8 Simple Ways to Use Grapeseed Oil for Skin

Grapeseed oil contains several compounds that can be beneficial to skin, including Omega-6 fatty acids, linoleic acid, more vitamin E than olive oil, and potent antioxidants, all of which can help protect skin and fight inflammation.

This oil is a faint yellow in color and feels relatively light to the touch. It can be used on its own or as the basis of a variety of skin applications, such as the moisturizers, lip treatments, scrubs, and other clean beauty recipes included here.

Treehugger Tip

Choose cold-pressed, organic grapeseed oil to get the most nutrients and to avoid pesticide residues.

of 8

Gentle Vanilla Sugar Scrub

Still life with cherry blossom, salt scrub and white pebbles — GSPictures / Getty Images

Mixing a skin-beneficial oil with granulated sugar is a simple way to create a homemade facial or body scrub.

Ingredients

1 cup of white granulated sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
3 1/2 tablespoons of grapeseed oil

Mix all your ingredients in a glass jar (add a little more oil if you need to) and use right away.

If you want to use this as a body scrub, just double the recipe so you will have plenty on hand when you need it. Be sure to store your scrub in a cool spot.

of 8

Solid Moisturizing Bar

A solid moisturizing bar is an easy way to make your homemade products portable. Since grapeseed oil is liquid at room temperature, you'll want to mix it with shea butter, which will get it to solidify into a bar.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons grapeseed oil
4 tablespoons shea butter
4 tablespoons beeswax pellets
4-8 drops of your favorite essential oil

Steps

Combine the grapeseed oil, shea butter, and beeswax pellets in a heat-safe bowl.
Microwave or heat in a double-boiler until everything is melted.
Remove from heat and stir together gently.
Add a few drops of your favorite essential oil if you like scent (lavender, peppermint, or orange are all inexpensive and easy to find).
Let cool in a container or mold in whatever shape you'd like your bar to be (or make two smaller bars). You can put it in the fridge for faster cooling.
Remove from mold, wrap a small piece of fabric around the bottom (so you can hold onto it without getting oil on your fingers if you don't want to), and keep it in your tin or other storage container.
To use, gently slide it across your warm skin—which will melt the moisturizer on contact—and rub it in.

of 8

Lip Softener

Bottle of organic grape seed oil for spa and bodycare and fresh ripe grapes berries on old wooden table.Healthy food,Bio,Eco products concept. — svf74 / Getty Images

Rub grapeseed oil on your lips for an instant lip-softener. Since grapeseed oil can be used for cooking, it's perfectly fine to ingest some, making it the ultimate nontoxic lip gloss.

of 8

Pre-Pedicure Foot Bath

Feet in a foot bath with milk — knape / Getty Images

Before your next at-home pedicure, add a tablespoon of grapeseed oil to warm water, along with a few drops of lavender, and soak feet for at least 5 minutes, or better yet, 10.

Then, pat your feet dry and rub them with a small amount of additional grapeseed oil if you like. This will moisturize and soften feet—and also help reduce foot odor.

of 8

DIY Oil Cleanser

Bottle of natural grape seed oil on white wooden table. Organic cosmetic — Liudmila Chernetska / Getty Images

Grapeseed oil is an ideal base for making your own facial cleanser. It's very low on the comedogenic scale (it's rated as a 1), which means it's less likely to clog pores and doesn't need to be mixed with another oil—it can be used directly as a cleanser on its own.

To oil-cleanse skin, simply apply a quarter-sized amount of oil to your dry skin, and rub it around gently, giving your skin a bit of a massage, for about one minute. Be sure to avoid the eye area. Remove oil with a warm (not hot) damp washcloth and pat dry.

Oil-cleansing works well for both dry and oily skin because the grapeseed oil bonds with and removes dirt and other oils that cause skin inflammation. For an additional cleansing boost, add a drop of tea tree oil to your grapeseed oil, or make a ready-to-use cleansing oil by adding 7-8 drops to 4 tablespoons of grapeseed oil and store in a glass pump container.

of 8

Moisturizer Booster

Woman cosmetologist cosmetics testing. Natural organic cosmetics. Serum hair mask. Flat lay pastel — IRA_EVVA / Getty Images

If you want to enrich your over-the-counter moisturizer for use at night or during cold or dry months, you could simply add a few drops of grapeseed oil to the usual amount of moisturizer you use.

Pump moisturizer into hands, add grapeseed oil, and mix it up between your palms before you apply it to your skin.

of 8

Simple Facial Serum

Woman dripping natural grape seed oil into bowl at grey table, closeup. Organic cosmetic — Liudmila Chernetska / Getty Images

Serums are often very small bottles of oils with very large price tags. Grapeseed oil makes an ideal serum base as it is non-comedogenic, liquid at room temperature, and absorbs easily.

Mix with equal parts argan oil and a few drops of rosehip seed oil for a powerful, lightweight serum to apply after cleansing or before bed.

of 8

Skin-Calming Rub

Aloe vera leaves and cosmetic bottle with dropper on wooden table — Svitlana Romadina / Getty Images

If you are suffering from sunburn, combining a teaspoon of grapeseed oil with a tablespoon of aloe vera can help calm and soothe.

Rub the two ingredients together between your palms and massage gently into your skin. The aloe vera will cool and moisturize and the grapeseed oil will help reduce redness.