Introducing the skin care ingredient you didn’t know you needed: Prickly Pear Seed Oil. This oil is packed with antioxidants, essential fatty acids, and vitamins, providing a triple benefit to your skin. Pressed from the tiny seeds of the prickly pear cactus, Prickly Pear Seed Oil fights sun damage and signs of aging while giving you that hydrated glow you’ve always wanted. Whether you’re looking to reverse the effects of past sun damage or make your skin look revitalized, this oil can help. Let’s take a closer look at why Prickly Pear Seed Oil is the unsung hero you’ve been waiting for in your skin care routine.
advantage | Does prickly pear oil work on dark spots? | origin | Good for hair and nails
What makes prickly pear seed oil so special? 4 benefits
Prickly Pear Seed Oil is more than just a trend—it’s packed with skin care benefits to address a variety of skin needs. Here’s why it’s garnering so much buzz:
1. Rich in antioxidants
Prickly Pear Seed Oil is rich in antioxidants, especially Vitamin E. In fact, it boasts 150% more Vitamin E than Argan Oil. This powerful antioxidant protects skin from harmful UV rays and environmental pollutants that contribute to premature aging, including fine lines and wrinkles. Prickly Pear Seed Oil is known for its high concentration of betalains, powerful antioxidants that fight wrinkles and other signs of aging caused by environmental stressors. These compounds are highly effective in protecting and rejuvenating the appearance of skin.
2. Essential Fatty Acids
Prickly Pear Seed Oil is rich in essential fatty acids such as linoleic acid, oleic acid and palmitic acid. These fatty acids are essential in maintaining the skin’s moisture barrier, keeping it hydrated and preventing dryness and flaking. The fatty acid profile of these fatty acids helps replenish lost lipids, moisturize the skin and restore elasticity.
3. Deep moisturizing
Prickly Pear Seed Oil is rich in linoleic acid, which helps skin retain moisture, leaving it deeply hydrated and plump and smooth, especially beneficial for dry and mature skin types.
4. Minimize sun damage
Prickly Pear Seed Oil’s rich antioxidant properties help minimize skin damage caused by sun exposure, helping to reduce the appearance of sun spots, reduce redness and restore skin’s natural radiance.
Does prickly pear oil help with dark spots?
Prickly pear seed oil helps reduce dark spots and pigmentation. Prickly pear oil is rich in phytosterols and essential fatty acids, namely omega-6 and omega-9. These nutrients help reduce the appearance of dark spots (or age spots) and fine lines.
Origin and Extraction Process of Prickly Pear Seed Oil
Prickly Pear Seed Oil is extracted from the seeds of the prickly pear cactus, scientifically known as Opuntia ficus-indica, which is native to Mexico and the southwestern United States but has been introduced to arid and semi-arid areas around the world.
The process of oil extraction is labor-intensive and typically takes 3-4 days. Tiny seeds must be carefully hand-collected from the fruit. The seeds are then washed, dried and cold-pressed to extract the precious oil. Considering that only 18-20% of the peeled fruit are seeds, and these seeds contain only 3-5% oil, it takes about one ton of cactus fruits to produce one liter of oil. Moreover, the harvesting season for these fruits is limited, lasting only a few weeks to a few months depending on the region. These factors lead to the high price of prickly pear seed oil.
Further Benefits of Prickly Pear Seed Oil
Hair Revitalization
Prickly pear seed oil is an excellent remedy for dry, dull hair. To use as a hair treatment, apply a drop or two to your hair at night, massage into your hair, and leave on for 15 minutes before washing. The oil will revitalize your hair and add shine and volume.
Nail Strengthening
Regularly applying cold-pressed prickly pear oil to your nail cuticles will help strengthen your nails and make them less likely to split. Simply massage a few drops into your cuticles to improve nail health and elasticity.
Wondering what oils to use in your skin care routine? Contact your Eminence Organics spa partner for recommendations.
