Cucumber, the green, juicy, aesthetically pleasing fruit, is a favourite in salads and summery gin cocktails, and is sliced up and applied to the eyes of many a beauty enthusiast. Cucumber is well known for its cooling, soothing and moisturising effects on skin, and the oil is no different. Cucumber seed oil can be considered almost a specialty carrier oil; let's find out why!
What Is Cucumber Seed Oil?
The first thing you will notice about cucumber seed oil is its brilliantly fresh cucumber scent, which happily lingers on the skin, reminiscent of summer days. The oil is cold pressed from the dried seeds of the cucumber (Cucumis sativus) - believed to have originated in India - and is rich in fatty acids, particularly linoleic acid (Omega 6), as well as Vitamin E, oleic acid and palmitic acid.
When Is Cucumber Seed Oil Used?
The oil consists of about 60-68% linoleic acid and 14-20% oleic acid, plus high tocopherol and phytosterol content. Cucumber oil's rich phytosterol, tocopherol (Vitamin E) and fatty acid content make it remarkably beneficial to both:
- Blemish-Prone Skin
- Mature skin
What Does Cucumber Seed Oil Do?
- Calming
- Soothing
- Great for Problem Skin Conditions
Where To Apply Cucumber Seed Oil
Cucumber oil is ideal to use in facial serums and lotions, skin brightening formulations, eye creams and after-sun formulations.
It's a really nice exotic addition to your skin care routine if you are looking for something a little different but highly effective. Cucumber oil is also good for brittle nails and damaged hair. The gentle cucumber aroma will add a light fragrance to lotions and skincare products.
Formulations Using Cucumber Seed Oil
You can substitute cucumber oil in place of any other oil in DIY recipes, keeping in mind that it will give a cucumber scent, so perhaps leave out any essential oils that may clash with it. Here are a few recipes using cucumber oil to get you started:
Gentle Cucumber Gel Face Wash
I'm a big fan of gel cleansers because I love the way they feel on my skin and hands and they sort of warm up to the touch. This gel face wash is very gentle and uses only coco betaine as the cleanser, so you won't even need to adjust the pH as it is already in a skin-friendly range.
Ingredients:
Phase A
- ¾ of a cup of xanthan gum gel according to the recipe here.
Phase B
- ¾ tsp cocamidopropyl betaine
- 1 T cucumber seed oil
- ¾ tsp Olive M 300
- 2 T aloe vera gel
- 2 drops preservative such as Geogard 221 or Euxyl 940
- Add in any extras you wish - I added a dollop of honey to mine. You can also add in extra vegetable glycerine (it is a humectant and will help protect your skin from dryness).
Method:
- Make up about ¾ of a cup of xanthan gum gel according to the recipe here. Don't make the gel too thick or it will have the wrong consistency for a face wash. Make it a nice pourable consistency.
- Blend in Phase B.
- Store in a pump bottle or jar in a cool place.
- To use, pump out a small amount and lather on your skin then rinse with warm water.
- Follow up as usual with your moisturiser.
Cucumber Facial Oil
This incredibly simple facial oil combines two luxury oils to make a highly effective and nutritious blend. Both oils can help reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines, add firmness to the skin and are great anti-aging oils. They absorb well and will leave your skin feeling soft and moisturised.
Ingredients:
- 50% cucumber seed oil
- 50% prickly pear seed oil
- Pipette bottle
