Avocados... some call the perfect food.

As some of you know I co-own a business with my sister, Terry, called 2 Prickly Pears.   We take a simple approach to cooking, while educating about healthy foods and how to add them to your daily meal planning.   Along the way I have realized how many food we consume are also good for your skin.  I recently wrote an article on cooking with avocados,  on 2 Prickly Pear blog.  They are the perfect food and yet so many of us do not eat enough of them.  We also do not us them enough for our skin.

We are all guilty of spending more money, sometimes a lot of money, on our skin care items.  We all want to fight back the aging process.  Yet how many times do we spend money on something only to be disappointed in the results?  We get frustrated only to let the unfinished jar of cream sit… money down the drain. What if we watched what we ate and what we put on our skin?  I bet we would find some pleasing results that will not cost us a lot of money.

Let’s take a look at avocado oil and it benefits.  It soothes, protects and moisturizes allowing the skin to soaks in all the vitamins, fatty acids and antioxidants the skin needs.  Kinda sounds like the commercials or sales pitches we hear all the time.  Only this time Mother Nature is providing the answer with no chemicals and not a lot of money.

Avocado Oil is high in vitamin E that is a powerful antioxidant which helps fight against free radicals that cause unwanted aging.  As the oil penetrates the skin it helps promote circulation to the cell walls keeping the skin cells healthy.  Your skin will be able to retain the water it needs to stay smooth and moist.   For those who have dry skin, natural skin cream that contains avocado oil will be beneficial.

Avocado Oil also contains sterolins and essential fatty acids.  Sterolins help produce collagen and reduce age spots.  Essential fatty acids helps promote cell function and reduce inflammation. 

Avocado oil is high in omega-3 and is very effective in protecting against UV rays.  For those sun lovers or those who are sensitive to the sun it's a good option in a sun screen to protect again sunburn or skin cancer.

I know many people who use avocado oil straight from the jar for their skin or they mash up an avocado for a natural facial mask.  You don’t have to buy a skin cream with it in.  Mother Nature already has it bottled up for you without a lot of work on your part.

Here is a facial mask recipe I have tried and love. 

1 avocado

1 banana

1 teaspoon Jojoba oil.  Or an oil of your preference that works well with your skin type

1 teaspoon lemon juice

In a food processor combine all ingredients.  Apply to skin and leave on for 10 – 15 minutes.  Gently remove with a damp cloth.  You are sure to like the results of your skin.

You can also jazz up the mask with other ingredients.  How about Kaolin clay, ground almonds or oatmeal?  You can add so many things to a facial mask without spending a lot of money and most important… no chemicals!

And raise your hand if you tried growing your own avocado tree :-)