Sunflower Oil For Your Skin Care

Grow Sunflowers for Fun in the Sun

Sunflowers are fun to plant and grow.  I can remember when my kids were younger we would read the book, "Amy loves the Sun" by Julia Hoban.  As a result of reading this book we created a magical sunflower circle where they could go outside and hide in the middle, just like Amy.  As the flowers grew taller, it was easier to be hidden in the middle of the circle.  When the sunflowers reached maturity we would take the seeds and roast them for a delicious treat and reminisce about the fun that was had in the summer sun.

Secret Hiding Place

Sunflower oil is extracted from sunflower seeds, and is rich in Vitamin A, C, and E.   Sunflower oil is beneficial for both human health and skin care applications.  When consumed, sunflower oil helps to improve heart health, boost energy, and lower cholesterol.  When applied topically, sunflower oil is believed to help acne sufferers, protects skin from sun damage, and prevents signs of premature aging.

I like to use Sunflower Oil in soap and topical treatments because it is a light oil, and is easily absorbed into the skin.  In the winter my skin is in need of a heavy butter for conditioning, while in the summer my skin requires something a bit lighter in consistency to achieve the same results.  Sometimes my skin needs a bit of a boost by softening the dry skin with a lighter topical application prior to the application of a heavy butter.

Sunflower Oil is the common name we all familiar with.  In the skin care world, proper ingredient listing is required and known as INCI Nomenclature.  Products created for skin care usage should list this ingredient as "Helianthus Annus (Sunflower) Oil" when it is used in products other than soap.  During the soap making process, the oil is transformed into a sodium that offers the same qualities as the original ingredient, but is no longer simply Sunflower Oil.  As a result, the INCI Nomenclature for Sunflower Oil in soap is "Sodium Sunflower Seedate" for bars and/or hard soap and in liquid soap you will see it listed as "Potassium Sunflower Seedate".

Individuals with seed allergies should avoid the use of Sunflower Oil, or check with their Physician prior to using.