Vitamin E Oil Benefits for Skin
This simple oil is sooo good for skin. It actually goes beyond moisturizing (if used properly), and has some serious anti aging and skin-protectant properties…
It’s also one ingredient that is BETTER when applied topically to your skin. Sure, you can eat all the almonds and swallow all the supplements you want… but you can’t beat the benefits of applying Vitamin E Oil to your skin.
Here’s the why and the how to use this wonderful skin care ingredient:
Vitamin E Oil Benefits for Skin:
- Vitamin E is a super important antioxidant that is found mostly in the upper layer of your skin – the layer that is blasted by the sun so the natural vitamin e in your skin is also blasted, hence the huge advantage (possibly even the need) to applying it topically via skin care!
- Vitamin E has actually been shown to reverse premature aging of skin. It can repair elastin and collagen damage which has a huge role to play in skin aging (1). So add it to your anti aging regime
- It also protects from premature aging! Because sun damage is one of the main causes of skin aging (bla bla we all know this…) this property of vitamin e oil is amazing. Your usual sunscreen is still needed, but vitamin e adds additional protection deeper within skin – the use of this oil should be mandatory!
- While ingesting vitamin e (in the form of supplements or natural diet) is helpful, as far as your skin goes it is far better applied topically. Much more can be absorbed topically via the skin – a factor of 10.6 times the absorption compared with oral ingestion(1)…
How to Use Vitamin E Oil Properly
- With active skin care ingredients, especially with anti oxidants like Vitamin E and Vitamin C, it’s not enough to simply use anything that calls itself “Vitamin E Oil” to your skin.
- That’s because these antioxidants are notoriously unstable, and in order to do their job they must be in a form that can be delivered into the skin while remaining active. That’s the following:
- Vitamin E should be in a non-esterified form (AKA in its natural, free form not mixed with alcohol or another chemical). Esterified is more stable, so its more common in skin care ingredients. But it becomes pointless when it really doesn’t do much for your skin, despite being more “stable”.
- Right… so how to keep non-esterified forms stable? Fairly simple – Vitamin E Oil should come in an opaque container to protect is from the light – important!
- The “type” of Vitamin E to look for is D-a-tocopherol – the non synthetic form that has been shown to be more easily absorbed and used by the skin (1)
- For ideal results, the Vitamin E itself should be in a concentration of 2 – 5 % (1)
Recommend Vitamin E Oil Product:
There are numerous vitamin e oil products on the market. But as mentioned, most of these are actually useless (basically they are a moisturizer with the words “vitamin e” on the label).
It can be hard to find vitamin e oil products that fit the above criteria, but they are out there. Here is one I have used and recommend – it is D-a-tocoperol and has a high enough concentration.
It isn’t too pleasant smelling – but that’s the natural, pure Vitamin E that you want 🙂
Reference:
(1) Burke, K. E., (2004). Photo damage of the skin: Protection and reversal with topical antioxidants. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology (3) Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17134430 read it here