People have used black seed oil for its therapeutic benefits for thousands of years. Rumour has it that Cleopatra used black seed oil for her famous bath… so let’s talk about it.
What is Black Seed Oil?
Black seeds are also known as black caraway, black cumin, kalonji, and black onion seeds.
They come from Nigella sativa, a small plant with pale purple, blue, or white flowers that grows in Eastern Europe, Western Asia, and the Middle East. The most highly regarded black seed oil comes from Egypt.
Outer Beauty
When used topically, Black Seed oil boasts a wide range of incredible benefits, some are…
- Eczema: A study in 2013 compared the therapeutic effects of Black Seed Oil vs those with prescription medication and the study showed that black seed oil can reduce the severity of hand eczema. You can read the study here.
- Acne: due to its antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects, black seed oil could also help to improve acne. Black seed oil has been found to possess astringent properties that can help reduce the build-up of impurities on the skin surface.
- Black seed oil may also hydrate hair, soften skin, and act as a moisturizer
- It contains over 100 vitamins and minerals – incredible! You don’t find many oils more nourishing than that.
- It contains vitamins A, B, and C which help the skin retain moisture, maintain elasticity and fight free radicals.
- Due to the rich levels of vitamin A, amino acids, and fatty acids in this, it can help to regenerate skin cells and reduce the appearance of discolouration over time.
You can find Black Seed Oil in…
Skin Alchemists Sesenne Facial Elixir
This lush golden elixir is a pleasure to use and is perfect when used after the cleansing oil or as part of any other regime. It feels rich and nourishing, but not heavy. simply warm a few drops in your hands, inhale and press into your skin.
Buy the oil from £24 from the DOR Beauty Edit
The Body Shop Oils of Life™ Intensely Revitalising Cleansing Oil-In-Gel
This is a lush gel/balm cleanser that feels lovely and nourishing on the skin. The formula contains over 30% of pure oils.. It has a balm texture which turns milky when water is added. I like that when you massage this into dry skin, it almost has a warming effect on the skin as it melts away dirt and makeup. It’s formulated with black cumin oil from Egypt, rosehip oil from Chile and camelia oil from China – such great ingredients!
Buy the cleanser for £12 from The Body Shop
7 WONDERS Skin Panacea Face and Body Oil
It’s rare to find an oil that can be used for face and body that works equally well on both… this is one of those. This is a gorgeous oil that includes nourishing CQ10, Apricot Kernel Oil, Natural Vitamin E and more. This supremely nourishing oil is rich in Omega 3 and 6 essential fatty acids, as well as Chia Seed oil, Black Seed Oil which contains vitamins and minerals that are valuable in skincare and facilitate skin recovery and repair. This oil is great for the face and really gives the body an intensely nourishing treat.
Buy the Inner Senses Body oil for £34 from the DOR Beauty Edit
Haer SUSINUM Luxuriant Hair Oil
This a beautiful hair oil. It has a gorgeous, addictive scent and leaves the hair feeling shiny, nourished and smooth. A sophisticated blend of 18 of the most effective, 100% natural botanical origin ingredients. The Black Seed Oil in this oil has regenerative properties – it traditionally is used to promote hair growth with it’s own unique fatty acid profile, leaving the hair conditioned and softened all day long.
Buy the hair oil for £65 from Haer
BYBI Swipe Clean Cleansing Oil
This is a lush cleanser! Quite thick in texture, it melts into a milk upon contact with water and cleans the skin beautifully. It’s also gentle enough to be used on the eyes – which is something I always appreciate as I usually remove my eye makeup and face makeup with the same product. It feels very nourishing too, which is lovely!
Inner Beauty
Black Seed Oil is not only good when applied topically, no! It’s been used in cooking and supplementation for years due to its fabulous health benefits. You can ingest black seed oil in the form of capsules and high-quality black seed oil is also suitable for use in cooking, baking, and beverages
It contains thymoquinone: an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compound that may also have tumor-reducing properties.
Weight loss: A systematic review published in the Journal of Diabetes & Metabolic Disorders in 2013 found that black seed oil could be effective in tackling obesity. You can read the article here.
Infertility: in a placebo controlled clinical trial on men with abnormal sperm and infertility, it was found that black seed oil could improve sperm movement, increase sperm count and semen volume.
Anti-inflammatory: due to its antioxidant properties, it can help relieve inflammation inside the body and on the skin.
Diabetes: A 2016 overview in the British Journal of Pharmaceutical Research, indicated that the role of N. sativa seeds in treating diabetes is substantially important (enhancing insulin production, glucose tolerance, and beta cell proliferation). The overview concluded that the seeds also can play a significant role in the treatment of diabetes complications such as nephropathy, neuropathy, and atherosclerosis.
Please note…
As always, please discuss with your doctor before starting to use any supplements and this does not replace your medication. Some people may find that they have an allergic reaction to it when used topically, so please patch test.
Keep the oil away from the eyes, nostrils and other sensitive body parts.
Consumption can sometimes lead to digestive problems – so please be mindful when using.
How to consume Black Seed Oil…
Viridian Black Seed Oil
You can buy black seed oil as a supplement (although it’s certainly an acquired taste, to say the least…). It can be taken as a supplement or drizzled over food too.
Buy the supplement for £27.50 from Planet Organic
You can buy the seeds and incorporate them into meals. Here’s a few ideas:
- Toasted and sprinkled on flatbreads like naan or on bagels and biscuits
- Added to soups, curries and stir fries
- Grinded up and mixed with other seasonings like mustard, fennel, and cumin seeds.
Buy the seeds for £6.78 from Buy Wholefoods Online
Do you use Black Seed Oil? We’d love to hear if you have, or if you are now thinking about trying it and in which form you’re interested in.
(*PR gift/sample)
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