I’m all for trying out the latest health-food trends, so of course I jumped on the chia seed train. Sprinkle them in some yogurt and let them sit in it overnight, they said. Reap the benefits of this superfood in a spoonful, they said. But in their absorbed-with-liquid state (when they blow up to be about 10 times their initial size), after one slug of their slimy, fisheye-ball consistency in chia seed tea or a slurp of the goopy, vegan caviar in my yogurt, I couldn’t get past the texture of them on my tongue. Even the flat stomach the seeds promised weren’t worth me trying to get them down my throat.
So it was to my most pleasant surprise to learn that chia seeds can actually be used in your beauty routine, without having to swallow them. The oil that is extracted from chia seeds is rich in omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants, so it yields many benefits for your skin. By itself, chia seed oil can be used as an ultra light, quick-absorbing face serum to give dull skin a healthy glow. Due to its anti-inflammatory properties, it can also be used to decrease skin redness and smooth out fine lines. The same bottle of oil can be used to hydrate dry skin and cuticles, as an under eye cream or to smooth out split ends.
A few drops of chia seed oil can also be added to other items in your repertoire to bless them with its benefits. Use it as a lip primer to blur lines and hydrate your lips to plump your pout. Or for especially dry areas of your skin, add a few drops of chia seed oil to your moisturizer and let the dry spots soak it all in. If you want to try out chia seed oil for yourself, a bottle of it costs about $20, or brands like One Love Organics, Perricone, and Lather have incorporated it into their lines of products.
One Love Organics
Perricone
