like most nuts, macadamia nuts are a reliable source of fibre and calories. Just a dozen nuts (30 grams) contain about 10 percent of your daily fibre needs. Fibre is important in your daily diet because it not only aids digestion, but also slows the rate that sugar is absorbed into the bloodstream. Their high calorie content also gives a boost of energy “on the go”, perfect if you don’t have time to stop for a meal.
People often overlook macadamia oil for cooking, but it is a healthful source of unsaturated fats, vitamin E, and antioxidants. Macadamia oil also has a higher smoke point than many other fats and oils, including olive oil. This makes it a good choice for sautéing, roasting, and grilling.
Some people also use pure macadamia oil as a skin moisturizer and hair conditioner, claiming that topical application has a number of health benefits. However, most of the evidence for these benefits is largely anecdotal or indirect.
Macadamia oil is generally safe to use in both cooking and on the hair and skin. However, people with nut allergies should avoid using macadamia oil.
