DIY Beauty: avocado for beauty inside out
We’ve recently taken to eating avocados at home, under the influence of my mom. I noticed that her skin was looking firmer after she started taking this fruit consistently for a few weeks and found out that it’s because the fruit is rich in monounsaturated fat and essential fatty acids, including omega 3 and 6 fats.
Monounsaturated fats are considered healthy fats and this is why avocados are good for our skin because in combination with the omega fatty acids, they keep our skin plump and helps prevent dry skin. In addition, avocados are loaded with antioxidants such as lutein, beta-carotene, vitamin C and E, and together, these act well together as a powerful skin anti-aging combination.
Avocados help absorption of antioxidants in other foods
Another recently discovered benefit is that avocados help the body absorb phytochemicals from other foods. Researchers from Ohio State University recently reported that pairing avocados with salsa or salad allows for better absorption of antioxidants in those foods. The lycopene in tomatoes or the beta-carotene in carrots may be better absorbed if there’s a slice or two of avocado in the bowl. Scientists suspect that the fat content of avocados helps the body absorb these antioxidants.
How to ripen and eat the avocado
The tricky bit about eating avocados is determining if they’re ripe enough. Usually, those fresh from the supermarkets are green and hard. To be ready to eat, the skin of the avocado should be a dark green and it should be slightly soft when pressed. In fact, my first attempt at eating and using one failed because the avocado was still very green! I later found out through searches on the Net that I have to aid the ripening process by placing the avocados in a brown paper bag or wrapped in a piece of newspaper. I did the latter and in a day or so, my avocados ripened and I was able to cut the avocados into halves and scoop out the flesh.
Avocado by itself isn’t tasty but I made it delicious by adding some raspberries and a teaspoon of manuka honey. It was lovely to eat! I’m going to vary the taste by adding in other fruits like strawberries or kiwifruit. You can experiment with other ingredients according to your tastebud too!
Moisturizing oil found in avocados
I also kept a little of the avocado with the manuka honey for a face mask. The oil found in the fruit can moisturize the face as it contains natural humectants to hold in moisture and true enough, there was an immediate shine on my skin after I rinse out the mask with warm water. However, I don’t really like using this very much because the oil left a “film” on my skin. But if you don’t mind it, the healthy fats in avocados and their oil are ideal skin and hair moisturizers and are excellent for dry skin, including stubborn skin problems such as eczema. Another simple beauty remedy is to lightly apply the inside of the peel to your clean face, and leave the oil on your face all night or rinse after 15 minutes. It’s supposed to make a great foundation for your foundation or powder!
Great for cellular renewal and has natural sunscreen properties
Avocado oil is also said to be great for cellular renewal because it is an ideal medium for transporting active ingredients beneath the epidermis into the dermis. In addition, avocado oil also has natural sunscreen properties, and can enhance the ability of products to protect the skin and hair from UVA and UVB rays. So all in all, this fruit with its rich omega essential fatty oils is great for our skin from the inside out. If you’re eating it and applying it topically, it can most probably double your efforts. But personally, I’ll rather keep it in my mouth for the moment.
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wow! I have always heard that avocados are fatty high calorie fruits, and therefore more like a comfort food that should be avoided. Didn’t know it’s so good.
I love avocado juice to the max. But of course, if bought outside, there are lots of added sugar and kind of expensive too.
I love avocados! You might want to try it with condensed milk #k8SjZc9Dxk_#k8SjZc9Dxk
I love avocados too!! I always take them with some honey.
hahaha.. so coincidence.. i bought an avocado last week and it was also not ripe and i was searching the net to determine how to see if the fruit is ripe.. think i should go try my luck again since it’s so good.. #k8SjZc9Dxk#k8SjZc9Dxk*
i love avocados i try to eat 2 a week for skin and health benefits. it also is great for making hair shiny by eating it and applying it to the hair. I eat it with tomatoes and honey! mm
like everyone else here, I love avocados! Thank you for sharing. I didn’t know what the exact health benefits were until now.
thx for ur tips! I just bought a bag of avacados not knowing how to ripen them or eat them! ?
There is a misconception about avocados – that they’re fatty. It’s true, but the fats are good for our body and it’s okay to eat them frequently. Funny thing I even read that they help to control our weight too but I haven’t look into that.
Try the fruit sometime…you may like it. ?
Nice with condensed milk? We have a can of it at home…maybe I’ll try a little of it and see if I like it. A bit scared of taking condensed milk.
Yeah, it’s nice with honey. Try adding some other fruits next time to enhance the flavor if you like. More tasty.
Yes, try it…very good. A bit tricky but if the skin turns dark and it feels soft, then it’s ready to be eaten.
Tomatoes! Oh that’s great cos you’re adding to the antioxidant value! I should try with those small cherry tomatoes next time. Thanks for the idea. ?
It has a host of health benefits that I did not put down. Especially great for people who were sick and recuperating too.
i love the creamy texture of avocado in my diy homemade veg+fruit smoothies. makes the smoothie very smooth hahaa. ?
Give it a few days in a brown bag or newspaper wrap and then refrigerate them when they are riped. I learnt that they ripe faster if you put in other fruits like a banana but I didn’t try it.
Oh smoothie…I have never tried it. Kind of troublesome for me cos I hate to have to blend and then wash the blender. ?
Okie, here comes my favorite fruit(I don’t like the taste much so I mix it with other fruits and in milkshake) but my skin loves Avocado:)
Avocado + sweetened yogurt makes a fantastic drink. I had one everyday when my parents were working in Vietnam. Great for cooling down the body and dry skin.
I know you like to use this as a mask right? What do you mix it with?
You mix the avocado with the yogurt? Do you need to blend? Sounds like something I will experiment.
Wow, great tip for ripening avocadoes! I like to make avocado milkshake but always have trouble gauging when they’re ripe enough to blend.
i’ve noticed that ppl who love to eat avocados have pretty good skin. I didn’t love it when i was younger but now I am getting the hang of it more and more… i am hoping consuming avocado will improve my overall health too..
interesting! i tried avocado on its own before and i think its tough to finish one whole fruit at a go. by the way i’d like to grumble that raspbarries are expensive in singapore! are they yummy with the avocado?
I had no idea either but thank goodness for the Internet!
I think I’ve not eaten avocado until now…perhaps a little in salads only.
Yes, the raspberries are ex but you can add a few at a time and mix in. Very yummy! Something sweet with a tinge of sour taste would compliment the avocado well.
I LOVE AVOCADO’S!!!!!! But I do not know if I would use it on my face…since lol…they are expensive to buy…well in America…sometimes they go on sale…so I rather eat eat it….hahaha but maybe just maybe when they go on sale…I shall try smashing one and putting it on my face…:/
Have you heard of people eating/drinking boiled artichoke because it’s good for the skin?
Hummmmmmmmmm avocados! I love them with salt or mayonnaise+prawns!
They’re also great as hair mask and facial mask!
ok i knew they were good for health and all but i didn’t now there were that many benefits! thanks for pointing them out (= The instant shine after you put it on as a mask sounds fantastic!
about the natural sunscreen effect, do you mean it topically or orally?
It’s quite costly here too…that’s why I’m not planning to use it so much for my face as well. Maybe I’ll use the oil from the peel occasionally.
I’ve read something vaguely but not clear on the specifics…
Oh with mayonnaise and prawns…like a salad! Maybe I’ll try it…
I think it’s topically. But I interprete it to mean the oil extracted. So if you can get avocado oil, it probably will help to provide some level of protection.
I mix various fruits/honey/essential oils etc.:)Yes, I love it as a facial mask, it so hydrating:)
I see…I think I’ll just eat it and maybe use the peel occasionally.
i just put avocado in the blender with some milk to make smoothies.
sometimes i eat it with sugar.
Yummy
At first, I’m not keen to eat avocado. However, after I ate an avocado w/prawn salad, I have a change of heart. Now I’ve tried sushi w/avocado & mango. Taste good. I think I will try to smoothie version!
Never tried smoothies. Nice idea but I’m too lazy to wash the blender. ?
I find that avocado on its own isn’t tasty. It needs to be blended or mixed with other stuff.
Hi i love avocado.I mix it with evaporated milk (a lot) and sugar.Promise u gonna like it.
Wow, adding evaporated milk and sugar – sounds tasty but that’s also pretty sweet isn’t it?
I wish I could eat high fat foods but even the healthy fats seem to change my skin. It with increase the oil so I have to avoid it all. I guess my body doesn’t process fats very well. I heard that B5 or B3 can help with that.
It does have an effect on your oil production? Hmm…maybe that’s why some said it’s not good to eat this everyday but twice or thrice a week.
hmm not really.I only put a little sugar just to give it a little sweet taste.It’s good try it..Also if i dont have evap at home i used regular milk and some powderd milk n top and a little sugar as well.
I’ve seen my mum consume avocado on rye/wholemeal toast with honey in the mornings and decided to try it: it’s delicious.
Glad to know the fat/calorie-laden fruit has some definite benefits ?