The Benefits of Avocado Oil in Skin and Hair Care

What’s not to love about avocado? It brightens up a salad, tastes delicious on toast, and, most importantly, you can make guacamole with it. However, there’s even more to the avocado fruit (yes, fruit) than it just tastes good. From the avocado, you can derive avocado oil which has multiple health, skin and hair benefits. Organic oil derived from the first press of the avocado fruit has a multitude of vitamins and minerals. Find out more about why avocado oil deserves a spot of honor in your hair and skincare routine.

What exactly is avocado oil?

When you’re not using your avocado to whip up guac, you can still take advantage of it for its nourishing oil extract. Avocado oil can be either organic or refined. Organic avocado oil is your best bet since the fruit is cold-pressed—which means heat wasn’t used to extract oil, which destroys its nutrients. It has many healthy components, such as vitamin E, potassium, lecithin, fatty acids and chlorophyll. And, since it’s stable, it can be stored for long periods. Find out how you can use avocado in your life to improve your hair and skin.

3 Ways to Use Avocado Oil

1. In Your Diet

Avocado oil is easy to incorporate into your diet. (It has a high smoke point, which means you can safely use it to fry up eggs and other foods.) The healthy oil can help rev up your digestion and help you feel more satiated throughout the day, leading to fewer cravings. Avocado oil also contains chlorophyll, which is a natural source of magnesium and helps your body remove heavy metals (think mercury and lead) from its organs. Plus, its high content of fatty acids makes it a winner for well-hydrated hair and skin.

2. As a Leave-In Conditioner

If your hair is on the drier side, avocado oil is the perfect leave-in conditioner and can restore hair moisture and softness. Apply a nickel-sized amount when hair is still damp or once it’s dry before hair styling and distributes evenly. As avocado oil is filled with vitamins B and E, it makes your hair shinier and easy to style.

3. As a Face Mask

You can use both avocado flesh and avocado oil to DIY a calming and moisturizing face mask for your skin. It’s easy: First, cut a ripe avocado into cubes. Then, add a small amount of avocado oil and mash the mixture into an even paste. Apply the avocado and avocado oil blend to your face and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Finally, wash off with water or a facial cleanser depending on how oily your skin type is. The vitamin E, antioxidants and fatty acids will help restore and balance your skin so it looks supple and glowing.