Welcome to my new series ‘My Essentials’ where I’ll be sharing my most loved natural beauty-enhancing ingredients. Each month, I’ll lend the stage to an essential oil, butter or other plant-based source and share the secrets of the magic within.
To me, chemical cosmetic ingredient lists read like hazardous science experiments. It’s near impossible to understand what any of the components are and, with all the numbers and scientific terms assigned to them, it’s very confusing. You have to wonder though whether this is the point. Actually, you don’t have to wonder - follow me on Instagram where I regularly reveal where some of the most common ingredients in mainstream beauty products actually come from (and what they really are).
The problem though, is natural product ingredients are often equally difficult to decipher. Mine included. That’s because we can’t always use the more widely-known terms as total accuracy is understandably important. So, I thought I’d tell you a bit more about some of the beauty-enhancing ingredients I use in my natural skincare products and why I use them.
For January, we’ll focus on Daucus Carota Sativa Seed Oil - more commonly known as carrot seed oil.
What Makes Carrot Seed Oil So Special?
You can find carrot seed oil in most of my face creams and face oils. It’s in The Eternal collection, The Balance collection, The Exquisite collection, The Lustrous collection, The Radiance collection and The Established collection. So, you can see I’m a fan!
It’s safe to say that carrot seed oil is a favourite ingredient of mine. Mostly, because it’s a strong and effective anti-oxidant. When applied to the skin it offers protective powers that can support pro-aging and also help to combat skin conditions such as eczema.
Furthermore, carrot seed oil is a carotolino - a natural colour enhancer that aids skin tone balance, encourages brightening and can provide blue light protection (when combined with other ingredients). This quality means it is known to calm and even reduce hyperpigmentation, hence why it’s an essential oil in my core natural skincare products.
What Is Carrot Seed Oil?
Dacus carota sativa seed oil, also known as carrot seed oil, is derived from crushed carrot seeds. Those are the ones produced in the wild by the flowering plant, not the root vegetable. Carrot seed oil is often confused with carrot oil, but these are not the same. Carrot oil is a vegetable oil that can be used in cooking. Carrot seed oil should not be ingested as it is an essential oil processed either by crushing the seeds or through the process of steam distillation.
How Can Carrot Seed Oil Be Used?
As mentioned above, carrot seed oil should not be ingested. It is also not suitable for applying directly to the skin and needs to first be diluted by combining it with a carrier oil.
You may also have heard that carrot seed oil is a natural SPF. Whilst this is true, that doesn’t mean that it is strong enough to be effective protection against sunlight on its own. Rather, it may be combined with other natural ingredients that have sunscreening properties to amass an SPF strong enough to provide proper protection.
My Essentials - Top Skincare Secrets
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Resources:
https://www.healthline.com/health/rose-geranium-oil
https://draxe.com/beauty/carrot-seed-oil/