When it comes to skin health, by now many of us have heard that antioxidants play a major role in keeping premature aging at bay. From fighting off free radicals that can damage the inner world of the body’s largest organ, to nourishing and evening out the complexion, antioxidants perform a host of wonderful duties. Yet there’s one antioxidant so basic, so obvious, that it often gets overlooked. Vitamin E! Join us today as we look at this workhorse of an antioxidant in depth, and give you tips on how to maximize its inherent benefits.
What Is Vitamin E?
Vitamin E is a naturally occurring compound found in our skin, as well as in a wealth of yummy foods. A potent antioxidant produced in the sebaceous glands (and a key component in the skin’s lipid layer), it helps keep the skin membrane intact.
We’ll get to its wide range of skin benefits in a bit, but for now know these gems: it acts as a natural anti-inflammatory agent, and has been shown to help protect against harmful, aging UV rays.
Where Is Vitamin E Found In Nature?
If you’re still with us we’ve likely sparked your interest in the magic of vitamin E. But where, beyond our own skin, can we source this hidden treasure? We want you to know where it is so, in addition to adding products to your skin care ritual that contain it, you can also add delicious foods to your diet to boost it in your system -- a total win-win. What’s better than eating for our skin health, anyway (especially when caring for our health has never been more important)?
You can find vitamin E in the following foods (take note for your next online grocery order or shopping trip!):
Salmon, lobster, and some other seafoods have high amounts of vitamin E.
Leafy greens and vegetables such as spinach, turnip greens, and broccoli
Some of our favorite nuts and seeds like almonds, sunflower seeds, and hazelnuts also contain the antioxidant vitamin E (yum!).
And delicious Avocados? Do they also have vitamin E? Yes. Yes they do.
How Does Vitamin E Benefit Your Skin?
When it comes to vitamin E’s benefits, there are a boat load, but we won’t overwhelm you with a long list. Instead we've kept it simple and put together the top, “must know” attributes to help you understand why vitamin E is so valuable. Are you ready to jump in? Awesome. Let’s go.
It Helps Protect Your Skin From UV Rays
This amazing compound has been shown to work as a natural photoprotector for skin. So Tell your sunscreen it has a new sidekick, because vitamin E is a potent helper in the fight against damaging UV rays.
Although when applied topically it has benefits on its own, the research indicates the best results for photo-protection come from mixing a vitamin E oil with vitamin C oil and applying a sunscreen after.
Inflammation Problems? See Ya!
One of the other major vitamin e skin benefits is its anti-inflammatory properties. Not only is this a beneficial thing for those who suffer from inflammatory skin challenges (such as acne or atopic dermatitis), but it’s also beneficial to anyone who is prone to sunburn.
Studies have shown that people who have certain conditions have experienced relief after using a topical vitamin e oil for face and body.
Hyperpigmentation Help
As for anyone who experiences dark spots, you know they aren’t fun. Since many times these are caused by out-of-our-control overproduction of melanin, vitamin E provides a beacon of hope.
When vitamin E oil is consistently applied topically to the skin with vitamin C, studies have shown that it’s effectively aided in evening out hyperpigmentation issues.
Helps To Keep Things Hydrated
One of the other traits of vitamin E is that this wonder antioxidant is found in the skin’s lipid layer. This layer functions in part to keep the skin’s moisture levels up, so in treating the skin with vitamin E you’re helping support cell health, and therefore increasing your levels of hydration.
As you can see, vitamin E is overall a pretty sweet compound and it’s a must-have booster for your skin. Lucky for you one of our best-sellers, 01 Luminous Face Oil, contains vitamin E in one of its highly-reparative ingredients, seabuckthorn oil. If you’re ready to reap the rewards of including vitamin E in your skin care regimen, pop over to that product page and check it out today!
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