natural winter skin care - give yourself an avocado facial

start with:

• 2 tablespoons of avocado
• 1 teaspoon of honey (preferably activated manuka honey with a UMF rating of at least 15+, i'll explain this better a little further down)
• 3-4 drops of cider vinegar (i didn't have any, so i just used the avocado and honey)

to start with, either wear an old t-shirt (something that you don't mind if it gets dirty), or wrap a towel around your shoulders to stop any of the avo goo getting on your clothes. tie your hair back as well (if you've got a head band, it'd probably be helpful) just to keep it off your face.

cut the avocado into small pieces and place them in a bowl. add the honey and the vinegar and then mash the entire mixture together well, until it is smooth and creamy.
apply the mix to your face and neck. avoid around your eyes.
leave the mask on for 10 to 15 minutes, to let all the natural goodness sink in. after you've relaxed and avocado'd, wipe off the goo with a soft, damp cloth and rinse your face with warm water. to finish, massage some rose water in (if you've got it, if not, a few drops of rose hip oil massaged in and your skin will glow). if you're reading this thinking 'kim, you're not giving me anything to work with here', a light moisturiser will do.

now, some details about the health benefits of each of the ingredients, and why you should be smearing them all over your face.

• avocado

first, avocado is a great source of vitamin e. vitamin e is essential for the skins repair process, and also aids in fighting 'flibbity-jibbits'. for those of you who have no idea what i am talking about, think of the wobbly bits on your upper arm that flap in the breeze when you wave. vitamin e helps keep your skin tight! vitamin e is also a powerful antioxidant, which fights disease and wrinkle causing free radicals.
avocado is also one of the most effective natural sunscreens (no cancer causing chemicals! i'll post more about that later).
the oil in avocado triggers the production of wrinkle reducing, skin toughening (but not in a bad way) collagen, which is essential in the production of new cells and tissues.
the vitamin c content of avocados also aids in collagen production and helps with skin inflammation (for example, when you're sunburnt!).

• honey

honey has anti-microbial properties, so it helps to heal minor sun burn. it also has an impressive moisture retaining capability, making it great for facial (and body) moisturisers. honey is also anti-aging and helps to fight skin damage due to it's antioxidant nature. and it also protects against sun damage!
so onto manuka honey. activated manuka honey with a 'unique manuka factor' (or UMF, which is in fact the scientific term) of 15 or more has the added benefit of an antimicrobial property that no other kind of honey has.

• cider vinegar

vinegar is an effective cleanser for skin. it has also been reported to aid in treating age spots.


happy avocado smearing!

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