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Almond oil is one of those mysterious extracts that appear in a variety of naturally enhanced products in our day today. Similar to its other nutty counterparts like macadamia, almond oil has an impressive array of utilisations in all walks of life that we will get to soon enough. In terms of natural extracts, it is certainly one of the more famous ones, being brandished across a range of beauty products and health food items for a long time and even considered as medicine by more ancient societies.

The rising trend in the concept and necessity of ‘natural’ and ‘organic’ is a driving force for the essential oil market, and there has never been a better time to get into the booming business. Whether it’s crafting beauty products with nutrient-rich concoctions or diffusing your environment with some delicious fragrances, there is room to grow in the essential oil business for those with a little imagination and know how.

This brings us to today's star, almond oil, the wonderfully diverse and flexible substance that has its own set of unique and wonderful properties that make it wildly applicable to whatever capacity you can imagine. Before we jump down that rabbit hole, we’re going to have a look at what defines an essential extract and how they’re cultivated and then go a little deeper into almond oil.


What Is A Carrier?


A carrier is more or less the purified base of a naturally occurring substance, typically derived from a kernel, seed, or nut of a plant. The oily substance is considered to carry the characteristics or odour of the particular source from which it came and with a carrier, acting as a dilutant for essential extracts. The way in which these substances are cultivated is typically through some form of extraction of which there are several ways of doing so depending on the type of material you are extracting from. Essentials and Carriers have different methods of extraction.

The properties of certain extracts have been used in aromatherapeutic contexts to elicit a positive response from the users for generations, such as the case with lavender for example. Of course, many essentials wouldn’t be applicable without carriers. As they dilute and allow for a more seamless transition of essential extracts to your skin, carriers like the star of today’s show are infinitely important in the process of skincare.

Whatever the purpose may be, they are certainly infinitely workable.


The Many Extraction Processes


The extraction process is designated from the particular physical profile of the plant or source that houses the extract or carrier. There are common processes for essentials such as steam distillation or solvent extraction which have different yields and are appropriate for different plant materials.

A carrier however has a very different extraction method to its essential counterpart. Typically, a carrier like the star of today’s article will be cold pressed, which is essentially the use of a great amount of force to crush the nut or kernel to bring out the substance from within for collection and use.

While there are many great ways of extracting the substances from their natural origins, the trick is also in the proper care and subsequent storage of the extracts once they are cultivated. This ensures that the dynamic and sensitive profile of the extracts are not hindered or spoiled in any way which allows them to be properly infused or utilised afterwards.


Bitter & Sweet Almond Oil


So now we know a little more about what an essential extract is, and their relationship with a carrier, we can get into the meat of it all and have a look into the character and palate of almond oil. From the very start, there is much to be said about this particular extract due to its dichotomous nature. Essentially, there are two main variants of almond oil, the sweet and the bitter. One would automatically assume that they are one and the same, nothing could be further from the truth. Both sweet and bitter almond oil have their own set of characteristics, with one being slightly more applicable than the other for reasons we’ll get into below.

The essential knowledge is simple, the bitter variety is cultivated from a particular strain of tree and the sweet almond oil which is more commonplace is found on a different species of tree.


Bitter Almond Oil:

Considered a volatile almond oil for very good reasons, it contains some very potent toxic chemicals in its buildup particularly in the instance of prussic acids and is generally not recommended for usage if present. However, there are still some who have tried to incorporate it into medicines to varying levels of success in the past, with some even using it sparingly for topical additions to fragrance ointments and creams. Advice from experts indicates an avoidance is best to this strain of almond oil due to the toxic nature of its chemical build.


Sweet Almond Oil:

The more famous and utilised almond oil is the sweet variety. From the very start, it also sounds slightly more appealing. The chemical build alone is worth the price of admission with this particular flavour of extract, sweet almond oil is filled with all sorts of natural and positive acids like oleic, stearic and linoleic that illuminate the skin and gives a fresh and vibrant sensation to the user. It’s also known as a carrier which is why it is utilised so heavily in a variety of disciplines.

Not only this but sweet almond oil is also filled with naturally occurring vitamins A, B and D which are all important for maintaining a healthy glow and sustained skin health overall.


Practical Applications Of Almond Oil


Chances are, you’re looking in your collection of beauty products to see if they contain sweet almond oil now that the benefits are out there. You’d be surprised how many times you’ve likely been touched with its intrinsic magic without ever realising it in the first place.


Massage Ointment

One of the more common uses for almond oil is in the massage industry, due to the enriched nature and oily build of the extract – it is a perfect ingredient for massage ointments. The skin naturally absorbs the substance rather well and the familiar yellowy tinge is historically associated with massage ointment. Being an affordable alternative to the essential counterparts typically used in massage ointments, it is a no brainer that more masseuses utilise this particular extract to its fullest potential.


Hair Treatment

Almond oil is an emollient, which is more or less a substance that can fill in cellular gaps of your hair follicles, this leads to a smoother and softer hair feeling. This is why it is so commonly found in hair care products that you likely have in your shower.


Skincare Treatments

The vitamins present as we mentioned earlier have an incredible positive impact on the skin feeling and overall health which is also why so many people use and incorporate sweet almond oil into their skincare routine. It’s always wise to ensure you spot check your skin with a small amount of sweet almond oil before incorporating it completely as there can always be adverse reactions, like with any topical treatment.


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