Take this skin quiz to find the best ingredients for your skin and build your skin care routine.
Take The Skin Quiz
What is almond oil?
Almond oil is made from pressing raw almond nuts, which can then be used for medicinal purposes, as well as in skincare. Almond oil is rich in vitamin E and is great for your hair and nails. It makes your hair look shiny and lustrous, and the antioxidants and vitamins present in it help restore nail health.
What is it best for?
Like many oils, almond oil is an effective moisturizing agent, so it is a great, all-natural ingredient for those with dry, itchy skin or eczema. It is also commonly used to reduce the appearance of stretch marks and wrinkles and to lessen under eye circles. For these reasons, almond oil is a wonderful ingredient in anti-aging products. You can use almond oil as a base for a scrub, mix it with your bath water, rub it onto chapped lips, or apply it directly onto your skin.
Additionally, almond oil’s high levels of vitamin E means it can help lighten skin and provide UV protection.
What is the drawback?
Anyone with a nut allergy may be sensitive to almond oil, so make sure you do a patch test first. This is especially important if you have eczema, as eczema can increase the chances of your having an allergy. In addition, a study conducted in 2012 linked almond oil application in pregnant women with preterm birth, but further research is required to prove the link.
Pores are itsy-bitsy openings in the skin—and there are millions covering every millimeter of skin. There are two types of pores with different functions: sweat pores and oil pores. The sweat pore allows moisture, produced by sweat glands, to exude out to the surface of the skin, where it helps to cool the body in response to heat, exertion or fever. Sweat pores are so tiny, they are mostly invisible to the human eye.
The oil pore, on the other hand, is a bit larger. Oil pores are also known as hair follicles because these pores produce oil from the sebaceous glands, but they are also the openings from which hair emerges. The oils help to keep our skin and hair healthy. It is the oil pores that can get clogged with sweat, debris and other gunk, causing acne, blackheads and whiteheads. Sweat pores rarely get clogged, as they are so tiny.
Benzoyl peroxide is a topical agent for fighting bacteria and unclogging pores. It is one of the longest-used medications to keep pores clean and healthy. Jojoba oil and rosehip oil are also good for reducing inflammation, fighting bacteria, and keeping in moisture for healthier skin. Ingredients that help exfoliate dead skin cells and increase new skin cell production, such as Vitamin A/Retinol, glycolic acid, and salicylic acid, are good for keeping pores unclogged as well.
Almond oil may be effective for clogged pores, but there are many other factors that may affect whether this ingredient would work on your skin or if there are better ingredients that may work for you. Take this skin quiz to find the best ingredients for your skin and build your skincare routine.
Next: Does jojoba oil work on rosacea ?