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Chia seed oil is the cold-pressed plant oil from the seed of the chia plant, Salvia hispanica, a sage of the mint family that comes from Mexico and Guatemala. On the label of our chia seed oil the ingredient reads Salvia Hispanica Seed Oil, cold-pressed and made in Mexico, as a cosmetic oil for hair and skin; there is no second ingredient. It is a thin, light yellow, nearly scentless oil, sold in a 30 ml and a 100 ml bottle with a pipette.
Many people search for 'chia seed oil benefits' or search for 'chia oil for skin'. We make no claim about what this oil does in or under the skin or to the hair: the label says nothing about that, and neither do we. Most of what is written about chia is about the seed as food, not about this oil on the skin; this bottle is a cosmetic oil and nothing else. What you can check yourself is what the label says, that the oil is thin and nearly scentless and absorbs fast, why it belongs in the fridge, and how to use it. That is what this guide is about.
Chia seed oil at a glance
- Label: Salvia Hispanica Seed Oil, the only ingredient; cold-pressed; made in Mexico.
- Plant: the chia plant, Salvia hispanica, a sage of the mint family; the oil comes from the seed.
- Colour and smell: light yellow to golden; nearly scentless, no longer noticeable on the skin after a minute.
- Texture: thin and light; absorbs fast and leaves no greasy layer.
- Character: a largely polyunsaturated seed oil that turns rancid sooner than an oil rich in oleic acid; the fridge is the best place for it.
- Use: face, in a cream or mask, body, scalp and hair ends; external use only, not for consumption.
- Bottle and storage: 30 ml or 100 ml, dark glass with pipette; cool, dark and closed, finish within twelve months.
The chia plant and its seed
Chia is a sage, Salvia hispanica, an annual of the mint family with blue flower spikes, grown for its small grey and black seeds. The seeds are known from the kitchen, where they swell into a gel in water; that gel is not what is in this bottle. The oil is what comes out of the seed under a cold press, and it is a clear, thin oil that behaves like any other light seed oil. The label says cold-pressed and made in Mexico, where the plant comes from.
How the oil looks, smells and feels
Light yellow to golden, clear, and nearly scentless: open the bottle and you smell almost nothing, and on the skin the last trace is gone within a minute. It is thin and light, spreads easily, absorbs fast and leaves no greasy layer, which is why it can go under a day cream or make-up as well as on its own at night. It sits at the light end of the shop's oils, next to jojoba oil, and far from thick oils such as castor oil.
Why it belongs in the fridge
Chia seed oil consists largely of polyunsaturated fat, and such an oil reacts with oxygen, light and warmth faster than an oil rich in oleic acid, such as almond or olive oil. That is what makes it thin and light; it is also what makes it turn rancid sooner. Keep the bottle cool, dark and tightly closed, not in the bathroom and not in the sun; the fridge is allowed and, for this oil, the best place. Finish an opened bottle within twelve months. You can smell when it has turned: fresh, it smells of almost nothing; old, it smells sharp, fishy or like old paint. If it does, do not use it on the skin any more.
On the face
Two to three drops on cleansed, lightly damp skin, pressed in with the flat of the hand. The oil is thin enough to wear under a day cream or make-up in the morning, and on its own at night. Once or twice a day. Three drops is about 0.15 ml, so at once a day a 30 ml bottle lasts more than six months, and at twice a day more than three.
In a cream or a mask
One drop stirred into a single portion of day cream in the palm, just before applying, for the days the skin feels tight. Half a teaspoon stirred into a clay or powder mask, such as white clay mixed with water, makes the mask spread more smoothly and stops it from drying quite so hard; rinse a clay mask off before it is fully dry. Other powders and clays for masks are in the clay powders collection.
On the body
Half a teaspoon per arm or leg, straight after showering on skin that is still damp; the oil absorbs fast, so you can dress within minutes. About 10 ml for arms and legs together, so ten applications from a 100 ml bottle; this is the use the large bottle is for.
On the scalp and the hair ends
Half a teaspoon massaged into the scalp with the fingertips, left for twenty to thirty minutes and washed out; a thin oil like this rinses out in one wash. Once a week. On dry ends, one or two drops rubbed between the palms and smoothed over the last centimetres of dry hair are enough; more weighs fine hair down.
How much you use and which bottle to choose
For the face, the hair ends and the occasional drop in a cream, 30 ml: at once a day it lasts more than six months, and the bottle is empty before the oil is old. For the body or the scalp, 100 ml, kept in the fridge and finished within twelve months. Both bottles hold the same oil, in dark glass with a pipette, and can also be ordered by three or six. More oil than the skin takes up stays on top of it.
What to watch out for
External use only: this bottle is a cosmetic oil, not pressed or packed as food, so it is not for consumption, not for cooking and not to be swallowed. Apply one drop to the inside of the wrist first and wait a day. Avoid contact with the eyes and rinse with lukewarm water. Keep out of reach of children. The label names no fragrance and there is no analysis certificate for this batch, so we promise nothing about traces. Other single-ingredient oils are in the pure oils collection.
Frequently asked questions
Is chia seed oil the same as the chia seeds in the kitchen?
Same plant, different product. The seeds swell into a gel in water; this is the oil pressed from them, a cosmetic oil for skin and hair.
Does it smell?
Barely. On the skin the last trace is gone within a minute.
Does it have to go in the fridge?
It is allowed and, for this oil, the best place. Cool, dark and closed anywhere else also works; finish the bottle within twelve months.
Can I wear it under make-up?
Yes. It is thin, absorbs fast and leaves no greasy layer.
