The GreenAcres Health and Beauty (HABA) gals know a thing or two about grapeseed oil and its use in natural cosmetics.
Grapeseed oil was once a well-kept secret of conventional skincare products, but with the popularity of essential oils and natural cosmetics, the use of this “wonder oil” came immediately to the fore. Grapeseed oil is easily absorbed, and it’s light and gentle on the skin.
An article on the Livingstrong.com blog post reiterates, “It’s no secret as to why cosmetic companies prefer to use grapeseed oil as a base for their assorted creams, lotions, and ointments. In addition to an ideal viscosity, the oil is extremely rich in beta-carotene and vitamins D, C, E. It also happens to have a concentration of essential fatty acids like palmitic, stearic, and linoleic acid. These fatty acids have performed well in clinical anti-wrinkle trials. They have also proven to be effective at minimizing the prominence and size of scars.
“While it may seem counter-intuitive to use an oil to treat oily skin, that is exactly what grape seed oil is used for. The last thing you want to do with oily skin is dry it out. In fact, that oiliness is a reaction of skin that is too dry. Grape seed oil is light to the touch and never leaves skin feeling heavy with oil. Instead, it effectively moisturizes the skin, balancing both dry and oily patches. When used as a toner, grape seed oil can penetrate blocked pores and cleanse breakouts.”
Jennifer and Cindy, our essential oil experts at GreenAcres, quickly concur. Grapeseed oil, they both assert, is an excellent carrier oil and one that can be used as a base for salad dressings and as a “dressing” directly on the face.
Every now and then, we ask Matt, one of our GreenAcres owners and the store manager of our Bradley Fair store, to give us his “Top Five” of something he regards as important to healthy living. Today, we asked Matt to list the top five problems that can lead to premature aging. In his research, he found grapeseed oil was mentioned often as a way of soothing wrinkles, as were some quirky things many of us have never considered with regard to tiny lines around the mouth and chin.
Matt found out when he started researching that drinking through a straw can actually cause wrinkles (!) Well, if that’s the case, we’re all doomed. Most of us have been sipping through straws since we were babies, or at least since we were weaned from our sippy cups and on to (horrors) soft drinks.
Now, smoking, we can understand. There have been magazine and newspaper articles ad nauseum about smoking causing fine lines around the mouth, and deep wrinkles on the cheeks…but straws (?) No way!
An article in the Huffington Post five years ago had several things to say about straw sipping and wrinkles and came to this conclusion: “Repeated movement around the mouth — which could include sipping through straws, pursing the lips and most importantly, smoking — can contribute to lines and wrinkles.”
Here’s a link to the entire article so you can read for yourself, however, some of us will remain skeptical indeed: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/28/straws-cause-lip-lines-wrinkles-beauty-myths_n_1924146.html
Matt has another shocker in his Top Five. If you sleep on your stomach or side, you may be causing deep wrinkles in the lower part of your face. Yikes! Bad news for tummy or side sleepers. However, all is not lost. New York dermatologist Debra Jaliman, author of Skin Rules, has this to say about “wrinkled sleep”: “It’s best to sleep on your back,” she says, “although most people find this difficult. The way you sleep does affect wrinkles—that’s why some lines are deeper on one side of your face then the other. If you crunch your face against a pillow, you can get them. Or,” she continues blithely, “you can buy a satin pillow case, and that may take care of the problem.”
Well, who knew life could get so wrinkly. For those who have not despaired all together, here’s the rest of Matt’s Top Five for today:
Top five problems that can lead to premature aging
Five: Too many free radicals can make you look 10 years older. To fight these internal compounds, eat more colorful vegetables, fruits and herbs. Don’t overeat, and exercise to maintain good circulation. It is pretty simple!
Four: Loss of facial fat can make you look older. What is the answer? Do not be too skinny. Sure we all want to be thin, but overly skinny can make your face look much older than you really are! Opt for an ideal weight and your face will look better.
Three: Be gentle on your skin. Rubbing your eyes can stretch and make the area around them darker. Sleeping on your stomach can stretch and breakdown collagen in your face. Drinking from a straw or smoking cigarettes can give you wrinkles around your mouth.
Two: Don’t skip on sleep. When you do not sleep well, your eyes are bloodshot, you have dark circles and your face is puffy. Your skin renews itself at night while you sleep, so rest! In fact, even your facial care products work better if you are sleeping well.
One: Stress causes an increase in cortisol, can cause the collagen to break down within your skin. It is a hormonal response that can happen from too much work, too much excitement, over exercising and many other things. If you have too much stress inside, you will be wrinkling on the outside. Find out how to reduce your stress and you will be part of the way to better, healthier skin!