So my new, yet not so new thing, is avocado oil. Sure, everyone knows about virgin coconut oil and olive oil and jojoba and argan, but my heart resides with the plump, beautifully rotund, humble avocado.
So in a world where everyone, and their Grandmother, has mixes and salves and potions that heal, grow and soften everything, why even worry about avocados except when getting a burrito? I used to think that avocado oil was some weird branch of culinary science that didn’t need to touch something that was nature’s answer to butter, but then the oil happened and I became an acolyte to the all powerful butter tree.
VAO (virgin avocado oil) is the best around when it comes to penetration and absorption on the dermis; long story short, my skin no longer feels like an oil slick like it would with Coconut Oil and, especially, olive oil. Yet, it gives a rich, healthy glow from the amazing amount of Omega 3 & Omega 6 fatty acids. Also, the more I tinkered this wonderful emerald hued oil, the more I saw that it was the perfect carrier for other oils that need a bit help for a bigger impact, mainly to diffuse hemp seed oil’s thick texture and stretch carrot seed oil.
Knowing the difference between refined and unrefined is pretty simple: Unrefined VAO is a dark green, almost black depending on the quality of avocados, due to its high chlorophyll content. Unrefined VAO fed to laboratory mice showed an increase of soluble collagen content in the skin in comparison to refined or unrefined soybean oil. It usually comes in dark containers to protect the green goodness from sunlight.
Refined AO is yellow in hue, faint in smell, chemically bleached and lacking in the nutrient department, but still used for cosmetics and food due to its high smoke point.
I don’t think VAO gets enough love, so if you’re feeling crafty, here’s an open source DIY lip balm recipe that super easy, light on the lips, deeply moisturizing and stars the ever wonderful Avocado.
courtesy of cravebits
Emerald Lip Balm (Makes about 6 small tubes or 3 – 5 lip tins)
1 ml Flavoring (10 – 15 drops) Lavender Vanilla is my current favorite at the moment
- Get a small double boiler and heat until simmering
- Melt wax until liquified.
- Here is the important part: REMOVE DOUBLE BOILER from heat! Never. Never mix nutrient dense oils in high heat. Don’t kill the goodness!
- Quickly mix the rest of ingredients and place in tubes to cool.
- Allow 3 to 6 hours to cure and solidify.
- Enjoy!
http://nutritiondata.self.com/
http://www.
https://www.organicfacts.net/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
