Sunflower oil has been touted as a perfectly balanced oil – a necessity for healthy cooking. But did you know, when applied to skin, it can be effective against acne, eczema, scarring, redness and irritation? Applied straight to the skin, sunflower oil is an incredible hydrating agent. Here’s how to use it in your beauty routine!
DIY Sunflower Oil Recipes For Your Face:
- Fight wrinkles straight up, no chaser: sunflower oil can be applied directly to the skin (and is often used in infant products, it’s so gentle!). Sunflower oil helps retain moisture; it’s high in Vitamin E, A, C and D as well. Apply directly to the skin as an antioxidant facial oil.
- Acne moisturizer: By using sunflower oil as your go-to hydration oil, the vitamins, fatty acids and antioxidants help regenerate skin while it fights acne-causing bacteria. Simply dab a little on a cotton pad as you would a toner and apply to the skin.
- Eye “cream”: The light texture of sunflower oil and its absorbability make it perfect for under the eye at night. Apply gently with a cotton pad or ball.
- Anti-Aging mask: By taking 1 c. plain Greek Yogurt, 3 Tbsp. Sunflower Oil and 2 Tbsp. Lemon juice, you can whip up a face mask good enough for the spa. The oil moisturizes, the yogurt dissolves dead skin cells and lemon juice helps to brighten a dull complexion. Because it helps speed up cell turnover, the mask also works great for irritation and acne in skin as well. Leave on for 20 minutes then rinse thoroughly.
DIY Sunflower Oil Recipes For Your Body:
- Sun protection: By ingesting sunflower oil, you get an excellent source of beta-carotene that works from the inside out to help skin – consumption of the oil supposedly makes your skin less sensitive to the sun, neutralizing free radicals that can cause sunburn. It’s worth a shot – especially since sunflower already does wonders for your health.
- Excellent carrier oil: Where you would normally use a jojoba or almond oil for facials or massages, you can substitute sunflower oil as it absorbs fast and has a light touch.
DIY Sunflower Oil Recipes For Your Hair:
Vitamins, nutrients and antioxidants blend with essential fatty acids to make sunflower oil super beneficial for your hair.
- Frizz serum: With its light texture, sunflower oil can be used to smooth frizzies and flyaways while injecting some much-needed nutrition into dry hair. Simply take a small amount in the palm of your hand and lightly smooth along your part line.
- Weekly deep conditioner: Once a week, take sunflower oil and massage into your scalp to invigorate the hair follicles, moisturize the skin and hair shaft, and smooth the cuticle, preventing breakage. Comb through the hair to the ends, then wrap, leaving on for an hour (or sleep with in the hair overnight) and rinse out thoroughly.
- For thinning hair: Sunflower oil is an important source of gamma alpha linolenic acid (GLA) which has been proven to help prevent hair loss, as well as help treatments for baldness and alopecia areata. Consult your doctor and see if sunflower oil will work for you.
