Strawberry seed oil is an excellent source of antioxidants and tocopherols. The oil is extracted from the tiny seeds with the use of the cold-pressed method. Strawberry seeds have natural polyphenols that are found in small amounts. The oil is dark green in color having light viscosity. It has a sweet and subtle aroma that resembles strawberries. It contains about 38% of Omega-3 Linolenic acid. It is an excellent source of Vitamin B, A, E, C and minerals such as potassium, boron, phosphorus, fluorine, cobalt, magnesium, calcium and sulphur. It is used in cosmetics to remove freckles. The mixture of lemon juice and strawberry oil helps to purify the skin, lower the appearance of freckles and improves the condition of the skin.

History

Strawberry was firstly grown during the late 18th century in Brittany of France. The cultivated selections done from the species of wild strawberry was used as a source of fruit. The fruit strawberry was mentioned for its medicinal uses in an ancient Roman literature. In 14th century, the strawberry was taken by French from the forest to gardens. From 1364 to 1380, France king named Charles V has 1200 plants of strawberry in his garden. In 15th century, wild strawberry was used by Western European monks in the illuminated manuscripts. The plant of strawberry was used as a treatment for depressive ailments.

The cultivation references were common in the 16th century. It was used for medicinal properties and started to name different species. The cultivation of Strawberry increased in England in Mid-16th century. Thomas Wolsey created the combination of cream and strawberries in the court of King Henry VIII. In 1578, the instructions were written for growing as well as harvesting strawberries.

In 16th century, F. moschata, F. vesca and F. viridis are the three European species known. In 17th century, the introduction of F.virginiana to Europe from Eastern North America gave rise to the modern strawberry. Till the end of the 18th century, the new species was not completely appreciated. In 1712, the strawberry plant was introduced with female flowers when a French excursion has journeyed to Chile. It resulted in the common strawberry that we have currently. Until 1551, Huilliche and Mapuche Indians of Chile cultivated the species of female strawberry. The cultivation of F.chiloensis was recorded by a European explorer in 1765. When it was firstly introduced to Europe, the plant produces no fruit though grown vigorously. In 1766, they discovered that the female plants could be pollinated by F. virginiana, F. moschata, and F. ananassa. Europeans became aware that plants are able to produce either only male or female flowers. When the cultivation of large fruit plants started, the population of Chilean strawberry decreased in Europe which was caused due to F.ananassa.

Health Benefits

Maintain and Elasticity of skin

Strawberry seed oil prevents the breakdown of collagen accumulated beneath the skin and augments collagen production too. Enhanced collagen improves the elasticity of the skin and smoothes fine lines and wrinkles, giving you younger-looking skin.

Best Moistures For Skin

Strawberry seed oil deeply moisturizes the skin without clogging its pores, making the skin look fresh and supple. It greatly improves and protects the skin barrier and helps to restore the softness and suppleness of the skin.

Prevent Skin Disease

Strawberry seed oil is helpful in managing certain very common skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, sunburns, acne, stretch marks, cellulite, dermatitis, etc. as it also helps to treat burns, cuts, and scars.

This oil is also used to treat dry hair, dry scalp, and brittle nails. It also cures dry or chapped skin and flaky skin.

Useful in Aromatherapy

Strawberry seed oil has a unique, garden-fresh, and sweet fragrance. This unique fragrance makes it stimulating to the senses, and hence, it is used as a base oil in aromatherapy and as a diffuser to create a soothing atmosphere. It is also used in various oil fragrances and even in facial and body oils.

Strawberry oil is also used in massage treatments as it has a light texture that makes it easy to rub on the skin. The rich fragrance and high therapeutic values make it perfect for an after-bath application.

Protect Skin From Damage

The presence of ellagic acid in strawberry oil makes it a strong antioxidant, fighting free radicals and thus protecting the skin from the harmful UV rays of the sun.

Strawberry seed oil has negligible side effects and very few people report allergic reactions from its usage. No wonder these strawberries that are unmissable in desserts around the world, also pack a great punch when it comes to skincare.

Treat Dandruff

Strawberry seed oil is excellent to prevent or even treat dandruff. This is because dandruff is more often than not caused by the low quality of the scalp. Strawberry seed oil is rich in essential fatty acids which gives it the essentials to heal the cells of your scalp skin. A pack that you can use is to mix a few drops of strawberry seed oil with 1 tsp of lemon juice in a bowl of curd. Apply this on your hair, leave it for an hour, and then shampoo, or just rinse your hair.

For Shiny Hair

Strawberry seed oil is very light in nature thus, you can apply it to your hair and leave it without the need to shampoo it off. This will make the hair look shiny and not sticky like other oils tend to make it look. In order to get silky smooth hair, use 1 tsp of strawberry seed oil and add it to a bowl. In that add one egg, I tbsp mayonnaise. This mixture will be no less than a conditioner on your hair.

More Benefit

• Helps delay the signs of aging.
• Hydrates your skin.
• Helps tighten skin and reduce the puffiness and under the eye-shadows and darkness.
• Helps relieve dry cracked skin.
• Makes lips soft.
• Vitamin E is a nutrient and an antioxidant that helps in clearing blemishes and discoloration of the skin.
• The vitamin C antioxidants stimulate collagen production.
• Can be used directly on the skin or can be mixed with Face Care products for smooth and glowing skin.
• STRAWBERRY SEED OIL is great carrier oil used with various essential oil blends.

Hair Benefits:

• STRAWBERRY SEED OIL contains all the vitamins, and minerals conducive to healthy hair and hair loss prevention. Being high in vitamin E, encourages hair growth and maintenance.
• FOR FACE: A few drops are sufficient to apply on the whole face, neck, and decollete morning and evening. Apply daily (can be used multiple times a day) to get the maximum benefits.
• FOR HAIR: A few drops are sufficient to apply to your hair or scalp. Add 2-3 drops to your own favorite shampoo or conditioner.
• FOR FACE, BODY & HAIR: Just mix a few drops with your favorite cream, lotion, make-up remover, shower & bath gel, shampoos, face mask, sunscreen products, and various lip balms.

Traditional uses

• It helps to maintain the elasticity of the skin.
• It could be added to body, lip, facial, massage and hair care products.
• It moisturizes skin, lowers wrinkles, skin lines, and dryness.
• It assists in regenerating skin cells.
• It is helpful for treating skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, acne, sunburn, dermatitis, stretch marks, cellulite, scars, cuts and burns.
• It is used to treat damaged, dry hair, brittle nails, and dry scalp.
• It effectively cures chapped, dry, sensitive, cracked, flaky, and mature skin.
• It prevents skin from UV rays damage.
• It restores the skin’s suppleness and smoothness.
• It is used for aromatherapy and massage purposes.
• It is used to promote metabolism, purify gastrointestinal tract, arthrosis, liver diseases, gout and anemia.
• Massage the cleansed skin with one small pump. Apply it to the neck, face, and décolletage skin areas. It should be used twice regularly for best results.
• It provides relief from aching muscles.

HOW DOES STRAWBERRY SEED OIL RELATE TO SKIN AND SKINCARE?

Strawberry seed oil is gaining great importance and recognition due to its impressive composition of essential fatty acids that includes close to 38% omega-3 fatty acids and linoleic (omega-6), alpha-linolenic, and oleic acids. Strawberry seed oil is also rich in gamma tocopherols (Vitamin E) and antioxidants.

The presence of these acids means that strawberry seed oil has excellent moisturizing properties that are very good for the skin.

But what makes strawberry seed oil super beneficial is the presence of ellagic acid in it. In simple terms, ellagic acid is a phenolic antioxidant that is commonly present in the photocells of plants. Research has shown that ellagic acid can help the skin in numerous ways, right from minimizing inflammation post UV exposure to skin whitening and minimizing post-sun pigmentation.

This dark green oil is also loaded with in addition to the fatty acids mentioned above. Strawberry seed oil is a very good source of vitamins A, B, and C. The vitamin C content of the oil is almost equivalent to the quantity present in citrus fruits like lemons.

Strawberry oil is also rich in minerals like potassium, boron, cobalt, magnesium, phosphorus, fluorine, sulfur, and calcium. On account of these properties, the oil is recommended for treating freckles.

The Advantage of Strawberry Seed Oil over Other Omega-3 Rich Oils.

The main advantage of strawberry seed oil over other omega-rich oils is that it has a longer shelf life. Most oils that are rich in omega-3 EFA (essential fatty acids) tend to have a shorter shelf life. However, when it comes to strawberry seed oil, the shelf life is more than a year due to its high antioxidant content, provided it is stored properly.

Strawberry seed oil (like rosehip seed oil) is also a dry oil, meaning it gets absorbed by the skin easily and does not leave any residue on it. Due to this factor, strawberry seed oil works great even on oily skin. Furthermore, its moisturizing properties are great for dry, flaking, or sensitive skin as well. The reason again is the presence of omega-3 and omega-6 oils.

Precautions

• Not to be used on eyes, mucous membranes and sensitive areas.
• It is better to consult the doctor for use by lactating, pregnant women and people with health problems.
• People allergic to strawberries should avoid it.
• Side effects such as skin inflammation, itching around mouth, vomiting and diarrhea might be experienced.

References