Minimalist Beauty

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Safflower Oil--My Favorite High Linoleic Oil for Skin & Hair

This post contains affiliate links from my favorite brand Mountain Rose Herbs. I love their high quality organic/fair trade products, and am blown away by their commitment to zero waste. 

Ever since learning how the composition of carrier oils can effect acne prone skin, I realigned my personal skin care and beauty regime to follow my findings. If you haven’t read Oils Specifically for Acne Prone Skin, then please do. The science behind this information has been a game changer for me and many others. As a result I haven’t had any breakouts like I used to. I shared my six year update of using oils high in linoleic acid in this article.

My favorite multi-purpose beauty oil high in linoleic acid is organic safflower oil which is abundant in vitamin E with anti-inflammatory properties.

I buy organic safflower oil from Mountain Rose Herbs because I know that their source is organic, fair trade, and high in linoleic acid. There are two types of safflower oil; safflower oil high in oleic acid, and safflower oil high in linoleic acid. Every organic safflower oil that I've seen in grocery stores to date has been high in oleic acid which is great for cooking at high temperatures, but not good for acne prone skin.

Safflower oil that is high in linoleic acid is one of the riches sources of linoleic acid on the commerical market containing up to 85% linoleic acid and 30% oleic acid.

Over the years I’ve found using organic safflower oil that is high in linoleic to be very moisturizing and soothing to irritated skin. Safflower oil is not only amazing for acne, but also for skin rashes such as ezcema. Some feel that oils high in linoleic acid are considered dry oils that are very drying to the skin. The other notion is that oils high in linoleic acid are fragile and unstable. These are broad generalizations since all carrier oils high in linoleic acid are all very unique. Safflower oil that is high in linoleic acid is a very stable carrier oil.

Organic safflower oil has become my favorite oil for oil cleansing, body lotion, and for my hair which makes this oil perfect when traveling and packing light.

Safflower oil that is high in linoleic acid is also high in ceramides which is very beneficial for hair health. Ceramide oils keep the hair cuticle intact while penetrating the hair shaft and moisturizing the hair. It is pretty well known that coconut, avocado, and olive oil penetrates the hair shaft, yet ceramide oils do as well. I shared more on ceramide oils for hair care here.

So there you have it. I LOVE organic safflower oil hands down for all things beauty. I once bought a gallon of it I loved it so much. It’s just that good.

What’s your favorite multipurpose beauty oil?

Image by Dawn Michelle