10 Amazing Benefits Of Avocado Oil
Start drizzling delicious, super avocado oil for weight loss, healthy hair and skin, and much more! See the list.
At Farmers’ Almanac, we know that healthy fats are important to your diet, and we like to pass on the latest finds for better health and well-being, and avocado oil certainly fits the bill! So what are the benefits of this oil? Avocados are considered one of the top superfoods for a healthy lifestyle and the reason is the oil. Avocado oil is one of the healthiest oils available, but if you’re like most people, you probably aren’t using it.
Why Is Avocado Oil So Healthy?
Avocado oil is not only healthy but is also a flavorful addition to your food. It can be used in place of other cooking oils, butter, and margarine. The oleic acid in avocado oil makes it highly resistant to oxidation, meaning it won’t go rancid as quickly as many other oils in your cupboard.
It also has a high smoke point (the temperature in which oil begins to degrade under heat), making it an optimal choice for high-heat cooking, such as stir-frying and sautéing. It can withstand high temperatures without breaking down and losing its health benefits as many other oils do.
While it is a good choice for high-heat cooking, it is also delicious for drizzling and salad dressings.
The benefits, however, are not limited to the kitchen. Keep reading to find out why you should add avocado oil to your next grocery list.
10 Health Benefits of Avocado Oil
- Lowers Cholesterol: Avocado oil is high in monounsaturated fats and low in saturated fats. It is also cholesterol free. Adding this oil to your diet can help to lower low density lipid (LDL) or “bad” cholesterol levels. This is a particularly good diet choice for diabetics.
- Lowers Blood Pressure: Avocado oil is high in vitamin E, which keep the blood vessels healthy by eradicating free radicals. Diets containing avocado oil also alter the levels of essential fatty oils in the kidneys. This effects how they respond to the hormones that regulate your blood pressure. Furthermore, avocado oil is an anti-inflammatory which can help to prevent damage to arterial walls, reducing the risk of hearth disease that is caused by plaque build-up. Because your body absorbs vitamin E much more efficiently from natural food sources than from supplements, adding avocado oil to your diet is a good choice.
- Detoxes Your Body: Avocado oil contains chlorophyll, a natural source of magnesium, which naturally removes heavy metals like mercury and lead from the liver, kidneys, brain and other organs.
- Helps Fight and Prevent Cancer: Avocado oil is rich in monounsaturated oleic acid, the same omega 9 EFA found in olive oil. One of oleic acid’s many benefits is lowering the risk of cancers. Omega 3 fatty acids, also found in avocado oil, are well known anti-carcinogens that help to slow the growth of cancer cells, specifically those causing breast and colon cancer. Avocados also contain the anti-carcinogenic antioxidant glutathione.
- Treats Skin Damage and Irritations: Avocado oil is very penetrative and is believed to be absorbed through the epidermis and into the dermal layer of skin, which most moisturizers and oils are unable to do. Avocado oil has been known to treat dry, flaky skin and sunburn. Used over time, avocado oil can reduce the appearance of minor sun damage, age spots and scarring. The omega 3s and vitamin E found in avocado oil also make it a great choice for treating skin irritations, such as eczema, psoriasis, cracked heels, dandruff, and insect bites and stings. A thin layer of avocado oil on your skin goes a long way. Massage directly into your skin or add a few drops alone, or with essential oils, to your bath water, especially during the winter to help retain moisture. To ward off dry skin, try mixing avocado oil and olive oil and massaging them into your skin after bathing.
- Fights Wrinkles: The high protein levels found in avocado oil combined with the various amino acid content makes this oil excellent for tissue regeneration and cell renewal. Avocado oil enhances the body’s rate of producing collagen. Vitamins A and D, found in avocado oil, can promote collagen production and binding. Consuming or applying avocado oil topically can slow your skin’s aging process.
- Helps Treat Periodontal Disease: Studies have shown that avocado oil inhibits an element known as pro-inflammatory cytokine molecule, thus reducing inflammation.  Try oil pulling with a combination of avocado oil and soybean oil to help to control inflammation, which may be helpful in inhibiting bone erosion of your teeth.  Read about the process here.
- Fuller, Faster-Growing Hair: The same nutrients that feed your skin, also feed your hair. After cleansing our hair, apply avocado oil alone, or mixed with essential oils, to your hair and scalp. This will improve the structure of your existing hair, while also promoting growth of new hair. Avocado oil is also a great source of lecithin, which is a fatty substance that acts as a lubricant and emulsifier. When applied topically, lecithin provides a protective covering to hair follicles and skin, which helps to prevent moisture loss due to wind and harsh climates. For an easy hot oil hair treatment: combine 2 tablespoons each of avocado oil and castor oil in a bowl and heat slightly. Be sure it’s cool enough to touch for safety. Massage the warm oil into wet hair, leave in over night, and wash out in the morning.
- Stimulates Weight Loss: Avocado oil is high in oleic acid, an omega-9 fatty acid and is naturally found in animal and plant oils, which scientists believe improve blood flow to muscles during exercise, and that the compound helps stimulate enzymes that transport fat to where it can be stored for energy. Â In addition, avocado oil is thick and packed with nutrients, making you feel fuller longer. Â The vitamins, minerals and monounsaturated fatty acids in avocado oil also help to improve digestion, helping you to process food more efficiently.
- Boosts Nutrient Absorption: The high levels of mono-unsaturated fats found in avocado oil help your body absorb many key fat-soluble vitamins and nutrients.
To get all the health benefits of avocado oil, look for one that’s labeled unrefined and organic.
Natalie LaVolpe
Natalie LaVolpe is a freelance writer and former special education teacher. She is dedicated to healthy living through body and mind. She currently resides on Long Island, New York, with her husband, children, and dog.
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Natalie LaVolpe#molongui-disabled-link
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Natalie LaVolpe#molongui-disabled-link
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Natalie LaVolpe#molongui-disabled-link
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Natalie LaVolpe#molongui-disabled-link
Thank you for writing such an informative article! I have been researching a few plant-based oils for my hair and skin, as I do not want to buy any of those anti-aging creams that just smell like perfume. I have tried a few retinol and “lifting” creams and the smell made me not want to use them. I would like to stick to a natural skin and hair care regimen.
Fresh avocado is loaded with potassium. ( 975 mg/200g serving size). How does the extraction of the oil reduce the potassium level to 0/100g? Is this result actually lab tested?
that is what I want to know. every thing does not make sense
So if I use avocado ? oil on my hair it could stop the breakage
There is 0 potassium in avocado oil! Your article is very misleading because there are some people who cannot have potassium if are on certain blood pressure meds. Every other article I looked up said there is zero potassium in avocado oil. The first thing you write says in the introduction on the web page intro when I look it up is avocado oil has a lot of potassium!
Hi Mariann, our apologies for the mistake. We have corrected the article.
you did not change it because I just read it 1/18/2022
Thank you.
I CONSUME A TEASPOON OF AVOCADO OIL EVERYDAY AND I LOVE IT!!!
What benefits do you have from this
Good for chorestral, and skin
Can someone please tell me how much avocado oil in table spoons would it take to equal a whole avocado to get the same health benefits?
Hi Winona, well, it takes 15 to 20 avocados to make one eight-ounce bottle of oil. Because it’s oil, you’ll want to stick to using it as you would other oils — in cooking, in salad dressing, etc. The health benefits come from using it in place of other oils.
So, are you saying, that each avocado, depending on size, yields about 1/2 oz ( or 1 Tablespoon) of oil? ( I’d guestimate that avocado pulp is about 10% oil…)
1 tablespoon
What daily amounts are recommended for ingesting to reap the benefits mentioned? For skin therapy, oral? Topical? Both? And does it help Lichen Sclerosus topically?
very good where to buy avocado oil. thank you pwcotton
Popeye thought Olive Oil was the best thing besides spinach.
Where do you find Avocado oils?
Hi Suzan, you can get avocado oil anywhere – supermarkets, health food stores, online at Amazon.http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_7?url=search-alias%3Dgrocery&field-keywords=avocado+oil&sprefix=avocado%2Caps%2C188
WINN DIXIE, WALMART, KROGER’S, ETC!!!!
According to Dr. N. Dunford from OK State’s agriculture science/bio dept., the tocopheral found in the avocado oil does penetrate the hair shaft. The effects are cumulative.
Avocado oil (or the fruit) cannot penetrate the hair shaft, the molecular weight is far too high. Therefore the oil lays on the surface of the hair. In the same way oil applied to the skin cannot penetrate so lays on the surface of the skin. I am curious as to how much research has been done on this article
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Judi, our freelancers do lots of research on each topic, and as the web content editor, I verify facts/fact check. Our research findings have indicated that avocado oil is very beneficial for hair. One of our (many) findings indicates: “Scientists at the Textile Research (J. Cosmet.Sci 52, 169-184, 2001) tested Olive oil, Avocado oil, Meadowfoam seed oil, Sunflower oil, and Jojoba oil. Their results showed that straight chain glycerides like olive oil easily penetrate into the hair. Polyunsaturated oils , like Jojoba oil, are more open in their structure so they don’t pass through the layers of cuticles very well. What does that mean in plain English? Olive and Avocado oils penetrate all the way into the hair shaft.”
Thank You for that information. I’ve been using olive oil for years and yes it does penetrate the scalp. I’m gonna start using avocado oil this year with expected results!
Great, keep us posted!