Hemp seed oil has many benefits for your dry skin.
Hemp seed oil can soften your dry skin, strengthen your skin barrier and protect your dry skin.
Hemp seed oil is a natural oil that is derived from the seeds of the hemp plant. It is gaining popularity in the skincare industry due to its numerous health and beauty benefits.
If you are dealing with dry, itchy, and uncomfortable skin, hemp seed oil might just be the solution you have been looking for.
This article will discuss:
- What is hemp seed oil?
- What is composition of hemp seed oil?
- Hemp seed oil benefits for skin:
- Hemp seed oil can nourish your skin
- Hemp seed oil can soften your skin
- Hemp seed oil strengthens your skin barrier
- Hemp seed oil protects your skin
- Summary
- References
What is hemp seed oil?
Hemp seed oil (Cannabis sativa) is obtained by pressing hemp seeds from the hemp plant and extracting the oil.
Cold-pressed, unrefined hemp seed oil is a vibrant green color, with a nutty flavor.
Hemp seed oil should not be confused with hash oil or cannabis oil, which also comes from the cannabis plant, and contain psychoactive cannabinoids THC and/or CBD.
Because hemp seed oil is derived from the seeds of hemp plants, rather than the stalks and leaves, it contains only trace amounts of cannabinoids.
Hemp seed oil has a long history of safe and effective use (Callaway et al, 2004).
Learn more: What is Hemp Seed Oil?
What is composition of hemp seed oil?
Hemp seed oil is packed with essential nutrients, including fatty acids, vitamins and antioxidants.
Hemp seed oil is composed of fatty acids including:
- 56% linoleic acid (n-6)
- 16% alpha-linolenic acid (n-3)
- 11% oleic acid (n-9)
- 5% gamma-linolenic acid (n-6)
Hemp seed oil is also rich in vitamin E, and phytosterols including β-sitosterol, phytol and campesterol.
Hemp seed oil can nourish your dry skin
Cold-pressed, unrefined hemp seed oil is a rich vibrant green and is packed with essential nutrients, including fatty acids, vitamins and antioxidants (Leizer et al, 2000).
Hemp seed oil is rich in essential nutrients including linoleic acid (n-6), alpha-linolenic acid (n-3) and vitamin E.
These nutrients are essential for skin health and can strengthen your skin barrier and improve the appearance of your dry skin.
These essential nutrients cannot be made by the body, and must be supplied through the diet, supplements and skincare.
Hemp seed oil can soften your dry skin
Hemp seed oil is rich in beneficial fatty acids, including linoleic acid (n-6), alpha-linolenic acid (n-3), and oleic acid (n-9) which act as emollients and can soften your skin.
What are the benefits of emollients?
The function of emollients in skincare is to soften the skin, help the skin retain its moisture and to support the skin’s barrier function.
Skin that does not have sufficient lipid content on its surface can appear dull, dry and rough. Emollients "fill in the gaps" in the skin barrier and soften it along with giving it a healthier look
Emollients are skin conditioning – the give skin a soft and smooth appearance, restoring suppleness and improving elasticity (Brown et al, 2005).
Emollients:
- Make your skin feel soft and smooth.
- Help reduce flaking and roughness from dry skin.
- Help assist the skin barrier by filling in gaps between cells.
Learn more: What are Emollients? Benefits for Your Dry Skin
Hemp seed oil strengthens your skin barrier
Hemp seed oil contains 56% linoleic acid, the major essential n-6 fatty acid found naturally in our skin barrier. Linoleic acid is a precursor for ceramides (Breiden et al, 2014), which are bioactive lipids that play a role in keeping our skin barrier firm, smooth and healthy.
Linoleic acid has many benefits for your skin when applied topically. It softens your skin and strengthens your skin barrier.
Linoleic acid is an essential nutrient and must be supplied through diet, supplements and skincare.
Learn more: What is Linoleic Acid? Omega 6 Essential Fatty Acid for Dry Skin
Hemp seed oil also contains 11% oleic acid; an omega-9 fatty acid found naturally in the protective outer layer of the skin.
Oleic acid has many benefits for dry skin when applied topically. It is quickly absorbed and softens dry skin.
Learn more: Beneficial Fats in Your Skin Barrier
Hemp seed oil can protect your skin
Antioxidants protect your skin by preventing free radical damage.
Free radicals are unstable molecules or atoms that can damage skin cells.
Free radicals are generated from normal aging, and by daily environmental damage - such as UV radiation from the sun and air pollution. Free radicals cause destruction to your cells and tissues, and accelerate skin aging (Masaki et al, 2010).
Antioxidants protect your skin by neutralizing unstable free radicals.
Hemp seed oil is rich in vitamin E, and phytosterols including β-sitosterol, phytol and campesterol, compounds with potent antioxidant activity (Chen, et al 2010; Chen et al, 2012; Porto et al, 2014).
Summary
Hemp seed oil has many benefits for your dry skin.
Hemp seed oil makes your dry skin feel nourished, soft and calm.
Hemp seed oil is rich in key nutrients that play a critical role in maintaining skin barrier and protecting your skin.
At Dry Skin Love Skincare, we use organic hemp seed oil that is cold-pressed and unrefined. Our hemp seed oil is from Canada. It has a rich vibrant green color and a mild grassy aroma.
We use hemp seed oil in our Dry Skin Love Wild Orange Oil Cleanser.
References
Breiden B., Sandhoff K. The role of sphingolipid metabolism in cutaneous permeability barrier formation. Biochim. Biophys. Acta. 2014;1841:441–452.
Brown A, Butcher M. A guide to emollient therapy. Nurs Stand. 2005 Feb 23-Mar 1;19(24):68, 70, 72 passim.
Callaway. Hempseed as a nutritional resource: An overview. Euphytica. 2004;140:65-72.
Callaway, et al. Efficacy of dietary hempseed oil in patients with atopic dermatitis. J Dermatolog Treat. 2005 Apr;16(2):87-94.
Chen, et al. Analytical characterization of Hempseed (seed of Cannabis sativa L.) oil from eight regions in China. J Diet Suppl. 2010 Jun;7(2):117-29.
Chen, et al. The isolation and identification of two compounds with predominant radical scavenging activity in hempseed (seed of Cannabis sativa L.). Food Chem. 2012 Sep 15;134(2):1030-7.
Kapoor, et al. Gamma linolenic acid: an antiinflammatory omega-6 fatty acid. Curr Pharm Biotechnol. 2006 Dec;7(6):531-4.
Leizer, et al. The Composition of Hemp Seed Oil and Its Potential as an Important Source of Nutrition. J Nutraceut, Funct Med Food. 2000;2(4):35-53.
Masaki H. Role of antioxidants in the skin: anti-aging effects. J Dermatol Sci. 2010 May;58(2):85-90.
McCusker, et al. Healing fats of the skin: the structural and immunologic roles of the omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. Clin Dermatol. 2010 Jul-Aug;28(4):440-51.
Moncrieff G, Cork M, Lawton S, Kokiet S, Daly C, Clark C. Use of emollients in dry-skin conditions: consensus statement. Clin Exp Dermatol. 2013 Apr;38(3):231-8; quiz 238.
Montserrat, et al. Hemp ( Cannabis sativa L.) Seed Oil: Analytical and Phytochemical Characterization of the Unsaponifiable Fraction. J Agric Food Chem. 2014 Feb 5;62(5):1105-10.
Newton H. Using emollients to promote safe and effective skin care for patients. Nurs Stand. 2021 Oct 6;36(10):77-82.
Porto, et al. Potential Oil Yield, Fatty Acid Composition, and Oxidation Stability of the Hempseed Oil from Four Cannabis sativa L. Cultivars. J Diet Suppl. 2014 Feb 19.
Thiele JJ, Ekanayake-Mudiyanselage S. Vitamin E in human skin: organ-specific physiology and considerations for its use in dermatology. Mol Aspects Med. 2007 Oct-Dec;28(5-6):646-67.
Author Information
Dr. Natasha Ryz is a scientist, skin care expert and an entrepreneur. She is the founder of Dry Skin Love Skincare, and she creates skincare products for beauty, dry skin and pain relief.
Dr. Ryz has a PhD in Experimental Medicine from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, and she is a Vanier scholar. She also holds a Master of Science degree and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg.
Natasha is the former Chief Science Officer of Zenabis Global, and she oversaw cannabis extraction, analytics, and product development. Her team brought 20 products to market including oils, sprays, vapes and softgels.
Why I Started A Skincare Company