We are sure that the one thing that is common in everyone’s childhood is almonds. So your mom must have forced you to have at least five soaked almonds every morning. Almonds are a powerhouse of nutrients and have multiple benefits. They are high in nutritional components and fortified with necessary minerals and vitamins. Both almonds and almond oil have loads of health and personal care benefits. Whether you consume them raw or in oil form, use them as a part of your skin and hair care, you will benefit from them.

There are two kinds of almond oil: sweet almond oil and bitter almond oil. While the sweet variant is commonly used for personal care products, the bitter variant is often used as an essential oil.

• Sweet almond oil is obtained from Prunus dulcis, and the variant is known as Amygdalus. It has several benefits, including enhancing and revitalising the skin barrier. It is high in olein and also rich in many proteins, vitamins, and minerals.
• Bitter almond oil is obtained from Prunus dulcis, and the variant is known as Amara. It is mainly used as an essential oil because it has a strong aroma. However, you should avoid using it as in skincare products because of its toxic side effects.

Half of an almond’s weight is its oil component. Almonds that have ripened are pressed to extract the oil with minimal heat, and the best quality check is done by how the oil is extracted. When almond oil is extracted by the cold compression method without heat or harmful chemicals, it helps retain its nutrition and goodness and is best suited for personal care.

Almond oil is an abundant source of macro and micronutrients, including vitamins, minerals, fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. Some important constituents include:

• Vitamin E: It supports the scalp and gives hair a solid base to grow from by reducing oxidative stress and preserving the protective lipid layer. It prevents cell damage and helps minimise UV damage to the skin caused by the sun.
• Vitamin A: It prevents hair follicle wilting and scalp dryness. Due to this, thinning is significantly stopped because a consistently moisturised scalp assures stronger and well-nourished hair. It also stimulates the production of new skin cells and smoothens fine lines on your face.
• Fatty Acids: They prevent hair loss and promote hair growth. Almond oils nourish the hair with essential proteins and nutrients to avoid scalp inflammation. It also helps promote blood circulation. In addition, fatty acids prevent premature ageing and safeguard your skin against sun damage.
• Zinc: It strengthens hair and stops hair fall, giving way to healthy regrowth. It revives their hair colour, texture and strength. It also helps heal acne and facial scars and maintains a healthy skin barrier function.

When trying any new ingredient on your skin or hair, always keep in mind the below safety precautions:

• Check for allergic reactions. Apply it to a small patch and wait for at least 20-30 minutes. If there is no irritation or itching, you can continue applying it. If you do face an allergic reaction, then discontinue the use.
• When taken in small quantities, almond oil can be highly beneficial for:
  • Weight loss
  • Treating constipation
• If the quantities are exceeded, it can also have adverse effects, like weight gain, diarrhoea, blurred vision, or dizziness.

Let’s look closely at almond oil's skin and hair care benefits. It is a wonder oil and has far-ranging benefits for you.

For Hair:

1. Helps Soften Hair – It is a moisturising agent with essential fatty acids. It hydrates the scalp and strands, giving you healthy, smooth, and soft hair. It helps calm frizzy hair and softens the hair from its roots. The regular application allows it to reach the cellular level of hair.
2. Fights Inflamed Scalp – For anyone suffering from bacterial growth on their scalp, almond oil is a great scalp treatment solution. It is beneficial for those suffering from dandruff. It balances the fungi and yeast growth that causes dandruff. It loosens the flaky scalp and helps nourish it. Almond oil ensures a smooth, dandruff-free scalp.
3. Treats Split Ends and Hair Loss – Almond oil provides your hair with the much-needed nutrition that will not cause split ends. Instead, it helps build the hair’s flexibility, strengthening and protecting against damage and hair loss.
4. Promotes Hair Growth – Almond oil enhances blood circulation to the roots and promotes hair growth to strengthen it. This oil helps reactivate the dormant follicles for growing thinner hair to produce a thick shaft. In addition, Almond oil contains vitamin B7 or Biotin, which helps in keratin production for the hair.
5. Strengthens and Repairs Hair – Almond oil repairs the structure of the hair from the roots, which helps improve the hair texture and protects against dryness and brittleness. It helps tackle the damage caused due to presence of free radicals, pollution, chemicals, and heat.
6. Promotes Long Eyebrows – Almond oil penetrates deep into the hair follicles, adding lustre and shine, making your eyebrow hair long and strong.
7. Works as a Leave-in Conditioner – Almond oil is very lightweight and gets absorbed quickly into the scalp, which makes it an excellent moisturiser and doesn’t make your hair or scalp sticky.

For Skin:

1. Reduces Dark Circles – A sure-shot way of getting rid of dark circles is by massaging almond oil. It penetrates deep into the skin and rejuvenates it. In addition, the vitamins A and E present in the oil will give you a visible reduction in a few weeks.
2. Makes Skin Healthy – It helps fight the signs of ageing and renew your skin to look new. It doesn’t clog your pores and heals the skin damage done by UV rays. Instead, it nourishes from deep within and imparts a healthy glow.
3. Moisturises your Hands and Feet – It improves blood circulation in the body and penetrates quickly into your hands and feet, making them soft. The Zinc content in the almonds helps heal cracked heels too.
4. Tan Reduction – Almond oil naturally has SPF 5. Thus, it helps heal sun-damaged skin and reduce tan.
5. Reduces Wrinkles and Fine Lines – Almond oil helps produce collagen in the skin, making it more elastic. Regular massage helps reduce fine lines and wrinkles, reversing ageing.

The Clensta Eggstreme Eyebrow Serum is enriched with Almond Oil and Vitamin E. It is easy to use and gives you fuller and thicker eyebrows! This eyebrow growth serum effectively strengthens hair and adds to the growing volume. In addition, it stimulates the dormant hair follicles and helps nourish the eyebrows to promote healthy hair growth. Just put a few drops of this serum on your eyebrows, massage it for 1-2 minutes, and keep it overnight! It increases hair growth, strengthens hair, reduces breakage, fights follicle infection, and maintains voluminous eyebrows.