The Macadamia tree is an evergreen tree that grows up to 15 m tall. The four-lobed flowers have cream-colored, creamy-brown or pink petals. There are four stamens that are fused with the petals in part of their length. Between the petals and ovaries is a nectary consisting of four scales. The small flowers usually form large, prominent inflorescences. The macadamia tree starts to develop stone fruits after about 8 years. These have a diameter of 2-3 cm and resemble chestnuts. The nuts hang from the trees like grapes in long panicles. They have a hard, brown skin that is covered by a thick, green protective layer. Macadamia nuts have the hardest shell of all the nuts. Their content consists of up to 70% oil.
The light yellow macadamia nut oil is obtained from the seeds of the macadamia nut. The oil is obtained by cold pressing or extraction followed by refining.
A study has shown that macadamia nut oil can be used as a dietary food. Macadamia nut oil contains palmitoleic acid, which has positive effects on LDL and HDL cholesterol levels.
It could cause undesirable effects when taken, such as allergies in the form of redness in the oral cavity. These have so far only been described with cold pressed macadamia nut oil.
When buying macadamia nut oil for skin care, it is not necessary to buy a product from the cosmetic department. You can also use an oil from the cooking section.
Irrespective of the desired application, it is recommended to buy a cold-pressed oil. In contrast to refined oil, cold pressing preserves more nutrients in the oil, since it is performed at lower temperatures. Especially with sensitive skin, you should use an organic product. In this case the plants are not treated with pesticides, which makes the oil more tolerable.
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