What is Apricot Kernel Oil?
An Apricot is a fruit, usually small, with a seed inside. Its seed is also known as a kernel. Not only is this fruit tasty, but it is also packed with numerous health benefits for the internal part of the body, the skin, and the hair. Apricot oil, just as its name implies, is extracted and cold pressed from the kernel or seed of the fruit. The extracted oil gives off a nutty fragrance and comes in a bright color.
Apricot oil has a wealth of omega 3 and 9 fatty acids. It is also packed with other important health benefits like antioxidants, anti-inflammatory properties, niacin, vitamin E, vitamin K, and vitamin A. All of these work hand in hand to support the whole body and its organs to carry out their functions properly. Asides from these properties, apricot kernel oil is also packed with manganese, potassium, magnesium, copper, and phosphorus.
How Popular is Apricot Kernel Oil?
Due to its skin-helping properties, apricot kernel oil has become one of the most sought-after oils in the cosmetic world. It has become one of the fastest-rising ingredients in the production of skin and hair products. Studies have also shown that apricot essential oil effectively treats respiratory health conditions like asthma, bronchitis, and tuberculosis. Incorporating the seed into your diet is quite easy. All you need to do is eat the raw seeds, grind them to powder, and pour them into your food while cooking. You can also add the powder into your cereal, tea, fruit juices, smoothies, or even your soap and cream, or slice the seed up and add it to your salad. Whichever method you adopt is best for you. It will provide you with all the benefits your body needs.
This article elaborates on the different health benefits your body will get from eating apricot seeds and using their oil. The following are the health benefits of apricot oil;
Health Benefits of Apricot Kernel Oil
Moisturizer
Apricot essential oil is an amazing natural skin moisturizer due to its oily content and other natural properties. Applying apricot essential oil directly to your skin at least 2 times daily can help keep your skin moisturized all day. In addition, adding it to your healthy skin care product and skincare routine will help improve the condition of your skin. Ensure that while applying apricot oil to your body, you massage the oil lavishly into parts of your body like your knees, elbows, feet, and hands.
Keeping your skin moisturized with this oil can help kick dry skin far away from you, and makes your skin attractive and succulent, all of which are everybody’s skin goals. In other words, an apricot essential oil can help you meet your skin goals.
Delays the Effects of Aging
One of the major characteristics of aging is wrinkled skin. Natural oil can delay your skin from wrinkling, giving you the sweet sixteen look even in your 60s. Apricot essential oil is a rich source of vitamin A. This essential vitamin helps in protecting skin health and giving the eyes optimum protection. It is packed with natural properties like omega-3 fatty acids that can keep the skin healthy and strong while boosting its elasticity. Hence, the wrinkle is sorted out by applying the oil daily to your skin.
Eating apricot seeds can help eliminate macular degeneration, another health condition associated with aging. All of these are courtesy of its vitamin A content.
Boosts Hair Growth
Everyone desires long, shiny, and healthy hair. However, achieving this comes with sacrifices. One of them is sticking to hair routines and applying natural and healthy oils to the hair. One of the best oils to add to your hair care list is apricot essential oil. This is because it is packed with properties that strengthen the root of the hair, prevent the hair strands from breaking or falling off and keep them healthy.
Eliminates the Production of Unhealthy Substances in the Hair
In addition, it eliminates the effects of unhealthy substances that are produced on the scalp due to metabolism and some hormones. These unhealthy substances can cause hair breakage and cause hair health to deteriorate fast, thereby killing your hair goals.
Due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, hair health conditions like dandruff have no place. This is because they prevent the death and damage of scalp cells and also prevent every form of inflammation on the scalp. While using apricot oil, ensure that you massage the oil richly into your scalp for maximum results.
Boosts the Function of the Heart
Heart health conditions can be debilitating. Having it or watching a loved one have it can be daunting. This is why it is best to prevent it as much as you can, rather than trying to cure it, as prevention is better than cure.
Following healthy diets, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and using natural substances can help reduce your chances of suffering from heart health conditions. Studies have shown that apricot oil is packed with properties that can boost and improve the function of the heart and the cardiovascular system at large. It beats down to the barest minimum an individual’s chances of suffering from myocardial infarction. To use apricot oil to this effect, add apricot oil to your foods while you cook them.
Eliminates Dark Circles Under the Eyes
Eye bags and dark circles under the eyes are caused by different factors, ranging from skin conditions to health conditions, and even skin care products contribute to the cause of eye bags and dark circles. Rather than using chemical skin products to get rid of these, it is best to adopt natural oils that have natural properties that can get rid of dark circles fast.
One of the benefits of using natural oils is that they eliminate the dark circles fast and nourish your face skin with their other enriching properties. One such natural oil is apricot oil. It has numerous skin-benefiting properties that can keep your skin shiny and attractive. To get rid of dark spots with apricot oil, rub the oil on your face every other morning when you wake up and every night before you go to bed. While applying the oil to your face, you should focus on the dark circles.
Improves Respiratory Conditions
Asthma and other respiratory health condition can cause severe discomfort and can even be life-threatening in severe cases. While medications are effective in treating these health conditions, supporting these medications with natural redies will also go a long way in regulating and treating such conditions.
However, before supporting your medications with natural remedies, it is best to speak with your doctor first. If you get the go-ahead, then you should consider getting 100% apricot kernel oil to boost your respiratory health. This oil is an effective remedy for improving respiratory distress, and this is why most healers recommend it. Add a few dribbles of apricot kernel oil to your diffuser and watch your respiratory distress vanish.
May Prevent Cancer
Apricot kernel oil is a great source of antioxidants, a natural compound that prevents cell damage and death. Without antioxidants, the cells in the body can die, and the accumulation of dead cells can cause cancer. However, with the presence of antioxidants in this oil, the rate at which your cells die will reduce drastically, and the very few dead cells will be kicked out of the body such that they will not expose you to cancer risks.
As much as you add the oil to your foods, ensure that you also apply the oil to your skin. Make it your major skin care product. This will help beat down your chances of suffering from any kind of cancer, especially breast cancer. The kernel has also proven to be an effective prevention against different cancers.
Conclusion
Apricot kernel oil is a common oil in the cosmetic world. However, beyond the cosmetic world, its benefits extend to other parts of the body apart from the skin and health. It has actively proven to be an effective remedy in preventing and treating different health conditions ranging from respiratory, heart, and cancers. It is edible oil. Thus you can add it to your foods. You can also make it your permanent body oil.
