Red Palm Oil

Red Palm Oil Benefits for Skincare
There are so many great benefits of red palm oil, and that doesn’t just go for cooking. Outside of the kitchen, you can use red palm oil in your hair and skincare routine.

Red palm oil is an excellent source of antioxidants, which can help to reduce the appearances of aging and protect your skin. It’s also high in saturated fat. This means that red palm oil can get fairly solid when cool, unlike many seed oils. Oils high in polyunsaturated fatty acids are chemically unstable in high amounts. This includes oils like flaxseed, corn, soybean, and sunflower. Many of these oils are also highly refined in a multi-step extraction process that includes bleaching, adding solvents, hydrogenation, deodorizing, re-flavoring, and adding preservatives.

This oil is special because it isn’t highly processed unlike regular palm oil or refined seed oils. Instead, it’s a natural saturated fat. Saturated fats (like cacao butter and coconut oil) are chemically stable. This makes them better for your skin and hair because they don’t oxidize when they’re exposed to air, heat, or your body. Instead, they soak in, protecting and nourishing your hair and skin.

When choosing your skin oils, it really is a no-brainer to choose all-natural, skin-healthy products over processed, toxin-filled products.

Another reason red palm oil is so special because it contains the tocopherol form of vitamin E, along with another, rarer form of vitamin E known as tocotrienols. This helps to protect your skin from the sun (along with the squalene and flavonoids found in the oil) and can reduce the appearance of scars.

And did you know that the oil is red because of the same thing that gives carrots, sweet potatoes, and tomatoes their color? They’re called carotenoids. Red palm oil actually has the highest amount of carotenoids found in nature. While this means that you might find a little bit of red coloring on your skin, the carotenoids also help to protect your skin from UV rays, even protecting your skin down to the cellular level as it soaks in.

The hue of red palm oil is also how you can tell that the oil you’re getting is minimally processed. If it’s gone through a harsh refining process, the carotenoids and the red color will fade away (along with the tocopherols and tocotrienols). Make sure your product is a quality oil for your skin by looking at what color it is.

Finally, red palm oil has CoQ10, which is found naturally in your body. However, your CoQ10 levels decrease as you age. One of the benefits of red palm oil is that adding CoQ10 to your beauty regime can actually reduce the appearance of aging! It’s also another antioxidant that can protect your skin and help it to increase elasticity and collagen. This is why CoQ10 is a major ingredient in many anti-aging creams and serums.

Red Palm Oil Uses For Your Skin

Not everyone can tolerate red palm oil on their face since it can cause breakouts and clogged pores, but this is based on your skin type so try it out. Some people who get clogged pores from coconut oil can use red palm oil on their face without any problem.

You can also apply red palm oil to your skin after a shower (when your skin is still wet) to help lock in moisture and nourish your skin. You might see a light shade of red left on your skin, but don’t worry, this washes off. Also, note that the red palm oil might leave your nails with a slight yellow tint temporarily.

Red Palm Oil Uses For Your Hair

There are a few different ways you can use the oil to moisturize and smooth your hair. Before a shower, you can take a small amount (about the size of a quarter) into your hands and apply it from the ends of your hair up to just below your roots. Let it sit on your hair for 10-15 minutes, then take a shower and wash your hair like normal. It might color clothes or sheets so be careful while it’s on your hair.

You can also use red palm oil as a leave-in conditioner and end protector. Just take a small amount (about the size of a dime) and rub it into the ends of your hair. This can help protect against split ends and frizziness. I loved how silky it made my hair feel right after applying the oil to my ends.

If you have light-colored hair, you might want to test leaving it on a section of your hair first to make sure it doesn’t leave a tint in your hair. I have light blonde tips, and I make sure to just use a tiny bit of red palm oil. Once I rub it all in there isn’t any orange color visible. If you have extremely light hair, however, you might want to wash your hair after applying the oil and avoid using it as a leave-in conditioner.

Any time you try a new haircare regime, give it about two weeks to see how your hair reacts, and if it doesn’t work great then try changing to something else. Remember, everyone is different. Some people have hair that loves oil before each shower, some people find that their hair gets weighed down by too much oil, and some people need lots of oil after a shower to tame the frizz. Take some time to experiment and see what your hair likes best!