Jojoba and Its Skin Benefits
In this article we’ll look at the common skin care ingredient jojoba: we’ll examine its origins, its use in skin care past and present, and how this natural ingredient can benefit your skin.
Written by Lauren Holmes
What is Jojoba and Where Is It Grown?
Jojoba is shrub that is indigenous to the Sonoran and Mojave desserts of California, Arizona, and Mexico. One jojoba bush can grow to be anywhere between 6 and 15 feet tall with thick, waxy leaves that are muted green in color. The jojoba is a flowering shrub with compact yellow flowers which, after the bush is about 4 years old, yield the jojoba seed.
Jojoba seeds occur in clusters and are small (think acorn or small olive sized), brown, and wrinkled. Jojoba plants yield their seeds multiple times a year, so there are usually at least two harvests of jojoba seeds each year. The jojoba seed is a little over 50% oil, and this oil is the primary reason we now cultivate the plant. A typical jojoba harvest ranges between 300-800 pounds of seeds per acre, depending on which variety of jojoba is planted.
In the United States, jojoba has been grown for commercial use since the late 1970s. As of 2000,
However, more countries are beginning to plant jojoba because it thrives in arid climates and helps to keep the soil down in areas where dust and sand storms are problems. Other countries have also become interested in jojoba recently because of the increasing knowledge of its many uses and natural benefits.
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