CASTOR OIL
Acne: The antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties of castor oil make it useful in reducing acne. Ricinoleic acid can inhibit growth in the bacteria that cause acne.
Texture: Castor oil is also rich in other fatty acids. These can enhance smoothness and softness when applied to facial skin.
Complexion: The fatty acids in castor oil can also promote the growth of healthy skin tissue, making it helpful in restoring uneven skin tones.
Sensitive skin: Castor oil has a low comedogenic score. This means it is unlikely to clog pores in the skin and reduces the risk of developing blackheads, making it appropriate for use on sensitive skin.
Anti-inflammatory: Both castor oil and ricinoleic acid have demonstrated anti-inflammatory properties. This makes them useful for treating irritated skin.
Antimicrobial: It may also protect the skin from bacterial infections by keeping out microbes that can cause disease.
Moisturizing: Castor oil contains triglycerides. These can help maintain moisture in the skin, making it a useful treatment for dry skin.
Hydration: Castor oil may have humectant properties, which means that it can draw moisture from the air into the skin, keeping the skin hydrated.
Cleansing: The triglycerides found in castor oil are also helpful in removing dirt from the skin.
SHEA BUTTER
It’s moisturizing: Shea butter is typically used for its moisturizing effects. These benefits are tied to shea’s fatty acid content, including linoleic, oleic, stearic, and palmitic acids. When you apply shea topically, these oils are rapidly absorbed into your skin. They act as a “refatting” agent, restoring lipids and rapidly creating moisture. This restores the barrier between your skin and the outside environment, holding moisture in and reducing your risk of dryness.
It's non-comedogenic: It won’t make your skin oily. Shea butter contains high levels of linoleic acid and oleic acid. These two acids balance each other out. That means shea butter is easy for your skin to fully absorb and won’t make your skin look oily after application.
It’s anti-inflammatory: The plant esters of shea butter have been found to have anti-inflammatory properties. When applied to the skin, shea triggers cytokines and other inflammatory cells to slow their production.
This may help minimize irritation caused by environmental factors, such as dry weather, as well as inflammatory skin conditions, such as eczema.
It’s antioxidant: Shea butter has significant levels of vitamins A and E, which means it promotes strong antioxidant activity. Antioxidants are important anti-aging agents. They protect your skin cells from free radicals that can lead to premature aging and dull-looking skin.
It’s antibacterial: A 2012 study suggests that oral doses of shea bark extract can lead to decreased antimicrobial activity in animals.
Although more research is needed, this could indicate possible antibacterial benefits in humans. Because of this, some speculate that topical application may decrease the amount of acne-causing bacteria on the skin.
It’s antifungal: Shea tree products have been established as powerful ingredients to fight skin infections caused by fungi. While shea butter may not be able to treat every kind of fungal infection, we know that it kills spores of the fungi that causes ringworm and athlete’s foot.
It may help prevent acne: Shea butter is rich in different kinds of fatty acids. This unique composition helps clear your skin of excess oil (sebum). At the same time, shea butter restores moisture to your skin and locks it in to your epidermis, so your skin doesn’t dry out or feel “stripped” of oil. The result is a restoration of the natural balance of oils in your skin — which may help stop acne before it starts.
It helps boost collagen production: Shea butter contains triterpenes. These naturally occurring chemical compounds are thought to deactivate collagen fiber destruction.This may minimize the appearance of fine lines and result in plumper skin.
It helps promote cell regeneration: Shea’s moisturizing and antioxidant properties work together to help your skin generate healthy new cells. Your body is constantly making new skin cells and getting rid of dead skin cells. You actually get rid of anywhere between 30,000 to 40,000 old skin cells each day.
Dead skin cells sit on the top. New skin cells form at the bottom of the upper layer of skin (epidermis). With the right moisture balance on the surface of your skin, you’ll have fewer dead skin cells in the way of fresh cell regeneration in the epidermis.
It may help reduce the appearance of stretch marks and scarring It’s thought that shea butter stops keloid fibroblasts — scar tissue — from reproducing, while encouraging healthy cell growth to take their place. This may help your skin heal, minimizing the appearance of stretch marks and scarring.
It may help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles: By boosting collagen production and promoting new cell generation, shea butter may help reduce what researchers call photoaging — the wrinkles and fine lines that environmental stress and aging can create on skin.
It offers added sun protection: Shea butter can’t be used by itself as an effective sunscreen. But using shea butter on your skin does give you some added sun protection, so layer it over your favorite sunscreen on days you’ll be spending outside. Shea butter contains an estimated SPF of 3 to 4.
It may help prevent hair breakage: Shea butter hasn’t been studied specifically for its ability to make hair stronger.
It may help treat dandruff: One way to treat dandruff (atopic dermatitis) is to restore moisture to your dry and irritated scalp.
One 2018 review found that shea butter, when used in combination with other moisturizers, could help decrease dandruff flakes and reduce risk of flare-ups.
It may help soothe conditions like eczema, dermatitis, and psoriasis: Shea’s anti-inflammatory properties help soothe skin and relieve itching. This may prove especially helpful for inflammatory skin conditions, such as eczema and psoriasis. Shea also absorbs rapidly, which could mean quick relief for flare-ups. Research even suggests that shea butter could work just as well as medicated creams in treating eczema.
It may help soothe sunburn and other skin burns: Research suggests that oils may be beneficial for superficial (first-degree) skin burns, such as sunburn.
Shea’s anti-inflammatory components may reduce redness and swelling. Its fatty acid components may also soothe the skin by retaining moisture during the healing process.
It may help soothe insect bites: Shea butter has been traditionally used to soothe bee stings and insect bites. Anecdotal evidence suggests that shea butter may help bring down swelling that bites and stings can cause. That said, there isn’t any clinical research to support this.
It can help promote wound healing: In addition to reducing underlying inflammation, shea is also linked to the tissue remodeling that’s crucial for treating wounds. Its protective fatty acids may also help shield wounds from environmental irritants during the healing process.
It may help relieve arthritis pain: Arthritis is caused by underlying inflammation in the joints.
A 2016 animal study on shea oil concentrate suggests that it can help reduce inflammation while also protecting joints from further damage. Although this study focused on knee joints, these potential benefits could extend to other areas of the body.
It may help soothe muscle soreness: Muscles that have been overextended can be affected by inflammation and stiffness as your body repairs muscle tissue.
Shea butter may help sore muscles in the same way it may help joint pain — by reducing inflammation.
It may help relieve congestion: A 1979 study suggests that shea butter may help alleviate nasal congestion. When used in nasal drops, shea butter may reduce inflammation in the nasal passages. It could also help reduce mucosal damage, which often leads to nasal congestion. These effects could be beneficial when dealing with allergies, sinusitis, or the common cold.
COCONUT OIL
It Can Kill Harmful Microorganisms: The medium-chain fatty acids in coconut oil have antimicrobial properties that can help protect against harmful microorganisms.
This is especially important for skin health, as many types of skin infections, including acne, cellulitis, folliculitis and athlete’s foot, are caused by bacteria or fungi.
Coconut Oil Could Reduce Inflammation: Chronic inflammation is a major component of many different types of skin disorders, including psoriasis, contact dermatitis and eczema.
Coconut Oil May Help Treat Acne: While some think coconut oil clogs pores, considerable research shows it might actually help treat acne.
Acne is an inflammatory condition, and many of the medications used to treat it work by targeting and reducing inflammation.
Coconut Oil Can Moisturize Dry Skin: In addition to its effects on acne and inflammation, applying coconut oil to your skin can also help keep it hydrated.
One study in patients with mild to moderately dry skin compared the effects of coconut oil to mineral oil, a type of oil made from petroleum that’s often used to treat dry skin.
The two-week study found that coconut oil significantly improved skin hydration and was just as effective as mineral oil.
Coconut Oil May Help With Wound Healing: Several studies have demonstrated that coconut oil may also aid wound healing. One animal study looked at how coconut oil applied to the skin affected wound healing in rats. It found that treating the wounds with virgin coconut oil sped up healing, improved antioxidant status and increased levels of collagen, an important protein that aids in wound healing.
SUNFLOWER
Non-comedogenic: Sunflower oil is a non-comedogenic carrier oil which is highly absorbent, and won’t clog pores. It’s non-irritating for most people, and can be used on all types of skin, including dry, normal, oily, and acne-prone.
Antioxidants: Vitamin E is an antioxidant that can help protect skin from free radicals and from adverse effects of the sun, such as premature aging and wrinkles. Using a skincare product formulated with sunflower oil is a good way to obtain vitamin E’s benefits for skin.
Skin-protecting barrier: Linoleic acid helps to maintain the skin’s natural barrier, supporting its ability to retain moisture. It also has an anti-inflammatory effectTrusted Source when used topically. This makes it beneficial for dry skin and for conditions, such as eczema.
A small study with 19 volunteers, which contrasted the benefits of topically applied sunflower oil to olive oil, found that sunflower oil was more effective at improving skin hydration and maintaining the integrity of the skin’s outer layer. The linoleic acid in sunflower oil makes it effective for protecting skin against bacteria and germs. A study done in 2008 on premature infants in Bangladesh found that topical application of sunflower oil significantly reduced infant mortality caused by hospital-acquired infections, such as sepsis.
Wound healing: A small animal study also found that topical use of sunflower oil was beneficial for healing wounds faster. This may be due to its oleic acid content, which can be beneficial for wound care. An animal study done in 2004 found that sesame oil and its component, sesamol, had chemo preventive properties in mice with skin cancer, but also indicated that more study is needed to ascertain their full potential.
HONEY
Microbial properties and wound healing: One of the most widely recognized properties of honey is its ability to help fight against skin infections.
Anti-inflammatory properties: Honey also has anti-inflammatory properties that can aid with skin conditions such as acne or psoriasis.
Honey can help with improving the skin’s appearance. The authors state that it can help stop wrinkles from forming, keep the skin looking young, and prevent infections on the skin that can accelerate aging.
Treatment of skin cancer: Some evidence suggests that honey can help treat skin cancer and other cancers.
ALOE VERA
a review of experimental studies found that aloe vera could reduce the healing time of burns by around 9 days compared with conventional medication. It also helped prevent redness, itching, and infections.
It seems likely that A.V. 2% oral gel is not only effective in decreasing the recurrent aphthous stomatitis patients’ pain score and wound size but also decreases the aphthous wound healing period.
It may improve skin and prevent wrinkles: There is some preliminary evidence to suggest that topical aloe vera gel can slow aging of the skin. In a 2009 study of 30 females over the age of 45, taking oral aloe vera gel increased collagen production and improved skin elasticity over a 90-day period. Reviews also suggest that aloe vera could help the skin retain moisture and improve skin integrity, which could benefit dry skin conditions.
Aloe vera gel is used in many over-the-counter skin products. This plant extract has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, which has led to its use in helping to treat acne.
It potentially helps hair growth: The benefits of aloe vera for the hair have mainly been studied in relation to seborrheic dermatitis – a skin condition that causes a reddish rash with crusty, yellow-white scales, usually on the face and scalp.
LAVENDER
Lavender oil for acne: Lavender oil works to kill bacteria, and this can prevent and heal acne breakouts. It unclogs pores and reduces inflammation when you put it on your skin.
Soothes eczema and dry skin: Eczema can show up anywhere on your body. With eczema, your skin gets dry, itchy, and scaly. It can appear mild or chronic and in multiple locations. Since lavender has antifungal properties and reduces inflammation, it can help keep eczema at bay. Lavender oil can also be used to treat psoriasis. The lavender oil helps cleanse your skin and lessen redness and irritation.
Lavender oil for blotchy skin: Lavender oil can aid in evening skin tone since it reduces inflammation. It can reduce discoloration, including dark spots. Lavender oil helps lessen blotchiness and redness. If you have hyperpigmentation on your skin, lavender oil may be able to help with that as well.
Lavender oil for face wrinkles: Free radicals are partly responsible for fine lines and wrinkles on the face. Lavender oil is full of antioxidants, which help protect you from the free radicals.
Anti-inflammatory ability: Painful inflammation can be treated with lavender oil. The oil’s pain-relieving and numbing effects help soothe the inflammation, while the beta-caryophyllene in the oil also acts as a natural anti-inflammatory.
Wound-healing properties: If you have a burn, cut, scrape, or another wound, lavender oil may help speed up the wound-healing process. In a 2016 study, researchers found that lavender oil promotes the healing of skin tissue.
MYRRH
The findings of this investigation support the valuable anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory activity of myrrh; in addition, the wound healing properties could be attributed to its ability to modulate macrophage function. Using in vitro testing, our results revealed that myrrh had an anti-cancer effect against several cancer cell lines and an immunomodulatory effect with acceptable ADME properties.
