Avocado oil can be made at home by collecting the thick butter from ripe avocado fruits or from the flesh after peeling the skin of the avocado – this is the cold-pressed method of extracting avocado oil. The oil is very healthy and organic; it has so many wonderful benefits to health and also in skincare products; it can be used for health remedy and in much delicious cooking. Avocado oil is good for you because it contains monounsaturated fat which is easy to absorb by the body and is recommended for cooking healthy and delicious foods.
The oil is not only used in cooking but is an essential ingredient in many cosmetic products such as creams, moisturizers, and sunscreens, and shampoos and it has a high smoke point of 271 degrees Celsius.
Avocado oil can be extracted at home using different methods. There is the heating method, the cold-pressed method and the pressing method and all the three methods of extractions work perfectly depending on what you want to use your avocado oil for.
Avocado oil is good for you because it contains high amounts of healthy monounsaturated fat – which is good for the heart. However, it then best to know how to make your own avocado oil at home.
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What is cold-pressed avocado oil?
Cold-pressed avocado oil is simply a method of extracting avocado oil by mashing avocado flesh and then pressing the oil out without any application of heat. Other seeds, fruits, or nuts that can be extracted using the cold-pressed method include sesame seed oil, grape seed oil, coconut oil palm oil, olive oil, and sunflower oil.
How to make cold-pressed Avocado oil
- You can start by collecting avocado flesh or butter with a spoon into a bowl
- Use a spoon or fork to mash the avocado butter into a smooth paste, making sure there is no single lump in the paste.
- Spread the mashed paste on a tray or any flat surface as thin as possible and allowed to dry. the drying process can be under the sun or in a shed, depending on whether you want the cold-pressed Avocado oil or not.
- After air-drying 10 hours of drying the avocado paste or butter, you will notice the upper layer of the avocado butter turning from light green to a dark green color, while the under is still bright as before.
- Use a spoon to mix the butter all over and spread it out again and allow it to dry in the shade. You will have to repeat this process again and again after some hours later. This process of mixing and spreading is continuously done until the whole paste losses its water and becomes dark green and oily.
- Once all the water has dried out of the avocado, and you are left with a light paste which is dark brown in color, use a spoon to scrape everything into one place.
- Transfer the avocado paste on a cheesecloth, squeeze out all the oil from the avocado paste into another bowl. When there are no more traces of oil in the paste, discard the paste.
- To have a clear oil, strain the avocado oil using a fine mesh into a storage bottle.
- Your cold-pressed avocado oil is ready, you can keep it in the fridge and use it whenever you want.
The cold-pressed avocado oil has all the nutrients intact because heating the oil destroys the nutrients. This process of making avocado oil retains its healthy antioxidants that would have been damaged by heat. Antioxidants help combat free radicals that cause cell damage in the body. Most cold-pressed oils are rich in vitamin E, which has anti-inflammatory and healing properties. They are also rich sources of oleic acid that help boost your immune system.
Your cold-pressed avocado oil is ready for use. You can apply the avocado oil on the hair for growth and prevents hair loss. The oil can be mixed with lavender essential oil or peppermint (about 4 drops) and then applied to your hair. It can repair damaged hair. It tastes great on salad dressings.
Avocado oil uses
- Avocado oil is good for cooking because of the high smoke point ( it can withstand high heat)
- Avocado oil is an excellent ingredient in a homemade hair shampoo bar and is great for promoting fast and healthy hair growth. It is used to promote fast hair growth and also good for hair repair because it stimulates blood to the scalp.
- You can use avocado oil as a carrier oil; carrier oils are usually pressed from the nuts, seeds, or other fatty parts of the fruit, and are used for diluting essential oils.
- You can use it on the skin to treat acne.
- The oil can be used as a facial mask to remove wrinkles and dead skin.
- It is used in homemade conditioners to reduce dandruff and other problems that are related to dry scalp.
- Avocado oil can be used in baking because of its nutty flavor.
- It contains healthy monounsaturated fat (about 70 percent) – which is good for the heart.
- Avocado oil is used for making mayonnaise and many other food products
There are many other uses of Avocado oil such as in frying (of potato chips or popcorn), roasting, grilling, searing, and salad dressings – all because of its high burning point (it has a smoke point of 520 degrees Fahrenheit or 271 degrees Celsius).
Benefits of avocado oil
- Avocado oil is a good moisturizing oil that helps to nourish both scalp and hair. The oil is rich in lecithin, potassium, and plant sterols which provides your skin with all the essential nutrients and antioxidants leaving your skin well nourished, moisturized, and soft.
- The oil is an excellent source of antioxidants, essential fatty acids, and minerals which is beneficial for healing dry, flaky, and irritated skin caused by psoriasis and eczema.
- This natural oil contains different fatty acids such as palmitic acid, linoleic, oleic acid, and linolenic acid. it is also rich in Vitamins A, C, D, and E.
- Avocado oil is a natural oil that is rich in vitamin D, vitamin E, beta carotene, lecithin, and essential fatty acids oil which protect the skin from ultraviolet radiation. The oil also promotes fast healing of the wound and cooling of the skin.
- A good way to benefit from avocado oil is to use it as a massage oil both on skin and scalp. This is effective due to its high-fat content which stimulates blood flow and unclogs blocked follicles. These effects may help stop hair fall loss.
Nutrition facts per 15 ml (tablespoon) of Cold pressed Avocado oil
- Avocado oil has 120 calories
- It has 14 grams of fats
- 2 grams of Saturated fat
- Monounsaturated fat of avocado oil is about 10 grams
- Polyunsaturated fat content is 2 grams
- It contains 23% of the daily value of vitamin E
How long does homemade avocado oil last?
All oils including avocado oil have a tendency of going bad when they are not stored properly and once opened. Avocado oil contains monounsaturated fatty acids; these acids react with the atmospheric air which may contaminate the oil. Since this is a homemade oil that is not refined, it is best to store it in the fridge until when needed, however, if you are using the refined avocado oil that is already opened, it can last up to six months but a maximum of one year.