The special attributes of the “sun worshipper”
The sunflower has long been popular as an ornamental and economically useful plant. The original inhabitants of Mexico cultivated this tall plant with its sunray flowers over 4,500 years ago. The sunflower later made its way to Europe from North and Central America. It is found nowadays all over the world, but is mainly cultivated in the temperate climate zones of Russia, Ukraine, the USA, China and Argentina.
A fascinating feature of the sunflower is that it always turns its head towards the sun. The part that lies in the shade forms a substance that allows it to grow faster. This makes it heavier, resulting in the flower leaning slightly backwards – and thus turning towards the sun. The flower head follows the sun’s course throughout the day and orients itself back towards the east in the evening in readiness for the next sunrise. Another impressive fact about the flowers is that they can reach a diameter of up to 35 centimetres.
The effect of sunflower oil
Sunflower oil is mainly known to us as a culinary ingredient. It is rich in unsaturated fatty acids and contains a high percentage of vitamin E. As a high-quality vegetable oil, sunflower oil has also become a favoured ingredient in the cosmetics industry. Thanks to its omega-6 fatty acids, antioxidants and vitamin E, it is valued as an important source of nourishing and conditioning care for dry skin in particular. It is also said to act as a kind of shield for the skin. The oil is rapidly absorbed by the skin without blocking the pores (non-comedogenic).
Sunflower wax can be obtained from gentle refining of the native sunflower oil. It is used in the cosmetics industry primarily to obtain the desired consistency of lip salve sticks, creams or body butter. The wax contains the same beneficial properties as sunflower oil and it can be used as an alternative to beeswax.
The statements about properties, effects and effectiveness made here refer exclusively to the plant and its components/products.
