Beauty hacks in the kitchen: Using Avocado for your skin
AVOCADO FOR SKIN
Uganda no doubt is a country blessed with abundance of food, fruits and vegetables. It’s no wonder lots of Ugandans have turned to creating organic skin care and natural hair products. One of the abundances we pride ourselves in is the green gold Avocado.
I personally enjoy avocado either sliced or in a salad, or a guacamole, but as a natural hair advocate, I have come to fall in love with avocado more.
My weekly hair treatment regime, must include the use of avocado. So in this article, I am going to share the different ways to use avocado, not just to improve your skin, but also improve your hair.
SKIN
Not only are avocados high in healthy fats, but they’re also an excellent source of vitamins E and C, both of which play a key role in the health and vitality of your skin.
Here are some of the ways that these ingredients help avocados pack a powerful punch when it comes to skin benefits.
Soothes skin conditions
From my personal experience, the fats, compounds, and vitamins found in avocados help speed skin repair and improve chronic skin conditions like eczema and acne.
Additionally, these same nutrients may help improve chapped skin and even out skin tone.
Improves skin elasticity
A 2010 study of over 700 women looked at the relationship between the condition of the skin and the intake of fats and antioxidant micronutrients.
The researchers concluded that a high intake of fat — especially healthy monounsaturated fat, like the fat found in avocados — helped increase skin elasticity and reduced the appearance of wrinkles. I am not a fan of processed beauty products, I have always believed that your outside appearance, is a reflection what you put on your inside. Most of my meals, always come with an avocado and it shows on my skin. Avocados are a great source of biotin, which is part of the B complex vitamins. Biotin is known to help prevent dry skin when applied topically. It can also help prevent brittle hair and nails.
How to use avocado on your skin
What makes avocados such a simple addition to your skin care routine is that you can peel it, pit it, and use the flesh right on your skin. You can also use avocado oil, which is found in many supermarkets and other skin care lines.
Avocado and honey deep moisture face mask
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp. solid coconut oil (place in the fridge to solidify if it’s in liquid state)
- 1/2 ripe avocado pitted and peeled
- 1 tsp. honey
- 1 tsp. water
Directions
- Place coconut oil, avocado, honey, and water in a bowl.
- Blend into a paste using a handheld blender.
- Use immediately after making.
To use
- Warm your skin with a warm, damp facecloth for 20 seconds to open up your pores.
- Apply the mask to your face using your fingers or a brush, avoiding the eye area.
- Leave on for 15 minutes and rinse with warm water.
- Pat your face dry and follow with moisturizer.
I like to add a squeeze of lemon juice to deal with any form of oiliness.
The bottom line
Avocados can benefit your skin in many ways due to the healthy fats, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients found in this versatile fruit.
You may reap skin benefits, as well as other health benefits, by regularly including avocados in your diet. You can also use avocados topically. Some options include using avocado in a face mask or using avocado oil as part of your cleansing or moisturizing routine.
