Chia Seed Oil: Why Your Skin Needs It This Season
Chia seeds have become quite the well-rounded kitchen staple. You can make super yummy pudding out of those little babies. They make a healthy addition to smoothies. You can even sprinkle them on a salad for a nutrition boost. Did you know chia seeds —or more specifically, chia seed oil— have health benefits for skin, too?
Thankfully, using this ingredient on skin is not at all like the experience of smearing chia paste on those terra cotta pets of your youth. Find out what makes chia good for skin, how it’s used in skincare, and which products are best for your skin type.
What Is Chia Seed Oil?
Doesn’t seem like much of anything could possibly be squeezed from those itty bitty seeds, let alone oil, right? Chia seeds are actually abundant in essential fatty acids and there is a particular method used to get this goodness out of those tiny seeds.
“We use a certified organic oil that has been extracted from chia seeds, using a process called supercritical CO2 extraction,” says LATHER founder Emilie Hoyt. “This gentle method works without the stress of high temperatures, preserving the highest level of active plant constituents.”
What are the Beauty Benefits of Chia Seed Oil
Chia seed oil “contains an ideal 3:1 ratio of omega-3 (alpha-linolenic) and omega-6 (linoleic) fatty acids,” says Merrady Wickes, Director of Education for The Detox Market, “which makes it supremely hydrating, yet silky and lightweight.”
Those essential fatty acids also help to make the skin feel soothed and calmed, while giving it a supple and plumped up appearance. Another bonus to using chia seed oil on skin is its bounty of antioxidants, which help to protect the skin from signs of age, environmental, and UV induced damage.
Soft hydrated skin with a youthful look … who doesn’t want that? And no better time of year to employ a super-rich, moisturizing ingredient with staying power than fall and winter. But dry and mature skin types aren’t the only ones who benefit from this ingredient.
Chia seed oil is rich in vitamin B3 and zinc, which means it balances oily skin and keeps the complexion clear. The oil is lightweight and non-greasy, so won’t leave skin feeling oily. People with dry skin will love using chia seed oil for its amazing moisturizing properties,” says Hoyt. “However, chia seed oil is actually great for all skin types—even oily, which I know can be surprising to many people.”
7 Chia Seed Oil Products to Try
Skin smoothing, line reducing, softening, hydrating, oil balancing, clearing, and calming. Chia seed oil offers benefits to all skin types, including dry, mature, oily, acne-prone, and sensitive. Choose from the chia seed oil products below and get ready to glow.
LATHER Chia Seed & Passion Fruit Cleansing Oil
1. Use this oil cleanser to loosen makeup, dirt, and built-up sebum from skin. Leaves a feeling of softness and moisture on the complexion.
LATHER Chia Seed & Passion Fruit Facial Oil
2. This beautiful facial oil combines the beauty benefits of chia with passion fruit oil for a super hydrating and protective feel. Perfect for your wintertime beauty kit.
Maya Chia Supercritical Omega-3 Face Oil
3. This is your staple bottle of straight up chia seed oil, with a lovely bit of essential oils and botanical extracts. Use on skin as a facial oil, or add to your day or night cream for a boost of hydration and radiance. Another moisturizing trick to keep dry skin looking fresh and dewy is to add a few drops of oil to a facial essence and pat into skin, then follow up with serum and moisturizer.
Maya Chia The Super Couple, Ultra Luxe Face Oil Serum
4. This serum practically has superpowers. Chia seed oil combines with other beautiful skin oils, like rose and jasmine, plus Astaxanthin, a super potent antioxidant ingredient found in algae. Use on dull, tired, mature, dry, and sensitive skin to restore a look of vitality.
The Super Blend Pressed Serum Brightening Moisture Concentrate
5. All the goodness of a rich, hydrating serum in balm form. Ideal for dry, chilly months.
One Love Organics Oh Mega Calming Chia Oil
6. Soothe or ward off redness, inflammation, and irritation with this super calming blend. Green tea, aloe, and lavender keep things ultra mild. For skin that is super sensitive, try adding a few drops to your moisturizer.
7. Want instant glow? This is your baby. Chia seed oil with a healthy dose of seabuckthorn for a healthy, luminous look. Rosehip oil brightens skin and reduces signs of aging.
*Disclaimer: Help support Organic Authority! Our site is dedicated to helping people live a conscious lifestyle. We’ve provided some affiliate links above in case you wish to purchase any of these products.
Related on Organic Authority
23 Chia Seed Recipes So Easy You’ll Want to Make Them All Right Now
How to Use Chia Seeds in 3 Unique Ways
From ‘Cha Cha Cha Chia’ to Ooey Gooey Superfood Goodness