Every beauty nerd knows the importance of stocking at least one powerful multipurpose beauty oil in your medicine cabinet. Argan, coconut, jojoba — all of these and more are beneficial in maintaining healthy skin, hair and nails. Besides these well-known options that have been reported on for years, there’s one under-the-radar beauty oil that’s just as powerful, if not more: plum seed oil.
Extracted from the seeds of organic plums, plum seed oil is a cold-pressed beauty oil that’s poised to be the next big trend in beauty. “It is rich in fatty acids as well as antioxidants like vitamins A, C and E,” says board-certified dermatologist Dr. Joshua Zeichner. “It has both skin-hydrating and anti-inflammatory properties. Fatty acids help seal in cracks in the outer skin layer, while the antioxidants calm free radical damage to protect the skin and help promote healthy collagen production to strengthen the skin foundation and fight the appearance of lines and wrinkles.”
Wondering how to use this impressive oil? Luckily, there are a variety of ways you can start incorporating plum seed oil into your daily beauty routine.
Protect Your Hair
If you’re someone who heat styles your hair quite often, using plum seed oil regularly will strengthen and protect your strands from heat usage, minimizing your chances of damaging them. That said, you should still limit how often you use your blow-dryer and flatiron.
Give Your Skin Care Products a Boost
When you want a glow, but hate how oily most facial oils leave your skin, give plum seed oil a whirl. When combined with your favorite tinted moisturizer or foundation, it will give your skin a drink of hydration and a radiant finish.
Tackle Common Skin Woes
Due to its high concentration of omega fatty acids and vitamins A, C and E, this superfood is a workhorse at minimizing dark spots, reducing fine lines and calming irritated skin. It can also be used to soothe skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis. Mix a drop or two with your favorite moisturizer in the morning if you have dry or combination skin to protect against pollutants. For all other skin types, use some at night for well-hydrated skin the next day.
Now that you’re armed with all of that knowledge, let us introduce you to some of the best beauty products on the market that contain the power of plum seed oil.
[ Next: 12 Reasons to Add Avocado Oil to Your Skin Care Routine ]
Plum Oil
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Le Prunier
Plum Beauty Oil, $72 at Le Prunier
Created by the Taylor sisters on their fourth-generation California family farm, Le Prunier’s multiuse plum beauty oil is completely natural, lightweight, quick absorbing and suitable for all skin types. Most impressively, it’s said to be eight times more powerful than argan oil in shielding skin from harmful free radicals. Want to try it out but don’t want to make the investment up front? Thankfully, there’s a small travel-size version available for just $20 so you can give it a test run.
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Edible Beauty Australia
& Snowflower Illuminating Face Oil, $52.84 at Edible Beauty Australia
Composed of a potent blend of skin-enhancing ingredients, one of which is kakadu plum, this serum from natural skin care brand Edible Beauty Australia boosts collagen production, kick-starting your journey to baby soft skin.
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Carol's Daughter
Mirabelle Plum Dual Oil Treatment, $8 at Carol's Daughter
No matter how much we try to keep our hair as healthy as possible, it will get damaged at some point or another. If that’s your current dilemma, this hair treatment from Carol’s Daughter made with mirabelle plums is a great pick-me-up for your tresses. Formulated without all of the unnecessary additives often found in hair products like parabens, mineral oils and silicone, a couple of sprays will bring your hair back to life.
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Kari Gran
Three Sixty Five SPF 28, $48 at Kari Gran
If there’s any beauty product that should be used by everyone no matter your complexion, it’s sunscreen (and that’s non-negotiable). Not only is it known to slow down the natural aging process, it's often the first and only level of protection people have on a daily basis against damaging UVA and UVB rays. This physical sunscreen from Kari Gran is a gentle sun protectant that has the added skin benefits of French plum seed oil, which is one of its main ingredients.
