Black seed oil, also known as black cumin seed oil or kalongi oil, is an amazing natural remedy with a historical reputation for healing many ailments. Read about the various ways that black seed oil is incredible for skin itches, rashes, dry skin, complexion and even hair and scalp health.
Have you heard about black seed oil? I hadn’t, until a few years ago, when we were living in Albania in a coastal city. The weather was fiercely hot and the reflection off of the Ionian Sea made it even more so. Fair-skinned as I am, I began suffering from a heat-induced skin rash. That’s when I learned all about how black seed oil is excellent for skin and health.
About Black Seed Oil
Black seed oil is made from the pressed seeds of the Nigella Sativa, which is a small flowering plant native to northern Africa, parts of western Asia and eastern Europe. The seeds of this small shrub that bears either blue or white flowers has been used as a natural herbal remedy for thousands of years. It is noted in several ancient scriptures, from the Koran to the Christian Bible, as well as in treatises written by Hippocrates and other scholars.
Black seed oil is so powerful in treating numerous health issues, including serious ones, that I have a separate article all about black seed oil for internal use, including cancer, and infections like Candida – it’s just amazing in its curative abilities!
With its anti-inflammatory and regenerative properties, black seed oil also has many known uses for skin care and external use, which we will cover in this article.
Identifying Black Seed Oil
Black Seed oil is known by many names and it can be confusing.
For example, the distinctive little black seeds are known in India as kalongi and are often used in Indian cooking. They resemble black sesame seeds, but are rougher, rather than smooth and shiny like sesame seeds. Black seed oil is also sold as black cumin oil, black cumin seed oil, black caraway, nutmeg flower and Roman coriander.
To be certain that you are getting real black seed oil, any product label should state that it is Nigella Sativa oil.
Regardless of what people call it, black seed oil is an incredible natural remedy and worth looking into for your skin care needs and more!
My Own Story
I’m fortunate that I was in Albania when I got that really intense skin rash caused by heat. Otherwise, I probably would not have discovered black seed oil! I have sensitive skin, but this reaction was really over the top and I needed to find some relief quickly.
Natural product lover that I am, I went to the market to look for herbal cream for my skin. I was sifting through the possibilities, which was a bit time consuming. Albania imports items from nearby Greece and Turkey, so I had three languages of product descriptions to decipher. I found a bottle of black seed oil but couldn’t read the Turkish description! So, I quickly walked back to our apartment to translate it.
I learned that black seed oil is one of the best natural cures for skin ailments and rashes, along with its other amazing health benefits. I’m always in favor of the least processed and most simple natural remedy, so I decided to give it a try. Another trip to the market and I started getting rid of the large, red, itchy splotches dotting my arms.
I was really, really happy with my results using black seed oil. As with most natural treatments, the skin rash did not go away instantly, but began calming down from the first day I started using black seed oil. After about a week of regular application, my skin was so much better! And, within the next couple of weeks, all of the red areas were gone. That’s saying a lot, because I have very fair skin that scars easily and, this time, no spots remained!
More Topical Uses For Black Seed Oil
1. Skin Rashes And Skin Disorders
Black seed oil can be applied topically to soothe and calm down red, irritated, itchy ((like mine!) and to treat eczema and psoriasis. It is also effective for soothing sunburned skin as it speeds up the healing process.
2. Improve Complexion
Regular application of black seed oil can help your skin to be softer and more glowing. On its own, black seed oil is a bit drying (which is why it is so useful in healing rashes and itches!) but it is best to mix a few drops of black seed oil into a more emollient carrier oil, such as sweet almond oil, jojoba oil or sea buckthorn oil.
Adding black seed oil to your skin moisturizer is also a great way to get additional protection from the sun’s UV rays, while boosting the body’s natural production of protective melanin.
3. Acne
Due to its anti-inflammatory properties, black seed oil is therapeutic in treating acne. Unlike other topical acne creams that treat one type of acne-causing bacteria, black seed oil is effective in treating multiple bacteria.
4. Burns
Rubbing black seed oil on mild to moderate burns can alleviate pain, reduce redness, accelerate healing and minimize scarring.
5. Reduce Surgical Scars
While we’re on the subject of scarring, black seed oil is also amazing for reducing scars that result from surgical procedures. Rubbing black seed oil over the unattractive scarred skin will really help to lighten the scars over time.
6. Insect Bites
Black seed oil can relieve pain due to inflammation from insect bites. It also relieves redness, skin irritation and the “itch factor” from insect bites.
7. Hair Care
Massage black seed oil onto the scalp to aid in hair growth and prevent dandruff and scalp dryness. You can also rub it into the hair to treat split ends, improving general hair health.
Conclusion
Based on my own experience alone, not to mention thousands of years of history of topical use, I know that black seed oil is very curative for skin conditions. Needless to say, I am now a fan of black seed oil!
Whenever you consider buying oils for therapeutic use, it’s always best to purchase the purest organic oil that you can find. It’s also important that the oil has been processed without the use of hexane, a chemical that is often used in manufacturing. Unfortunately, hexane is a well known allergen, that has a history of aggravating the very skin issues that you might be trying to resolve! Therefore, always check that any oil you choose comes with the assurance that it is hexane-free.
If you’re ready to try black seed oil for skin care, I suggest Heritage Store Organic Black Seed Oil from iHerb (one of our favorite affiliate companies!). It is the highest quality, cold-pressed organic black seed at the most economical price that we have found, and we have always been more than satisfied with Heritage Store products.
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