Avocado Oil: Liquid Gold for the Body
There are certain oils that receive a great deal of recognition. Coconut oil for instance has, quite deservedly, risen in prominence over the years for its health benefits and many uses. There is however, one oil I feel is a little underrated and many people have not capitalised on yet, but is equally multi-functional. I’ll give you a hint: it seems like you see the food source plastered all over your Instagram feed by every trendy blogger out there. Everyone from yogis to vegans and even keto followers seem to be able to agree on one thing for once; that is, they swear by this food.
I am speaking of the humble avocado, of course. Nothing quite compares to slicing a fresh avocado in half and finding its green colour fully intact without a brown spot or blemish, while it is the bane of one’s existence when you do not. Fear not though, because those brown avocados make for the best guacamole, and what gets better than homemade guacamole? I digress. This post is not an ode to avocados, but rather one to the liquid gold extracted from avocados. The avocado oil.
While the number of coconut oils lining the aisles at the supermarket have increased tenfold in the past eight years or so, I have yet to encounter a supermarket with an equally extensive array of avocado oils. In this blog post I will be explaining exactly why avocado oil needs a prominent space in your kitchen cabinet beside the other firm favourites like coconut and olive oil.
The many benefits of avocado oil
There are many benefits to consuming avocado oil and using it in your daily life. It is rich in nutrients and healthy fats.
High in monounsaturated fat
It is high in monounsaturated fatty acids. Monounsaturated means these fats contain one (‘mono’) carbon-carbon double bond (‘unsaturated’). They lower LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) and increase HDL levels (the good cholesterol) in the blood. This makes the oil liquid at room temperature. Avocado oil is even higher in the monounsaturated fat than highly acclaimed olive oil. A diet rich in monounsaturated fats is linked to decrease risk of heart disease, cancer and insulin sensitivity.
High in vitamin E
Avocado oil is rich in vitamin E, an antioxidant that protects the body from free radical damage. Read this post for more on the importance of antioxidants. Vitamin E has been shown to improve the appearance of dark spots, even skin tone and lighten scars. It has anti-inflammatory effects. High level inflammation is the enemy of healthy skin, so it is crucial to take steps to mitigate this inflammation. Watch out for an upcoming article on why you should pair vitamin E with vitamin C.
Good source of vitamin A
Vitamin A is critical for maintaining health skin, vision and bone health. It is a fat soluble vitamin, which is perfect given the nutritional profile of avocado oil. With powerful antioxidant activity, it helps prevent free radicals from damaging collagen and helps to quell inflammation in the body. It encourages healthy skin cell production and turnover which leads to a more youthful looking complexion.
This vitamin has been touted as an anti-ageing superstar (ever heard of retinol?) and is useful for combatting skin conditions such as acne and eczema (both of which I have dealt with). I am preparing a future article in which I will be discussing everything to do with topical vitamin A, retinoic acid, and demystifying the different derivatives and varieties available on the market nowadays.
Good source of lutein
Lutein is a carotenoid that is vital for maintaining eye health, staving off age-related eye diseases like macular degeneration and cataracts. Additionally, higher levels of lutein have been correlated with decreased risk of arteriosclerosis and developing certain cancers.
It preserves skin by combatting oxidative damage (read more about the effects of oxidative damage here). Studies done in which lutein was administered along with zeaxanthin, showed a significant increase in photo-protection. Read this article for more about the importance of photo-protection. Skin hydration and elasticity was also shown to improve in those treated with lutein.
An Oil of Many Talents
Avocado oil is an extremely affordable and multi-functional oil. From ingesting it to applying it topically, it is great for your skin, hair, nails and overall health.
Body
Avocado oil is one of my favourite oils used to moisturise the body. I struggle with eczema and dermatitis on the body and find this oil to be particularly nourishing on my sensitive skin. The oil takes on a dark green hue which dissipates quickly when worked into skin. While coconut oil has me walking around like I just left a bakery or smelling as though I have been cooking up a storm, with a slippery feeling to my skin, avocado oil is much milder. It is easily absorbed into skin and there isn’t an overly strong smell upon application. It does have a mild scent, but I do not find it offensive in any way.
Makeup Remover
The oil is actually a an extremely adept makeup remover. If you are a fan of cleansing oils, avocado oil is very much comparable. Simply pour out some oil into your palms and rub over dry skin. Rinse or use a wash cloth to wipe away residue. It does not leave an overly greasy film over the skin like many other oils and is just as effective. If you struggle with clogged pores, keep in mind avocado oil is moderately comedogenic so might be best for those with dry skin.
Nails
Apply a little avocado oil to cuticles. Its deeply moisturising properties really help to keep nails healthy and cuticles intact. Good news for those of us who don’t have the luxury of weekly manicures to maintain immaculate nail beds. It is non-irritating so won’t sting if you have some dry or broken areas around your cuticles like I find some cuticle oils do.
Hair
For those struggling with breakage, avocado oil is great for lubricating hair strands. You can simply smooth a little through the tips of your hair to help with dryness. It can also act as an overnight oil treatment for deep conditioning.
Sunburn
The anti-inflammatory properties of avocado oil make it great for treating sunburn and healing wounds.
Spot treat
Due to its deeply moisturising, healing properties, avocado oil is fantastic for targeting certain areas of skin that tend to get dry such as lips, around the nose, or other dry patches on the face.
Cooking
Unlike various other plant oils, avocado oil is extracted from its fruit rather than its seed. The oil has a high smoke point which makes it an ideal choice for high temperature cooking. Cooking at high temperatures with oils that have a low smoke point, such as flaxseed oil for instance, can encourage the formation of harmful compounds in the oil. It is therefore important to be mindful of the smoke point of the oils you are cooking with. This is why many opt for conventional vegetable oils for frying, due to their higher smoke point.
Unlike regular vegetable oils used for high heat cooking, however, avocado oil has a myriad of other health benefits. The high smoke point of avocado oil makes it by far the oil of choice for cooking, while its buttery, mildly nutty flavour still makes it perfect for drizzling over toast or salads. Have you tried using some regular vegetable oil for that purpose? I actually have before (desperate times) unfortunately, and you can trust when I say it most certainly doesn’t hold a candle to avocado oil.
Choosing an oil
My favourite avocado oil to use for both cooking and beauty applications is this particular brand of Extra Virgin Avocado Oil. It is an organic, fair trade, extra virgin variety. This means it is minimally refined and retains much of its nutritional content. I love this bottle in particular because it comes with a spout and the oil pours out with ease. Many other oils often simply have a cap that opens to a wide mouth, so the oil just free flows out of the bottle with minimal control and things can get messy. It is in a dark bottle so there is minimal light exposure which decreases the degradation of the oil. You can use it for your skin, and it also tastes great too.
I hope this post informative and that it perhaps opened your eyes to an oil you might not have previously had on your radar. What is your favourite oil to cook with? Do you use oil for your skin?
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Wishing you boundless love, endless light, and life without limit,
Shannon xo
This post is not sponsored; I just love avocado oil. All opinions are my own 🙂
