Jojoba Oil health benefits includes reducing signs of premature aging, an excellent moisturizer, helps fade stretch marks, helps fight fungal, helps minimize acbe breakouts, prevent razor burns and bumps, help speed up wound healing, can help prevent chapped lips, stimulate hair growth, assisting managing psoriasis and eczema, aid in healing sunburns, and helps treat dry scalp.
What is Jojoba Oil?
If you’ve ever used any kind of cosmetic product, chances are it contained some sort of Jojoba oil extract. Jojoba oil is extracted from the seed of the Simmondsia chinensis (or simply Jojoba plant), a shrub that grows in regions of California, Arizona and northern Mexico. Jojoba oil is not a recent discovery, as there is evidence that the Native Indians living in these regions used Jojoba oil centuries ago to treat wounds and numerous other ailments.
It is also interesting to note that Jojoba “oil”, is not really an oil, but rather a liquid wax. This separates it from other common oils in the sense that they have high triglyceride content, which contributes to their instability (or explains why they go rancid very fast). Notable exceptions are coconut and castor oils, which have high triglyceride content but are extremely stable as well.
Today, Jojoba oil has even more uses than before, some of which will surprise you when you learn of them. Let’s discover how this versatile wax can be of benefit to you:
13 Surprising Health Benefits Of Jojoba Oil
1. Makes An Excellent Moisturizer
It is different from many other moisturizes, and is in many aspects superior as well. While all other oils have moisturizing properties in that they form a protective barrier on the skin that prevents water loss, they are still removed from the skin rapidly, in contrast to jojoba oil. Jojoba oil contains a high proportion of ceramides, which are waxy compounds that are much more efficient at hydrating the skin. You can either use a product that contains jojoba oil, or apply the wax itself before bed.
2. Reduces Signs Of Premature Aging
While moisturizing your skin and keeping it hydrated is an integral step in maintaining the youthful appearance of your skin, it is far from all you need to do. UV damage will still accelerate skin breakdown, and leave it lifeless and pale. However, Jojoba oil contains Vitamin E and linoleic acid, which can buffer the effects of oxidative damage on skin, reducing the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines. These compounds can also assist in actual skin cell regeneration, making jojoba oil a necessity for skin care.
3. Can Help Fade Stretch Marks
Stretch marks are frustrating to many people, but especially women who lose confidence as a result. Stretch marks occur following rapid weight gain or loss, during which the structural proteins in the deeper layers of skin become damaged. While this structural damage is tough to reverse, you can minimize and fade the appearance of them. Jojoba oil is one such substance that can help to reduce the appearance of these stretch marks, apply locally to the areas with stretch marks twice daily, and over the period of many weeks it will become noticeably lighter. Be sure to also apply during pregnancy when most stretch marks appear, to minimize them from the inception.
4. Has Anti-Fungal Properties
Jojoba oil has found a role in treatment of fungal infections of the skin, ranging from athletes foot, to candida infections and even infections of the nails. Jojoba oil is especially useful for managing toenail fungus, as it penetrates under the nail and saturates the cuticles.
5. Help Minimize Acne Breakouts
Jojoba oil is said to possess a chemical structure closely resembling our body’s natural waxy substance, sebum. Acne pimples occur when sebum in combination with dirt blocks the follicles, resulting in bacterial growth and pus formation. Jojoba oil helps to keep pores clean, and can reduce sebum secretion by the skin. This in turn decreases the likelihood of blockage occurring.
6. Can Help Prevent Razor Burns And Bumps
Shaving across the hair line results in a cleaner shave, but is also more likely to result in razor burn or razor bumps. This is because of the closeness of the shave, but also because significant irritation occurs to the hair follicles. Applying jojoba oil both before and after shaving can reduce this occurrence significantly thanks to the anti-inflammatory nature of it. Jojoba oil is actually far superior to after shaves, whose primary purpose is to kill bacteria and close pores as opposed to soothing.
7. Can Speed Up Wound Healing
One of the first uses of jojoba oil ever recorded was for wound healing, as practiced by the Native Americans. Today, that use is even more widespread, as jojoba oil can promote growth of new cells, protect from infection and reduce oxidative damage.
8. Can Be Used To Prevent Chapped Lips
While most commercially available chapped lip products make use of petroleum jelly as their main ingredient, jojoba oil may actually keep your lips moisturized better than them. While you can apply pure jojoba oil to your lips, it may probably make better sense to combine in a beeswax base and apply. After all is said and done, you will have created your own lip balm, cheaper than buying one and more effective as well.
9. Stimulate Hair Growth
Hair loss can be as a result of multiple factors, but excluding male pattern baldness, the next most popular cause is blocked hair follicles or seborrheic dermatitis. Jojoba oil keeps follicles clean, and can help to dissolve excessive secretions from the follicles. For best results, steam scalp first, then apply jojoba oil. This will also serve the function of stimulating blood flow to the scalp.
10. Assists In Management of Psoriasis And Eczema
Both of these skin conditions involve excessive itchiness and sometimes shedding of the skin. Jojoba oil relieves itchiness, protects from external irritants and forms a barrier that keeps moisture in. jojoba oil also reduces inflammation of the skin, which can give entry to bacteria and leave unsightly scars.
11. Aids In Healing Sunburns
Jojoba oil is rich in vitamin E, which helps to reflect some degree of UV rays, minimizing the impact it can have on skin. In addition, it also contains B-vitamins, which help speed up metabolism, and in this case, the maturation of new skin cells. Vitamin E also has a moisturizing effect, and helps speed up healing of tender skin.
12. Makes A Great De-Tangling Oil
Some people suffer from chronic hair tangling, or hair that becomes easily unkempt if not brushed every single day. Often, it is due to hair texture, but luckily jojoba oil can help prevent tangles. Just a few drops in your hair daily will make brushing or combing much easier, making it a less horrific ordeal every single day.
13. Helps Treat Dry Scalp
Oftentimes, dry scalp is confused with dandruff, resulting in management that is subpar. Dry scalp and dandruff both produce white flaky patches, but dry skin is actually much easier to manage. Jojoba oil application hydrates the scalp, and prevents it from drying out. Applying a few drops twice daily can go a long way in reducing the appearance of dry flaky scales, and save you from the embarrassment of seeing white dust on the shoulders of your clothing.
Conclusion
Jojoba oil should rightfully be considered an essential oil, even though it is not often considered as one. Its utility, ability to be stored for a long time and surprising benefits makes it easy to always have on hand. There is likely some way it can positivity benefit your life, so get some and start taking advantage of what’s on offer by Jojoba oil!
