Sea Buckthorn Oil is a saturated fat. This means that it will solidify when exposed to high temperatures. There are many species of buckthorns, and each has its own peculiarities. Some are more oily than others, some produce a clear oily liquid when the leaf is pressed, and some have strong volatile oils that evaporate with the humidity. These liquids are known as the carrier oils.
Sea buckthorn oil has a very high content of fatty acids. The most frequently used species for this application is Hippophae rhamnoides. Other species belonging to the same genus contain mostly unsaturated fatty acids in the lipids, and so the extracted oil may be used for soap making and for skin moisturizing. Lipids are the fatty acids that make up the cell membranes and provide the skin with the substances it needs to function. Like other lipids, they are contained in many different triglycerides, or molecules, and in some are particularly dense.
Most of the fatty acids found in marine algae are called monounsaturated fatty acids. These acids are called linoleic acid because they have a double bond between the carbon atoms of the glycerol molecule. The molecular structure of the oil, therefore, consists mainly of chains of single carbon atoms surrounded by a net of hydrogen atoms.
If the Sea Buckthorn Oil contains only medium chain triglycerides, there will be very little or no apparent difference in the texture or appearance of the skin. These chains have a high content of sterols. sterol is a plant steroid that produces moisturizing compounds such as diphenyl picrylhydrazyl, (DHP), and sterol ether. Sea buckthorn has a high content of sterols compared to other oils, which explains why it has been successfully used as a moisturizer for the skin. It also has a high content of essential fatty acids, which provide essential moisture for the skin.
In clinical trials, the Sea Buckthorn Oil reduced vaginal inflammatory atrophy in women with advanced stages of the disease. In the female study, the inflammation was relieved by the application of the oil twice daily. The decrease in the number of immature cells and the increase in new mature cells were associated with the rise in the number of estrogen receptors, which are involved in the initial inflammatory reaction. A significant increase in elastin was also noted. Other benefits of this oil were not tested in this study, including the effect on the formation of collagen.
Two studies were performed on the effects of the Sea Buckthorn Oil on the skin of human volunteers. In the first one, twenty-one women with facial wrinkles under their eyes were treated with this plant extract. At the end of the four week treatment, all the volunteers had noticeably less facial wrinkles than before treatment. The second study used the same participants, but this time, fifteen women with facial lines under their eyes were treated with a concentrated form of the Sea Buckthorn. During the four-week treatment period, no significant changes were noted in any of the variables in this study.
The scientific evaluation of the Sea Buckthorn Oil found that it contains a mixture of different fatty acid precursors, which are known for their roles in skin health. These fatty acids help the skin heal itself when they combine with vitamin E and other precursors, like alpha tocopherols and phytosterols. Phytosterols also contribute to the maintenance of healthy skin cells. This study also revealed that the Sea Buckthorn Oil contains high content of steroids, which have a positive effect on reducing the development of facial wrinkles.
Like many of the other natural skin care oils, the Sea Buckthorn Oils can be considered as moisturizers - the only effective moisturizers in nature. In addition to its moisturizing effect, the Sea Buckthorn Oils can help you reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles by increasing your skin's elasticity. This would then result to an improved texture of the skin. All these benefits of the Sea Buckthorn Oils were uncovered after the scientists did an extensive research on the plant and its extracts. This discovery is what made the Sea Buckthorn Oil a worthy addition to the natural skin care products of leading cosmetic companies.
