Everything You Need to Know About Grapeseed Oil
Grapeseed oil comes from the seeds of the grape plant. During the manufacturing process, the tiny seeds present inside the grape plant are pressed in order to obtain the oil.
Interestingly, though this same process is followed during winemaking, too, grapeseed oil doesn’t really have much of a taste and is neutral for the most part. It is this neutral quality that makes it desirable for use for cooking certain foods. Because of its neutral taste, grapeseed oil goes well with most dishes without ruining or over-shadowing the taste of the dish.
This neural quality is also what makes grapeseed oil superior to many other oils. Olive oil and coconut oil, for example, despite their many benefits, do have a distinctive taste. As a result, you can’t use those oils for cooking different kinds of foods.
Grapeseed oil, however, can be used with anything that your heart desires. You can, for example, use it to garnish your pizza or to dress your salads.
Another reason that grapeseed oil is slowly gaining popularity as a cooking oil is because of its high smoke point, especially compared to other oils. The smoke point of an oil refers to the ability of an oil to withstand high temperatures without releasing harmful free radicals as the flames oxidize.
Grapeseed oil’s high smoke point makes it ideal for cooking, baking, stir-frying, sautéing, roasting, etc. If you use this oil, your food can become nice and crispy, and you don’t have to worry about it getting burnt.
Marketers are now talking about the many health benefits of grapeseed oil, owing to the high levels of vitamin E and high polyunsaturated fat content.
According to them, grapeseed oil has a whole lot of health benefits such as lowering the ‘bad’ cholesterol levels in your body, in turn reducing your risk of developing heart diseases such as heart stroke or heart attack.
Furthermore, grapeseed oil can even be applied topically to the skin to cure skin problems such as acne.
If all this wasn’t enough for you, here’s everything you need to know about grapeseed oil.
How is Grapeseed Oil Manufactured?
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Grapeseed oil is basically just a byproduct of the winemaking process. For years and years, there was a whole lot of useless byproduct left when wine was manufactured. This wasn’t the best use of the oil, and from a business point of view, it made absolutely no sense.
Nowadays, grapeseed oil is made in factories, and the seeds are crushed using various solvents.
People are sometimes afraid of the effects of toxic solvents of grapeseed oil, such as hexane, that can be detrimental to peoples’ health. Fortunately, most solvents are removed from the oil when it is refined and before being supplied to stores.
Is Grapeseed Oil ‘Heart-Healthy’?
In recent years, grapeseed oil has been marketed as a ‘healthy’ cooking oil. There are many reasons for this.
Grapeseed oil has a high number of antioxidants, polyunsaturated fats and nutrients, and is rich in high in omega-6 fatty acids. This high level of polyunsaturated fats and omega-6 fatty acids makes grapeseed oil an ideal cooking oil.
Some people claim that because grapeseed oil does not have a high omega-3 fatty acid content, it can perhaps increase the risk of inflammation in the body. This isn’t true, however. A whole body of research has concluded that linoleum acid – the main type of omega-6 fatty acid present in grapeseed oil, doesn’t cause inflammation in the body.
Another great thing about grapeseed oil is that it contains a whole lot of vitamin E, almost 19% of your Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA).
How Does Grapeseed Oil Affect Your Health?
There has been a whole bunch of research that studied the impact of grapeseed oil on the human body.
For example, a 2-month study of 44 overweight women studied the effects of using consuming grapeseed oil or sunflower oil every day. The study proved that grapeseed oil helped improve insulin resistance, which is typically a common cause of inflammation. This is to a far greater extent than sunflower oil.
Other research studies also found that grapeseed oil can have an anti-platelet impact. This implies that grapeseed oil can reduce your tendency to develop blood clots.
Is Grapeseed Oil Suitable for Cooking?
There are conflicting opinions on whether or not grapeseed oil is a suitable choice for cooking. As discussed above, grapeseed oil boasts a relatively high smoke point. For this reason alone, it is considered great for deep frying, cooking, sautéing, and roasting.
Some people, however, believe that because this oil is rich in polyunsaturated fats, it’s actually not a great idea to expose it to very high temperatures. This is because these polyunsaturated fats might react with oxygen if exposed to temperatures that are too high. This reaction will cause them to form harmful compounds, such as free radicals.
Typically, the cooking oils that are healthiest to fry with are those oils that tend to have a high concentration of either monounsaturated fats or saturated fats – olive oil, for example. These fats are far less likely to disintegrate into toxic substances when exposed to heat.
With conflicting data, it’s best to stay on the safe side and just use grapeseed oil as a salad dressing.
Benefits for Your Skin
Grapeseed Oil Can Help with Acne
Acne is a cause of concern for most people, regardless of their age. Although there are many causes of acne, one of the main causes is high androgen levels. Because of rising androgen levels, oil glands located underneath under the skin begin to expand.
These expanded oil glands produce excessive sebum, which, in turn, disintegrates the walls of your pores, allowing bacteria to thrive, resulting in acne.
Grapeseed oil has proven antimicrobial properties. Because of this, some people use it to treat outbreaks of acne. The linoleum acid present in grapeseed oil has anti-inflammatory properties that can get rid of new breakouts and clear up your skin effectively.
Applying grapeseed oil on your acne spots regularly can not only help get rid of it faster but can also prevent new outbreaks. By attacking the bacteria that can possibly get inside your pores and cause acne, the use of grapeseed oil leaves you with clearer and fresher skin.
Acne is also sometimes caused by an uneven distribution of oil across your face. Linoleum acid can act like the sebum produced naturally by your glands and can give your face an even glow.
Grapeseed Oil Can Make Your Skin Softer and More Elastic
Skin elasticity refers to your skin’s ability and capacity to stretch before going back into its original form. When skin loses its elasticity, it is referred to as elastosis. Because of elastosis, your skin tends to look unattractive – crinkled, leathery, and saggy.
Grapeseed oil has been tested for this very purpose, and it has been found that it can help make your skin softer and more elastic. Research has found that using grapeseed oil regularly can help increase the softness of your skin, increase its moisture levels, as well as its ability to bounce back.
Grapeseed oil also contains vitamins E and C, both of which have moisturizing and nourishing properties for the skin.
If your skin has become less elastic or its texture has been negatively affected by various environmental factors, you might want to consider using grapeseed oil on your skin to improve its overall look and texture and make you look younger!
Grapeseed Oil Can Even out Skin Tone
An uneven skin tone is caused by the unusual darkening of the skin. It is also referred to as hyperpigmentation.
Grapeseed oil contains a strong antioxidant called proanthocyanidin. This antioxidant can help even out your skin tone, especially when used regularly.
It has been discovered that by using grapeseed oil regularly, you can improve symptoms of skin problems such as melasma and even reduce hyperpigmentation of the skin.
Grapeseed Oil Can Protect Your Skin Against Harmful UV Radiation
Too much exposure to harmful UV rays can be extremely harmful for you. Not only can too much sun exposure cause signs of early aging such as wrinkles, but it can also, in extreme cases, cause skin cancer.
Although store-bought sunblock can help protect you from harmful UV radiation, they also contain their fair share of chemicals that might be too harsh on the skin.
Grapeseed oil is a natural alternative to store-bought sunblocks.
Grapeseed oil contains strong antioxidants that have a myriad of health benefits. A whole lot of research has proven that grapeseed oil can protect the skin against harmful UV radiation.
How Should Grapeseed Oil Be Used?
Using grapeseed oil for your skin isn’t at all complicated. In fact, it can be as simple as you like.
There are many different ways to use this amazing oil. You can buy grapeseed oil from a store near you and use it raw, as a serum over your face, or even each night before going to bed for clearer and softer skin the next day.
Here are some other ways to apply grapeseed oil to your skin:
- You can instead also mix a few drops of the oil in your existing moisturizers and lotions to increase their ability to nourish your skin.
- You can even heat some of the oil and rub it on your palms before rubbing it slowly onto your face.
- Additionally, you can mix some drops of grapeseed oil with an essential oil such as lavender oil and apply this mixture to your skin. This will ensure that your skin is left feeling extra soft and supple.
- You can even make a mask of the mixture of grapeseed oil and an essential oil. Put this on your face and leave it for ten minutes as a short skin rejuvenation treatment.
It’s also possible to purchase this oil in the form of a capsule, which, if you take orally for a few weeks, will significantly improve your skin’s appearance.
Are There Side Effects and Risks of Grapeseed Oil?
Unless you know for a fact that you are allergic to grapeseed oil, there is no harm in trying it out on your skin.
Before applying the oil directly to the skin, apply it on one small portion of your face to make sure that you’re not allergic to it or that your skin doesn’t react negatively to it in any way. If you do notice any adverse reactions to the grapeseed oil, wash it off immediately. If these reactions persist, consult your doctor or a dermatologist right away!
While grapeseed oil can be used during cooking, certain people should avoid using it altogether. This includes those who have some sort of blood condition, those who have to go in for surgery, and those who are on medications such as aspirin.
Conclusion
Grapeseed oil is a simple and pretty affordable treatment that you can try out for your skin. Mixing it with essential oils or even just using it by itself on your skin regularly can have massive benefits for your skin.
This was a comprehensive guide on everything you need to know about grapeseed oil. If you’re looking for oil that you can use for cooking and as a form of skin treatment, then you can’t go wrong with grapeseed oil.