EFA’s | The Capsule vs Oil Debate

By Janine Tait
Dermo-nutritionist and Holistic Skincare Educator

In 2007, when I decided to produce a skin-friendly EFA supplement to support my clients’ skin healing programmes I had to make a choice. Would I create an EFA capsule or would I create an oil?

As a dermo-nutritionist, the right choice was obvious to me.

An EFA oil supplement is far superior to a capsule supplement for two key reasons.

1. An oil more easily provides the optimum quantity of EFA’s needed for skin health.
2. An emulsified oil (i.e. oil mixed into food) is far more easily digested than a capsule and more of the EFA’s can be put to good use by the skin and body.

This was the nutritional understanding that laid the foundation for Bestow Beauty Oil and Bestow Beauty Plus Oil.

Let’s look at these two important points in more details.

1 Tablespoon Oil vs 13 Capsules

In order to make a real difference to your skin-health and general wellbeing, you need to take a good dose of EFA’s. One tablespoon of Bestow Beauty Oil provides you with 13,000mg of oil which equals 10,000mg of EFA’s. This means you would need to have 13 EFA capsules per day (based on 1000mg capsules) in order to get the same skin health benefits. That’s a lot of capsules!

Oil and Water Don’t Mix

Have you ever heard the saying “oil and water don’t mix”? It’s not just a helpful metaphor for tricky combinations, it’s scientific fact. When you put oil into a water based system the oil and water will immediately separate. Our digestive system is water based (think about the salivary start to the digestive process) which means that oils are not easily digested if they are taken neat (i.e. without being mixed into food).

Ready for Some Science?

When the body detects that oil has entered the digestion production line, it first tells the gall bladder to produce bile, which acts like dish-washing liquid to break down the oil, and then instructs the pancreas to secrete lipase, a digestive enzyme tasked with breaking down fats for assimilation by the body.

However, if the oil globules are too big, (as is the case with capsules, or oils taken neat) the lipase can’t do its job effectively and the oil basically moves through the digestive system unutilised and out into the toilet. This is why taking a tablespoon of oil, without first mixing it into food, can cause diarrhoea in some people.

Emulsify For Maximum Health Benefits

Mixing an EFA oil into food prepares the oil for effective digestion. The technical term for this is emulsification. The oil particles are broken down into smaller globules that the body can digest and assimilate into the body. This means that all the EFA health promoting and skin glowing benefits can be realised.

How do Bestow Beauty Oils help my skin?

Bestow Beauty Oil moisturises the skin from within with a skin-friendly blend of EFA’s which help to clear congestion, make your skin feel soft, smooth and velvety and give it a natural, luminous glow. What you put on your skin is only half the story. You need to also nourish it from within.

What is the Best Way to Take Bestow Beauty Oil?

For optimum skin and wellbeing benefits, take one tablespoon of Bestow Beauty Oil mixed into food every day.

THE ULTIMATE

The very best way to take Bestow Beauty Oil is to add it to a smoothie. Whizzing it in a blender breaks down the oil into very fine globules which the gall bladder and pancreas can easily deal with. In addition, if you have plain milk or yoghurt in your smoothie the amino acids will significantly increase the effectiveness of EFA’s in your body.

THE NEXT BEST

If you are not in the habit of making a daily smoothie, you can emulsify Bestow Beauty Oil in a salad dressing. Another option is to pour Bestow Beauty Oil over your breakfast or add it to mashed vegetables once they are cool enough to eat (heat can destroy EFA’s).

And if that all sounds like too much hard work, you can simple mix one tablespoon of oil into a ¼ cup of yoghurt. Be sure to mix it well so it properly emulsifies.

The trick is to find something that you can do every day, which is why a daily Bestow Smoothie Ritual is such a great wellbeing investment. (It’s so easy to add in other Bestow skin nutrition products for a skin-nutrient feast)