5 Homemade Beauty Products from Avocados
There’s a reason avocados face masks are so popular: avocados are a treasure trove of natural oils, vitamins, and minerals. Go beyond the face mask and discover these five ways you can use a mashed-up avocado in your beauty regimen.
Ancient Aztec, Mayan, and Inca women all used avocados to enhance their beauty, taking advantage of avocados’ abundance of vitamins A, C, E, iron, potassium, niacin, and pantothenic acid. Next time you’re at the supermarket, buy a few and try one (or all) of these DIY avocado treatments—you’ll love how soft your skin feels! (For all recipes, be sure to use avocados that are ripe. Ripe avocados will yield to the touch and peel easily, revealing their bright green interior. If the avocados you buy are not ripe, let them sit out for a few days, or put them in a paper bag to speed up the process. Ripe avocados can be stored in your refrigerator but never put them in the freezer.)
Avocado Facial Cleanser
To get your face nice and clean after a day’s worth of pollution and grime, try this easy cleanser that takes advantage of avocados’ nutrients. In a medium-sized bowl, beat the yolk of one egg until it’s light and frothy, add a half cup of milk, and half a peeled avocado, mashed. To blend fully, pour mixture into a blender, but if you don’t have one, just beat the mixture with a fork until it has a thin, lotion-like consistency. Apply cleanser to your face with a cotton ball and then rinse with warm water. You can also use this as deep cleanser, after your regular face wash. This formula is perishable, so store in the refrigerator between uses for up to two days.
Avocado Facial Moisturizer
Want to save a ton of money on face cream? Just take the peel of an avocado and lightly wipe the inside of it across your face. Your face will love all the natural oils. You can rinse your face after 15 minutes or leave on overnight for extremely dry skin.
Avocado Eye Treatment
You know that cucumber slices reduce eye puffiness, but did you know avocados can do the same thing, with even more added moisture from their natural oils? Simply cut an avocado in half and slice into crescents. Place one crescent under each eye and leave on for 20 minutes, then rinse with lukewarm water. You won’t believe the difference.
Avocado Strengthening Hair Mask
Dry, brittle, limp hair will be a thing of the past after using this simple leave-in hair mask recipe featuring nourishing avocados. This is especially helpful for color-treated hair that’s looking—and feeling—fried. In a medium bowl, beat one egg and then add a half cup of olive oil and a third a cup of yogurt. Mash one avocado in a separate bowl and then add to yogurt mixture and stir to combine; it’s okay if the mixture is chunky. Apply to dry hair and massage into roots. Leave on for 25 minutes and then rinse with lukewarm water. Wash hair with shampoo and conditioner as usual.
Avocado Treatment for Dry Hands
Are your hands dry and cracked? Try this ultra-moisturizing formula to soften and rejuvenate your tired hands, plus it’s also great for your nails. This formula is especially helpful in winter, when your hands are often chapped and parched. Mash a quarter of an avocado in a small bowl. Add 1 egg white, 2 tablespoons oatmeal, and 1 teaspoon lemon juice and stir to combine. Apply the mixture to your hands and leave on for 20 minutes before rinsing off with lukewarm water. Your hands will feel super soft and supple — take that, winter!
For more than a hundred more DIY beauty recipes, check out our eBook Who Knew? Make Your Own Natural Beauty Products, available in Kindle, Nook, and PDF formats. And don’t forget to follow us on Facebook for our Tip of the Day!
About the Author
Bruce Lubin and Jeanne Bossolina-Lubin are the proud parents of three boys and more than a dozen books. After saving thousands per year using everyday tips and simple lifehacks, they started their own business in the hopes of sharing their knowledge with others. They have been known to go into their friends’ refrigerators to turn their eggs upside down so that they last longer.
