As temperatures of 64 degrees threaten to challenge us this August, look no further than these natural DIY food ingredients to boost your skincare regime guaranteed to take you through the last month of summer successfully.
Summer is not our best friend for great skin. Along with regular showers and a ritualistic skincare regime of SPF moisturizers and glycolic acids to combat summer breakouts and excess oil sebum, we are faced with risks of premature brown spots that can develop into cancer and accelerate ageing and make our skin look dull and dirty giving way to low self esteem. Dermatologists can work their magic, but that carries a hefty price tag and regular consultations are time consuming.
The issue can actually be avoided with simple natural products that are massively underestimated and that can be found in our kitchen.. No manmade chemicals will ever come close to natural ingredients because they work twice better when applied and consumed. The naturally unfiltered properties within these foods do their job on our skin effectively in the same way they benefit us internally.
Here are some products that work for all skin types and for all complex skin issues related to sun and heat damage:
- Avocado Oil/Avocado Fruit:
The vitamins and minerals within avocado help in improving our skin texture and overall complexion. The fruit and its oil generate strong cells within our skin to moisturize us internally, this improves the external health and vitality of our skin. Besides boosting moisture and luster, avocado helps in combating wounds, scars, cystic breakouts, blemishes, stings and bites due to its soothing properties. Best bit? Expect results quickly.
KM’s tip: Add avocado oil or the fruit to your salad or to your regular cooking to benefit from within. Use avocado oil as a daily part of your summer skin regime in the morning or evening like a serum.
- Coconut Fruit/Oil:
Just like the avocado, coconut is effective in moisturizing lack luster skin and hair. The fatty acids within coconut help in increasing metabolism and reduces craving for excess food. This is exactly why supermodel Miranda Kerr uses this super food in her diet and her skincare routine – it’s the secret behind her flawless skin and hair. Dutch model Doutzen Kroes drinks coconut water prior to her workout to prevent her from the aftermath of dry skin and body acne post workout, all thanks to its anti-oxidant properties.
Furthermore, lauric acid within coconut helps to fight off bacteria and fungus related skin infections such as dandruff, thus making this fruit a staple summer essential.
- Watermelon:
If the benefits of watermelon are new to you, you should know that the fruit is water in disguise. It is actually 92% water!. The fruit is rich in nutrients such as Vitamin A, high in anti oxidants and amino acids. These are all the ingredients vital for a great complexion and hair to fight off the aggressions of summer.
If you’re a fitness freak, you’re in for a treat as watermelon reduces the risk of obesity, crushing down glucose levels and sugar in our body, thus resulting in weight loss.
- Coffee Scrub:
Unfortunately, unlike the mentioned foods, coffee scrub cannot be consumed as a food, and drinking coffee is of not much benefit to the skin either. However, coffee scrubs are essential to our skincare routine as the high caffeine compound within the food helps in tightening our skin, reducing cellulite, the size of pores, eye puffiness, and wrinkles.
When applied under the eyes, it reduces blood vessels, which counteracts inflammation. Caffeine is a versatile stimulant that also fights off brown spots caused due to sun exposure and in turn reduces the chances of premature skin ageing.
Coffee scrub helps in intense exfoliation that gets rid of unwanted dead skin, revealing new skin and freshness to the face and body. Expect a healthy looking natural radiant glow.
You can buy a coffee scrub or make one yourself.
KM’s tip: Use ground coffee, mix it with coconut oil and sugar and your DIY scrub is ready!
- Olive Oil/Fruit:
How could we end this list without the holy grail of them all? Olive fruit is perfection in more than one way and its versatile benefits has resulted in it being passed down from generations to generations either in the name of cultural appropriation or its long standing benefits that have lead to it being the best beauty fruit/oil in the world. So what is so great about this product? It is a natural protection against external aggressions containing three major anti oxidants: polyphenols, Vitamin E and phytosterols. All three are essential in counteracting free radical damage to the skin and are very expensive anti oxidants if you have to buy them in the form of a cream based moisturizer. Olive oil is cheaper and can be used in replacement of those costly creams and can be eaten as a food too, resulting in benefiting twice for a very low price. One cannot go wrong with it irrelevant of their skin type.
So that was all of our superfoods for skincare to take us through the last days of summer in 2016. We hope you achieve the results you are looking for and enjoy making these a regular part of your beauty regime.
Comments