Perhaps you are wondering what sea buckthorn oil is and where it comes from. While it has nothing to do with the sea, we promise you're going to want to have this wonder oil on your radar. Sea buckthorn boasts an impressive profile of essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, making it a powerhouse skincare ingredient.
In this article, we’ll discuss the benefits of sea buckthorn oil in skincare, as well what it is and tips on how best to use it.
IN A NUTSHELL
Ingredient Category: Antioxidant, Occlusive
Main Benefit: Sea buckthorn oil is deeply hydrating and features a unique combination of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that improve the overall health and look of the skin.
Find It In: Just Dew It Hydrating Serum, H2 Oh Yeah Hydrating Moisturizer, and Youth Fairy Retinol Moisturizer.
What Is Sea Buckthorn Oil?
Also known as sandthorn, sallowthorn, and seaberry, the sea buckthorn plant is a deciduous shrub that grows at high altitudes in places like the Himalayan region, China, Russia, and northern Europe. Some refer to it as "the Holy Fruit of the Himalayas.”
Sea buckthorns produce tart, yellow-orange berries that have been used for centuries in traditional medicine, as well as eaten as part of a healthy diet and applied to the skin.
This little shrub boasts an abundance of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that provide a multitude of health benefits. They include all four types of omega fatty acids, ten times more vitamin C than an orange, and a generous dose of vitamin E.
Sea buckthorn oil is extracted from the fruit and seeds of the plant and can be applied topically or eaten. Whether it comes from the fleshy pulp of the berries or their small, nutrient-rich seeds, this oil can add incredible value to your skincare routine.
Sea Buckthorn Benefits
Naturally, a plant bursting with as many goodies as sea buckthorn offers a several benefits when applied to the skin.
Soothing Protection
Rich in antioxidants, sea buckthorn oil offers strong protection against stressors that hasten the signs of aging. It's brimming with polyphenols, flavonoids, micronutrients, and vitamins A, C, and E, which all work hard to neutralize the threat of external aggressors.
These antioxidants work to smooth the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, plump the skin, and even out tone and texture. This also makes it a top-notch option for anyone trying to minimize the look of discoloration and scarring. Because antioxidants reinforce the skin's natural defenses, fewer things can irritate it, resulting in a calmed complexion.
Deeply Hydrating
Sea buckthorn oil's balanced profile of fatty acids provide smoothing and occlusive properties and alleviate temporary redness and discomfort. Omega-7 and omega-6 rejuvenate and strengthen the skin, while omega-3 and omega-9 help hydrate — the perfect combination for rough, dry, and flaky complexions.
Sea buckthorn oil also boasts linoleic acid, which helps to fortify the skin's lipid barrier. This prevents dry skin from losing moisture it desperately needs, improving hydration levels. Because sea buckthorn oil has a knack for penetrating deep into the epidermis, it offers ultra-moisturizing benefits that work wonders for smoothing your skin.
Great for All Skin Types
When you take into account sea buckthorn oil's protective and strengthening properties, hydrating prowess, soothing and calming effects, and deeply penetrative nature, you get a pretty versatile substance. It serves dry, sensitive, and combination skin types equally well.
How to Use Sea Buckthorn Oil for Skin
There are a few ways to integrate sea buckthorn oil into your skincare regimen. You can apply it in its purest form; when doing so, make sure it's free of unnecessary additives and hasn't undergone a chemical or heat extraction process that could kill all its nutrients.
On its own, it can replace your usual lotion, or you can apply it after you've used your favorite facial moisturizer and anti-aging eye cream to seal them in. Otherwise, it will form a barrier that other products won't be able to penetrate.
This incredible oil works very well in tandem with hydrating ingredients, like hyaluronic acid and jojoba oil, so you’ll find it in a wide variety of skincare products. Our Just Dew It hydrating serum features all of the above ingredients – plus other ultra-hydrating botanicals such as prickly pear seed oil, squalane and aloe vera – to keep your thirsty skin plump and glowing all day long.
Seal it all in with an extra dose of sea buckthorn oil when you follow up with our H2 Oh Yeah hydrating moisturizer. Both products work together to keep your skin happily hydrated. They work well with all skin types, as they target both dry and dehydrated skin.
If you want to up your anti-aging game, you can also find sea buckthorn oil in our Youth Fairy retinol moisturizer. This rich night cream works to smooth away lines and wrinkles, brighten your skin, and intensely moisturize dull skin.
It's important to note that pure sea buckthorn oil has intense coloring and can sometimes impart a reddish or yellow hue to products. That's both a blessing and a curse, as directly applying it can give skin a fresh, healthy glow without having a tinting effect, but it can also potentially stain white bedding. Allow any product to absorb into your skin before planting your face in your pillow.
Due to its high content of unsaturated fatty acids, pure sea buckthorn oil can go bad without proper storage and should be used quickly. So keep it in a dark bottle away from heat and direct light.
Super Oil for Super Skin
This nourishing nectar of the Himalayas has an impressive nutrient profile that makes it extremely good for you both on the inside and out.
It combats common signs of aging and water loss and evens tone while rejuvenating, protecting, and plumping skin — what's not to love? Adding it to your skincare routine is a no-brainer.
