Sea Buckthorn is one of our favourite oils at Puremess, and here’s why!!
Contrary to popular belief, sea buckthorn doesn’t grow by the sea! It’s actually an extremely hardy shrub with enormous pointy horns that grows at high altitudes in the Northwest Himalayan region as well as in areas of Canada and China and along the Nordic coast.
Sea Buckthorn has been a popular remedy in traditional Chinese herbal medicines, dating back 1000s of years. There are 2 types of oil that can be extracted from the shrub, either from the fruit or the seeds. When the berries are pressed they release a beautiful deep red oil which is packed full of nutrients and vitamins. The seeds on the other hand, produce a more yellowy coloured oil. Both are particularly rich in Vitamin E which deeply hydrates and plumps dry skin, helping it to maintain maximum moisture. It has the added benefit of sinking straight into the skin, without leaving an oily residue behind.
Whilst both oils have many benefits, we use the fruit oil because it contains Omegas 6 and 7, fantastic for aiding skin repair and regeneration.
Sea Buckthorn and Skin Issues:
Using this wonder oil in your skincare routine provides many benefits to those with skin problems. Its anti-inflammatory properties help reduce the redness and swelling associated with eczema, psoriasis and rosacea. It also promotes maximum skin hydration, improving the skin’s elasticity and cell regeneration and has even been shown to not only treat, but prevent acne.
Sea Buckthorn is also jam packed with Omegas 3, 6, 7 and 9 (fatty acids) that are brilliant for promoting healthy, clear and glowing skin, providing unequalled anti-inflammatory effects as well. It has a wealth of vitamins and carotenoids, protecting the skin against environmental damage and free radicals, slowing down the formation of fine lines and wrinkles!
Is it any wonder we love this oil at Puremess! We use it in our Vanilla Body Custard and our Lemongrass Body Custard for all of its amazing skin care benefits to leave your skin fully hydrated, nourished and radiant.
This little powerhouse berry also has incredible health benefits when ingested. The berries themselves are quite sour but have a lovely, zingy, tropical flavour and it’s Vitamin C content is 12 times higher than that of an orange!
It’s impressive nutritional profile (it contains over 190 nutrients and phytonutrients, as well as high amounts of vitamins, minerals, fibre and protein) make it the perfect choice to include in our diets as well as our skin care routines.
Some of its health benefits have been shown to include:
- Protecting the body against ageing and inflammatory diseases like cancer and heart disease
- Lowering blood pressure
- More than half of the fats found in the berry are ‘good’ fats – monounsaturated and polyunsaturated.
- It’s high omega content could ward against anxiety, depression and improve risk factors in heart disease.
One of the ways we love to get our kick of all the health benefits of this little super berry is through a water kefir drink from our friends at Nordic Wellness drinks. They make 5 different flavours of water kefir, including Sea Buckthorn in their Surrey Hills Fermentary.
The drinks are naturally bubbly and bursting with live cultures that support a healthy gut and are so tasty! Nordic Wellness Drinks even say that in Greek mythology, Pegasus got his wings and shiny coat from eating Sea Buckthorn berries!!
Well if Pegasus can do it then so can we! We can all improve our wellness, particularly when we are stuck inside and work on our shiny coats!
If you’d like to find out more about Sea Buckthorn, as well as some of the other amazing ingredients they use, then head on over to:
Don’t forget to check out some of the other amazing ingredients we use in all of our natural skin and hair care products!
Take care,
And the Puremess team