Three Uses of Rosehip Seed Oil

Looking to improve your skin tone or decrease scarring? Rosehip seed oil may be a natural way to achieve these changes.

Rosehip seed oil is an essential oil that is extracted from the seeds of red berry-like fruits or "hips of the wild rose" that grows in the valleys of the southern Andes in Chile. Rosehip oil seed contains omega 3 and essential fatty acids such as viz. oleic, linoliec and linolenic which serve as building blocks for healthy skin cells help to creative the basis for protective layers as the skin develops. It is also a rich source for Vitamin C which aids in immunity and establishing healthy connective tissue. Rosehip oil also contains retinoic acid which is known to a form of Vitamin A or better yet, another source for helping to create healthy skin.

Rosehip oil has properties that aid in the reduction of scarring by decreasing hyperpigmentation while improving tone, flattening scars that would otherwise look bulky and unsightly. Physicians have anecdotally reported that Rosehip oil has aided in reducing skin tension (which limits range of motion in some patients) commonly seen in breast cancer survivors who have had a mastectomy.

In a two-year study at the University of Concepcion in Chile, rosehip oil was applied to 180 patients with surgical scars, injury scars and scars related to burns. The results revealed that rosehip reduced scarring while helping skin to regain lost color and tone. Many women in South America use rosehip oil for stretch marks.

Some experts believe that it is the anti-inflammatory characteristics of rosehip oil that aid in its ability to combat skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema.

In a study conducted on women between the ages of 25 and 35 who applied rosehip oil during their four-month summer vacation by the sea, a noticeable improvement in skin tone was observed. By the third week of the rosehip oil application, it was noted that surface wrinkles started to disappear and the brown spots began to fade and by the end of the fourth month, the spots had practically disappeared, leaving the skin to appear to be smooth and fresh in appearance.

Rosehip oil is able to smooth wrinkles thanks to it's hydrating properties.

Rosehip oil has a pH of 5.1 and makes it deal for application and use as a hot oil treatment on hair that is brittle, damaged or dry. It can also be used on the scalp as a remedy for dry, itchy or flaky scalp damage.