Why I love Avocado Oil (And You Should Too)

in #health7 years ago (edited)

I have high expectations for oils.

This is perhaps the only situation where I consider myself “high maintenance”. In order for an oil to get my genuine approval, it needs to be a multi-tasking maniac that improves my health and well being and works wonders for my hair and skin. The fact that avocado oil is relatively inexpensive is just the perfect little sherry on top. There aren’t that many out there, but let me tell ya, avocado oil is very near the top of my list for oils essential to me.

Let’s Start with Health Benefits:

Avocado oil is inherently anti-inflammatory. It’s good for more than just inflamed skin. When you include avocado oil into your diet you will benefit in the following ways:

  • Prevent flare-ups of certain auto-immune diseases.
  • Less inflammation in your arteries- meaning improved blood pressure

When included in your diet, avocado oil can help you lose weight:

  • Increases the efficiency of your digestive tract.
  • The nutrients from the healthy food that you eat will be more easily absorbed.
  • You’ll feel more full from less food, and will feel satisfied for longer periods of time.
  • You’ll get more energy out of the foods that you eat.
  • More energy means you’ll be capable of performing more physical activity, which leads to a more healthy lifestyle!

Avocado oil is my #1 choice for removing my makeup, but this oil can clean much more than mascara:

  • Has the power to fight and eliminate microbial infections
  • Defends against free-radicals
  • Detoxifies- Avocado oil is a natural source of magnesium so by including this oil in your diet you will begin to remove heavy metals like mercury and lead from your liver, kidneys, brain and other organs as well.

Fights the physical and mental signs of aging:

  • When you include avocado oil in your diet you will see improvements with memory and mental acuity.
  • Avocado oil is prescribed in France to help patients with arthritis
  • This oil will speed cell rejuvenation, giving you more and stronger cells when you use this it as a moisturizer.
  • Is a great source of vitamin E, potassium lectin- All are famous for skin-feeding ingredients that are easily absorbed through the skin.

Avocados are rich in oleic acid:

  • Avocado oil has a longer shelf life then other oils because it is highly resistant to oxidation. That bottle can last a good 6 months before going bad if you keep it stored in a cool, dark place with the lid secured of course.
  • This is also what makes avocado oil effective for helping those with diabetes since oleic acid helps improve insulin sensitivity and blood circulation.

It can handle the HEAT:

  • Once olive oil and coconut oil are subjected to high levels of heat, most, if not all of the nutrients are lost. With olive oil at least, when it is cooked with high heat the very structure of the oil changes from being relatively healthy to being just as bad as canola oil.
  • Avocado oil can stand to be cooked at 400 degrees Fahrenheit and still maintain it’s healthy characteristics.

You can easily swap out your olive oil and use avocado oil in all of your recipes. It’s also a great oil to use raw in homemade salad dressings!

Now For The Beauty:

I was blessed with extra sensitive skin and as much as I love coconut oil, I know that I should not apply it to my face. Coconut oil tends to clog my pores resulting in a guaranteed a new pimple friend within 24 hours.

I read up on avocado oil before I purchased some for myself. I learned that it was a lightweight oil that helped to even skin tone and reduce fine lines, suffice to say that it didn't take long for me to decide if I should try it.

Superior Hydration Means Diminished Fine Lines:

  • Avocado oil has vitamin E which is great for moisture.
  • Wrinkles abound when skin is dry; by keeping your skin sufficiently hydrated with avocado oil, you'll encourage healthy skin cell regeneration and diminished fine lines.

For Hair Growth

  • If you have gone through great lengths to grow your hair to... great lengths ;) you'll know that regular trimming of your ends will help to encourage health hair growth by eliminating the damage and split ends.
  • Apply avocado oil to your ends at night or before you shower to prevent the shampoo from stripping your ends of what little moisture they do hold.
  • After showering, use one drop or two if you have thick or long hair, and apply to your hair from the ends to midway up. (I avoid applying oils near my scalp to prevent the greasy head look.)
  • Towel dry your hair as often as you can! This will help your hair re-hydrate and become healthier over time if you're not constantly doing damage with heat styling
  • Don't use heat styling products if you've applied oils to your hair! This can increase the damage done by the heat. Instead, if you need additional frizz control or shine, apply a very small amount to your ends after styling.

As a Hair Mask:

  • Apply avocado oil all over your hair, really saturate it, and you've got an easy hair mask!
  • You can also add a few drops of Rosemary oil for additional shine and a great scent.
  • Don't forget to give yourself a really nice scalp massage while you're at it. Scalp massages with moisturizing oils are great for getting and maintaining a healthy scalp, especially if you're tired of dealing with dandruff or an itchy scalp. Massaging your scalp will also increase blood flow to the area, this encourages hair growth!
    Bonus: if you add a couple drops of rosemary oil to your avocado oil hair mask you will also help to delay the growth of grey hair!

Luckily this one works great for me, so much so in fact, I've become a big promoter of it purely due to the fact that it's solved a lot of problems for me. I want to encourage you do some research on these oils yourself and try and find other real testimonials from people who have tried them. If avocado doesn't work for you then I'll be a bit sad, but rest assured that there are plenty others out there that might be just what you need.

When purchasing Avocado oil look for these in the label:

  • Organic
  • Cold-Pressed
  • Unrefined
  • Extra Virgin

Important Allergy Note:

If you have a latex allergy you have a risk of also being allergic to avocado oil.

Avocados, bananas, chestnuts, kiwis and passion fruit all contain some of the same allergens as latex!

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If you enjoyed this post give an upvote and leave a comment!

Let's have a conversation about your favorite oils or what you'd like to learn about next!

SteemStrong!

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Wow... I had no idea it was so versatile! I mean, I love avocados as a food... and I have seen avocado oil among the "specialty" oils, but it tends to be super expensive and I figured it just had some highly specialized uses. Thanks for the "education!"

Avocado oil is great! I also love a good olive oil. Some mornings I'll have a shot of olive oil to drink. Great article Heidi!

That's a great way to get a daily dose of raw olive oil!

Great post :)

It's no secret that oils are good for health and for caring for the body and hair. We use flax oil, because avocado is an exotic fruit for us.

Avocado oil is great! Thanks for this post!

Nice read and thanks for the information! I just checked and it seems my local grocery store should sell this. I'm going to look for it next time I'm there.
How do you use it for your skin? As a mask or as a night creme or something?

I've been using coconut oil instead of olive oil and butter for most of my food. It also helps with dry spots on the skin, but I don't use it on my face :-)

Great post! That depends which butter you use. Grass-fed butter, is very low inflammatory and good for the brain. Its high performance food.

I use avo oil as a moisturizer, just apply a small amount to my face and neck, it absorbs pretty well and doesn't usually leave my face greasy.

Thanks for explaining! I'll try it myself. If it doesn't work out, I can always use it in food instead :-)

Why the flag @smooth?

They are flagging things to keep them under control from what i understand.
No whale votes and any whales that do vote they counter with flags so don't let it get to you.

I'm not phased ;) Just wanted an explanation.

Oh yeah well its not for any particular reason other then that.
They're targeting everyone, Other then that nice piece.

Good to see you around here @heiditravels

Don't stop believing Steeming!

A good oil is useful in all areas and helpful in healthy diet..... great post!

Never had avocado oil. Mainly use cold pressed extra virgin olive oil.

Being raised with Greek food everyday you know I love a good olive oil, but for cooking I'd suggest checking out avo oil. It's got a lovely taste too :)

I had no idea about these benefits, thanks for sharing! SteemStrong!

Hi @heiditravels
Do you think it will also help balding men?

I don't think it's a miracle treatment, but I'm sure any oils that stimulate blood flow would help also, perhaps add a drop or half drop of peppermint oil (it's quite strong) Basil will also help with hair growth. Lavender oil will help prevent further hair loss.

Thanks for the reply.

I will have to check this out. I use a lot of oil (Olive Oil normally). However, I've never ventured into avocado oil and or really looked into the benefits of it. I will have to try swapping olive for avocado oil in some of my recipes like suggested!

Awe yes!! I grew up on an Avocado ranch! Love Avocados to the CORE!!

I didn't know avocados were so beneficial. I'm getting me some avocado oil ASAP! Thank you for this post :)

Good post but I note you didn't include any citations to go along with your essay. If you're going to write about botany and organic chemistry it's important to include citations. This is science after all.

Filled with several useful tips, this densely detailed gives quality info about its subject matter. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Good work.

Excellent argument for avocado oils @heidtravels! Sadly I don't do well digesting it, but may hunt down the oil for reasons you point out. Thnx!

Love it too now :D I heard a lot about you already from luczypher... I am a fan! ;) Thanks for upvoting my article about traveling. Do you speak German too? -Following!