Contents
Uses
- Camellia oil is used for a variety of other purposes.
- Cooking – Camellia oil is ideal for deep frying because it has a superb high smoke point of 252 ° C. It is used for deep frying, stir frying and as a salad dressing.
- Machinery lubricant – Tea seed oil is used to cleanse and lubricate some machine parts.
- Ingredient in beauty products like night creams, salves, hair care products and perfumes.
- Used to coat iron products to prevent rusting.
Benefits
- Camellia oil is a powerhouse of nutrition. It is one of the few edible oils which have nutrients other than the essential fatty acids. Its fats composition gets a lot of attention, because it is similar to olive oil. This implies is that this oil is almost as healthy as olive oil. Tea seed oil contains Vitamins, like Vitamin E, healthy fatty acids and numerous micronutrients which have tremendous health benefits.
- Besides the healthy fats, Camellia oil also contains some nutrients. It contains Vitamin E and minor amounts of other vitamins and minerals. Some of the minerals in this oil are calcium, phosphorus and potassium Tea seed oil however gets it prominent health benefits from a whole range of micro-nutrients. These are the prominent nutrients from tea seed oil.
- Tea seed oil is almost 90 % unsaturated fat, which is unique among oils. It is therefore a heart healthy oil which has been identified to lower LDL cholesterol levels and harmful triglycerides from the body. Of this unsaturated fat, oleic acid makes a significant part. This is the complete fatty acid composition of camellia oil. This oil is pretty low in omega-3 fatty acid, but significant amount of omega-6 is present.
- Triterpenes.
- Squalane – Possibly anticancer compound. It is commonly found in shark oil.
- Saponins – These compounds lower cholesterol and reduce risk of heart disease.
- Kaempferol and its glycosides – These are strongly anti-inflammatory compounds, like quercetin. They help to protect the body from damage by inflammatory conditions.
Tea seed oil can be applied topically and consumed internally to obtain its health benefits. Because of its healing properties, there are many of benefits to be availed.
- Camellia oil for Skin
Women in China confide in tea seed oil for many beauty applications. This oil is great for use in home-made topical application products. It is a nice moisturizer for the skin because of its exceptionally high oleic acid ( omega – 9 ) content. It is light and is quickly absorbed into the skin, much like olive oil. These are some of the ways in which tea seed oil is used for skin care.- Apply a small amount right after a shower for achieving soft, silky smooth skin. It reduces dryness and paleness of skin caused due to showering for long time.
- Apply a small amount on scars, like acne scars, wounds, cuts and scrapes. It helps to heal them.
- Add a small amount of camellia oil to your home-made sunscreen. There are many formulations for sunscreen to be made at home, most using zinc oxide. It improves the SPF by about 5 points.
- Massage tea seed oil on wrinkle and fine lines. Its anti-aging capabilities help to reduce signs of damage caused by the sun. It makes a nice face massage oil for the night.
- Treat rough skin with camellia oil, like the skin on the knees and heels. They are prone to dryness and cracks.
- Nail Softener – Dip your nails in warm camellia oil. It softens the nails and makes them more easy to manage.
- Make up remover – Tea seed oil is great at removing makeup. It is actually used in makeup removers.
- For Acne – One should avoid using it on active acne because it is not sure whether this oil is comedogenic or not. It might lead to acne breakouts.
- Camellia Oil for HairCamellia oil, or tea seed oil is not as renowned for hair care as the Camellia japonica oil. That oil is much more powerful for hair care. However, tea seed oil too can be used. One can do a hot oil conditioning using tea seed oil. It feels similar to olive oil. There is a pretty unique way to apply Camellia oil to hair. This method involves dipping a wooden comb in camellia oil for a few hours, and then combing hair with it. This provides the hair with small amounts of camellia oil each time, which conditions them and makes it easy to comb without tangles.
- Anti-Cancer
Tea oil has been identified to prevent the proliferation of specifically three cancers. These are the colon cancer, uterus cancer and breast cancer. This effect opens avenues for further studies on the effectiveness of camellia oil to reduce the risk of these cancers. One can easily take it in diet by cooking food with it. - Boost Immunity
Regular consumption of tea seed oil boosts the functioning of our immune system. This helps to fend off all kinds of diseases and infections. This effect is due to micronutrients called triterpenoids in camellia oil. - Reduces oxidative stress
This is a kind of stress that free radicals put on our body. It has been found that oxidative stress can be a leading cause of heart disease and degenerative diseases. The antioxidants from tea seed oil reduce oxidative stress and help our body deal with free radical damage.
Cautions
- There is not much information on the safety and interaction of tea seed oil. Much of he production of this oil comes from China. One should make sure to purchase camellia oil from a reputed manufacturer. This oil may be adulterated with cheaper filler oils or may contain harmful chemicals used during processing.
References
Source: http://oilhealthbenefits.com/camellia-oil-tea-seed-oil/