Say hello to your new favorite kitchen and beauty staple – avocado oil!
Well, I’ve been pretty bossy around here lately haven’t I? Telling you how to live your life aka: why you need to be using sunscreen and now why you need avocado oil. Well guess what friends? In real life I’m quite bossy. I’m a big sister (so basically the bossiest breed of human ever). It is who I am to my core. But I only get bossy when I care, and when I want to hip you to something really good for you. Just consider me your healthy-living big sister. Sound good? Let’s dive into this avocado oil.
Avocado oil is pressed directly from the flesh of avocado. It is rich in monounsaturated fat that is good for your heart. Research also suggests when paired with yellow, orange and red-hued veggies, avocado oil can help boost the absorption of dietary carotenoids. Carotenoids are the pigments found in plants that are responsible for bright yellow, orange and red colors. Common carotenoids include beta-carotene and lycopene.
For cooking
These days, avocado oil has been my cooking oil of choice thanks to its high smoke point. It can be used for baking, sautéing and stir-frying up to 500°F. In case you aren’t familiar with the significance of the smoke point of cooking oils, let’s review. When an oil reaches its “smoke point”, that means it has reached a specific temperature where it is no longer stable and begins to oxidize. When oils reach their smoke point, they can release free radicals and carcinogenic compounds. Yikes!
Extra virgin olive oil, the holy grail of cooking oil, has a smoke point of around 320°F. For this reason, I prefer using olive oil raw in salad dressings and sauces.
Coconut oil is another great option, with a smoke point between 350°F – 400°F. I prefer to use coconut oil while baking, because I don’t mind having a hint of coconut in my baked goods.
With all that said, avocado oil is a great option for cooking at a variety of temperatures and it has a very mild flavor. If you are still cooking with vegetable or canola oil, please consider switching to a healthier oil!
For beauty
In addition to cooking, avocado oil can be a helpful staple in your beauty routine. It is a good source of vitamin E, an antioxidant that can help keep the skin looking youthful. Avocado oil works incredibly well as a makeup remover and can even break down stubborn mascara and eyeliner (I’m speaking from experience here, as I like using sharpie-strength eyeliner). It can also be used as a nourishing cleansing oil and body moisturizer. It absorbs into the skin quickly and doesn’t leave an overly greasy residue.
My favorite way to use avocado oil is as a deep conditioning hair treatment. I like to work a bit of avocado oil and honey through the lower half and ends of my hair. Then I tie it up in a bun and leave it in for at least 30 minutes to overnight. Next, I wash and condition as usual and am left with soft shiny hair that is less prone to breakage.
Your Turn:
- Have you cooked with avocado oil before?
- Do you like incorporating oil into your beauty routine? What types of oil do you like?
O I love avocado oil as a finishing oil! Such a nice light flavor!
Yum! I love the flavor 🙂
Ahhh you have convinced me to stop being so cheap, and to splurge on avocado oil haha. I was not aware of all its different benefits, so thanks for sharing this!!
Haha health is wealth baby girl!
I’ve never tried avocado oil as I’ve never seen it in stores! I will have to search around and see if I can find some. I love avocado flavor, and even if the flavor is mild, think it would be really tasty on a salad or quinoa or something similar. Thanks for the suggestion.
If you have a costco near you, check there! That is where it is most reasonably priced 🙂
Recently, I’ve been really curious to try Avocado oil for cooking. I’m just going to bite the bullet and buy it this week! 😁
I would love to hear what you think!
I love this type of post, Les! I’ve actually never used avocado oil before, but I may need to add some to my vitacost shopping list!
Thanks for the feedback Catherine! I like writing these so I will keep them coming 🙂 let me know what you think when you get some!
My friend has been swearing by avocado oil for a while! I would love to use it as an alternative for conditioner because I am not a huge fan of coconut oil – wellness heresy I know. 😉
Haha no shame in that, it is all about finding what you like!
I had no idea avocado oil had so many uses. Hello new eye makeup remover 🙂
Yesssss! It works so well!
I love baking with avocado oil, but I tried using it once in salad dressing and the flavour was too strong. Maybe I should try a different brand
Ahh, maybe uncooked its just not your thing? All good – I like using olive oil for dressings!
I love love love cooking with avocado oil but I’ve never used it for beauty! That would work so well in my hair because my hair tends to be really dry and frizzy, gonna try that! Thanks so much!
Oh girl you will LOVE! I have super dry frizzy hair and it is so moisturizing
Les I love this post! I always use coconut oil when cooking with high temps but to be honest, sometimes like scooping it out of the jar is just a pain in the butt! I would love to sub avocado oil so I can drizzle without the hassle. Totally buying some next time I’m out. Thanks girl!
Thanks Chrissa! And I agree – I get sick of scooping coconut oil from the jar too.
I have always used coconut oil. I have heard avocado oil has just as many benefits glad to hear it is mild too.
Let me know if you give it a try!
Love love love this article! I always mean to pick up a bottle of this stuff at Costco…it’s going on the list this weekend!
Thanks Alexa! Good call – I always get it from Costco. It is the best deal to get it from there!
I never would have thought to cook with this. Great idea!
🙂 thanks! Let me know if you give it a try
Oh wow, I’ve never used avocado oil for cooking or for beauty either – thank you and I want to try it out now!
Its great for both! Let me know if you give it a try!
I have a chili avocado oil and it’s DELISH!
That sounds amazing!
I will have to check this out. I love avocados!
Let me know if you do!
I love avocado oil! I even use it in my skincare sometimes!
Isn’t it great?
I’ve been toying with the idea of getting this at the store instead of my olive oil, but I wasn’t sure about the taste! I’m thinking I just need to jump in and get it 🙂 I love that you can use it for skin care, too!
In my humble opinion, it is really mild which is why I like it for cooking. For dressings/as a finishing oil I still like olive oil!
This is awesome! Thanks for the advice! I’ve been getting really into avocados lately… but I’ve yet to get the oil! I need to change that! Also, I love using food for beauty! I use coconut oil to take off my makeup every night! I’m hooked!
It’s a total game changer! I swear my beauty routine has been scaled down so much the past few years from just using household products!
Mmm, I haven’t ever tried avocado oil, but this sounds awesome! Thanks for informing me.
Thanks for stopping by Angie!
I use avocado oil for my hair and skin right now, I never thought about using it for cooking! This might work better than coconut oil as my husband doesn’t like coconut flavoured anything.
Ahh yes, definitely give it a try! I don’t like using coconut oil for cooking savory dishes for the same reason 🙂
Umm how’d I miss this post? Just saw Alexa link up to it on her blog so I had to come read. I’ve been seeing avocado oil everywhere but I’ve never actually tried it myself. You’ve convinced me though 😀
p.s. I’m a big sister too but since I live 5 hours (by plane) away from my siblings, I take my bossiness out on unsuspecting blog readers as well #oops hahaha
Ooooh Giselle you would LOVE! It’s so versatile. And shout-out to all the big sisters out there. Really we are just practicing leadership 😉