For many avocado lovers out there, this tropical fruit is absolutely essential in the kitchen. It is easy to digest as it is loaded with fiber, and it has an absolutely unique creamy texture. Be it eating it in a salad, making guacamole, or using avocado cooking oil – there are countless of interesting ways to eat avocado.
Avocado is favorable for any diet out there, it is a part of the paleo diet, it can be served as a substitute for other high-calorie spreads, but also used by people who practice keto dieting, as it contains only nine grams of carbohydrates per 100g of product whilst being a good source of unsaturated fat.
Aside from being tasty and versatile, it is also rich in nutrients, like vitamin E, vitamin B, vitamin K, magnesium, potassium, and copper (you can check the avocado nutrition values here). All of this makes the avocado very heart friendly, lowering the risk of deficiencies and serving as a powerful antioxidant. If there are so many benefits of eating avocado for your overall health, then, surely, there must be equally as many for your skin.
Avocado can not only aid in your skincare whilst adding it into your food, but it also serves as a great basis for your at-home spa experience. Here is the list of the top ways on how avocado benefits your skin inside and out.
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Treating inflammation
The unsaturated fats in avocado are a great way to treat inflammation, which also includes skin inflammation. Whilst digestion of avocado itself works wonders over time, a faster solution for damaged and inflamed skin is to rub it with avocado oil.
The unsaturated fats of avocado boost the immune system and help fight skin irritation and redness, including rosacea, sunburns and irritated acne. Keep the avocado oil on until it fully absorbs into the skin, then gently wash the area with warm water. Repeat the process every day for the best results.
Treating hormonal imbalance and boosting the metabolism
Many skin-related issues come from an imbalance with hormones. Women are especially prone to these types of issues through hypothyroidism or polycystic ovaries. Such individuals often have a lower metabolic rate, and this, in turn, makes their skin easily react to any amount of excess food as their digestive tract doesn’t properly absorb and break-down nutrients.
Aside from this, individuals with hormonal problems often experience pale, dry and itchy skin. Because of the unsaturated fat and high vitamin and mineral count in avocados, studies had shown that avocados lower the intake of added sugars, but also regulate cholesterol levels, and, thus, help fight lower metabolic syndrome in adults.
Additionally, the oleic acid in avocado activates the part of your brain which reduces cravings and sends signals to your body that you’re full, making it harder to overeat.
Nutrition Journal conducted a study with over 17.000 participants from 2001-2008 about the metabolic benefits of regular avocado consumption. Over 50% of participants had improved their metabolic rate or reduced the risk of developing metabolic syndrome.
Workout supplement
The flesh of avocado contains all nine of the essential amino acids that are required for proper protein synthesis and help muscle recovery, which will help with any injuries and sensitivity in your muscles and skin. In addition to this, avocado is also high in magnesium, which works as a muscle relaxant.
You can use mashed avocado or avocado oil as a lotion before you soak up into your bathtub for a more prominent relaxation, but also eat more avocado after a strenuous workout to prevent or lighten DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) as potassium-rich foods aid muscle repair. You can even put avocado in a blender and drink it as a pre-workout shake.
Face mask
The creamy texture of avocado flesh or smoothness of avocado oil makes both a great basis of face masks. Avocado is loaded with ingredients like folate, riboflavin, niacin or thiamine that aid skincare.
There are many different ways in which avocados can be mixed together with other ingredients to provide good facial skin care. A combination of honey and avocado helps refine pores, smooth out wrinkles and tighten skin.
To control oil secretion egg whites are a classic ingredient. If your issue is clogged pores, then mash up a cucumber into the mix to make the mask more refreshing.
To maximize the antioxidant effect, you can add activated charcoal. Vitamin E in the avocado also helps reduce radical skin change, just like rolled oats, so combining these two together will make a perfect anti-aging face mask.
Moisturizer
Using avocado oil mixed with essential oils or rubbing avocado peel directly onto your face serves as the best natural moisturizer. The reason for this is that, due to the percentage of unsaturated fats, avocado oil doesn’t glide onto tissue, like most oils tend to do.
Avocado oil absorbs deep into the texture of your skin without leaving a greasy residue after washing. Combined with the rich nutritional value in avocado itself, it has been shown that using avocado oil as a moisturizer helps battle dry skin, benefits skin regeneration, and even fights acne.
Cleanser
Blend egg yolks with one half of an avocado and one cup of milk until you get an even gel-like consistency. You can use this gel as a face cleanser, or even a deep treatment after your regular face wash.
Remember that this cleanser can only be kept in the refrigerator for up to three days, so best make as much as you’re actually going to use. Another way to cleanse your face is by washing out your pores.
Use a warm washcloth to massage avocado oil into your skin in circular motions which will relax your skin and open up your pores. The avocado oil will slide into your pores during this process and help eliminate all excess dirt that has accumulated. After about 15 minutes, wash your face with warm water.
Tanning lotion
Because of the combination of high heat-resistance and deep skin penetration, avocado oil is a great choice for that sun-kissed look. Avocado oil will help absorb sunlight better, prompting a shortcut to a summer complexion for your short vacation or limited visits to the tanning booth.
The vitamins in the oil will reduce the chance of getting a sunburn, but also help you absorb more of that good old vitamin D. In addition, avocado oil protects against environmental damage and harmful UV lights. It’s a good substitute for both sunscreen and also after-sun lotion.
Prolonged heat exposure, however, might make your avocado oil go rancid faster than it would usually. If you plan on taking some with you to the pool or beach, transfer a light amount into a bottle that’s not see-through and carry this for outdoor use instead of the glass bottle from your kitchen.
Hand cream
Because the avocado absorbs well into the skin, it’s a very good way to soften up the skin on your hands, especially if you do a lot of physical work and your hands might become rough, stained, or just damaged from heat or cold exposure.
Mix avocado flesh with some bananas and apply it to your hands. Rinse off after ten minutes. You should see immediate results.
Peeling cream
For rough and flaky skin, avocado oil might just be the solution. Avocado oil nourishes the skin and penetrates deep into its layers, which in the long run helps loosen up scar tissue, scabs, or just bold dry patches.
If, however, you need a quicker solution, opt for using avocado oil as the foundation of a homemade peeling cream. Grind some oats and nuts into a container with avocado oil and add a little lemon or lime juice for acidity and rub your skin thoroughly.
This works especially well for dry skin on heels or on your knuckles. If you put peppermint oil into the mix, you can use it as a lip scrub, as well.
Under-eye wrinkles and dark circles
After peeling an avocado, you will notice a dark green pulp clinging onto the skin. Use a spoon to scrape the dark green layer off and mix it with a little bit of flesh or oil and rub it under your eyes. You can also use cotton pads or tissue to make an under-eye mask.
The skin of the pulp is densely packed with vitamins and helps tighten the skin, but also benefits circulation, treating wrinkles, texture, and darkness from tired eyes. It can also quickly take away the puffiness from crying or computer eye strain.
Hair mask
Biotin is the main ingredient not only for skin regeneration, but also for boosting a healthy growth of hair and nails, and avocado is overflowing with biotin.
You can mash avocado flesh and apply it directly to your hair before washing as a good hair mask. This is not only beneficial for your hair, but also for your scalp, as it will help clear up any pimples and dandruff that may form at your roots.
Recap
Every single part of the avocado fruit is rich in valuable nutrients that are not only good for your body on the inside, but also on the outside, as avocado helps promote skin and muscle care, add to the elasticity and regeneration of your skin, help reduce inflammation and irritation, and help cleanse and protect your skin from outdoor pollution.
Due to the creamy texture of avocado flesh and lightweight of avocado oil, it is very easy to make products by yourself at home with simple utensils found in just about any kitchen cupboard.
Shelf-bought efficient hair and skin lotions, gels and creams are usually extremely overpriced, factory-made, mixed with dangerous chemicals and provide a hazard for the environment.
If you are an avocado lover and you use either the fruit itself or avocado oil in your daily cooking routine, you might as well combine the best of both worlds and add it to your daily beauty routine with DIY masks, gels, and creams.
The endless ways how avocado benefits your skin side by side with the flavor that it adds to any dish make avocado undeniably an unavoidable item on your grocery list.