Kukui Nut Oil: History and Use in Skincare

Do you have dry, sensitive, or another challenging skin type? It can be a struggle to find the right products for your slom. There are a lot of options out there, but you’ll start to see a handful of ingredients being repeated over and over again across different products. There’s a reason for that; those ingredients work well for most folks. 

But if you’ve tried product after product and haven’t found just the right one for your skin, you might want to look at some of the lesser known skincare ingredients.

Kukui Nut Oil is one of those often overlooked ingredients that’s wonderful for skin, especially dry and aging skin.

 

What is kukui nut oil?

Kukui nut oil is an oil extracted from the nuts of the kukui tree, also known as the candlenut tree. This tree is indigenous to Hawaii and other islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. The oil has a light consistency and can be quickly absorbed by the skin. Traditionally, the oil was obtained by roasting the kukui nut, but nowadays, most commercial kukui nut oil is obtained through a cold-pressing process.

Kukui nut oil

 

The history of kukui nut oil

The kukui tree is sacred to the Hawaiian people. This is because the tree itself provides so much for them. The oil of the kukui nut is just one of them. Hawaiians also used the wood from the trunk to make canoes, and other parts of the plant were used to create dyes for both tattoos and clothing.

We may think of Hawaii as being a paradise, but living there full time exposes the Hawaiian people to the sun, to seawater, and to winds. The oil of the kukui nut was used to soothe and protect sunburned and chapped skin. It has also been used to treat constipation, and is still used today in Hawaii to treat burns.

The kukui nut is so oily that the nuts can be strung together and lit to burn like a candle. Hawaiians also use the oil for oil burning lamps (hence the name “candlenut tree”), and string both the nuts and the flowers of the kukui tree together to make leis. 

In Hawaiian, the word kukui translates roughly to “light.”

The kukui nut tree is the state tree of Hawaii.

 

Benefits of kukui nut oil

Kukui nut oil was only recently discovered by the skincare world; previously most of the oil was produced for local use in Hawaii. 

The oil itself is lightweight and absorbs quickly into the skin, so it can be used as a moisturizer without leaving the skin looking or feeling greasy. It helps keep moisture in the skin by supporting the skin’s natural lipid barrier and preventing transdermal moisture loss, and can also soothe irritated skin. 

Kukui nut oil is rich in vitamins E and C, and packed with antioxidants. Antioxidants are compounds that help reduce the damage caused by environmental stress and our own metabolisms.

Anything that keeps moisture in the skin can help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and kukui nut oil is no different. It’s an emollient ingredient, so it helps keep the surface of the skin smooth and supple.

The benefits of kukui nut oil extend beyond skincare, though. Kukui nut oil is also great for helping hydrate and protect dry and damaged hair, and great for nourishing a dry or sensitive scalp, too.

Because kukui nut oil provides a lot of the same benefits that coconut oil does, it’s a lightweight and non-comedogenic alternative to coconut oil. 

kukui nut oil lip balms

 

Ways to use kukui nut oil in DIY bath and beauty products

Skin oil: One of the easiest ways to incorporate kukui nut oil into your skincare routine is to just apply a small amount to the skin after you’ve washed and treated your face. It’s a lightweight oil, so while it’s great for dry skin, it can also be used on normal and combination skin without feeling greasy or causing breakouts. Folks with very oily skin may want to avoid it, but other than that, it’s suitable for all skin types.

You can also use kukui nut oil in a skin oil blended with other beneficial oil-based ingredients.

Soap: In cold process soap, kukui nut oil is a moisturizing oil. It’s a soft oil, so it will make your bar of soap softer and is best combined with hard oils and butters to maintain the hardness of the resulting soap bar. We recommend using it in cold process soap at up to 20%, but 12% to 15% seems to be a sweet spot for adding moisturizing properties without sacrificing hardness. Soap made with kukui nut oil also tends to have a luxurious, silky feel when used.

Lotions, creams, and moisturizers: Kukui nut oil is a great addition to emulsified products like lotions and face creams. In fact, kukui nut oil is eye and lip safe, so it’s perfect for using on your face.

Balms: For skin and lip balms, this oil offers great moisturizing properties. Since balms are normally firm to hard products, use only a small amount of this soft oil in balms. We recommend usage at around 5%. You can use more, but you’ll produce a softer balm.

Body butters: Body butters are typically anhydrous, or lacking any water phase. This makes kukui nut oil a great addition to body butters. Like balms, the more you add the softer your butter will be, and for whipped butters, too much liquid oil might cause the butter to collapse and lose its airy texture. Kukui nut oil’s natural silky and lightweight feel makes butters extra luxurious.

Hair care: Kukui Nut oil is also great for your hair. It can be used in hair oils, masks, detangling sprays, and conditioners (both rinse out and leave in conditioners). Kukui oil is so lightweight it may even be useful to folks with very fine hair, adding shine and protection without weighing the hair down. It’s also good for scalp treatments, since the oil won’t clog pores and cause acne.

That’s everything you need to know about this wonderful skincare ingredient to get started using it. Kukui nut oil is a gift to skincare from the Hawaiian Islands and the Hawaiian people, and it’s wonderful for softening and soothing skin and protecting it from the elements.

To get you started, we have this easy Kukui Oil Lip Balm Project. It blends coconut oil and kukui nut oil to make a wonderful moisturizing lip balm.

 

DIY Skincare Kits