Most persons are absolutely crazy about avocados: they’re delicious, nutritious, packed with healthy fats, and can even be used to moisturize our skin and hair. We’ve used avocado as a hair mask, we’ve used it as a face mask, and now, we’re itching to see what other ways we can try to get the very most out of our avocados (besides eating them, of course).
We think these ten unusual avocado beauty uses are a pretty good place to start.
1. Revitalize your hair and scalp.
Lest you think that the only health and beauty benefits lie in the avocado itself, let us introduce you to the magic of avocado oil. Many of avocado’s beauty uses take advantage of its rich nourishing properties and healthy fats, so it makes sense that the lightweight oil derived from the fruit can help to soothe and moisturize a dry or dandruff-prone scalp. Dispense a few drops of oil in your hand and massage it into your scalp, then work it through the lengths and ends of your hair as well. It’s easily absorbed, which means it shampoos out clean, rather than lingering in the hair like some other oils.
2. Anti-aging avocado
Benefits of avocado include anti-aging. Avocado is an amazing treatment that helps reduce wrinkles. Not only you can apply mashed avocado flesh to your skin as a facial mask, but also, when you eat avocado, it will help fight aging process from within. Everyone wants to keep their youthful good looks for as long, as possible and eating avocados can help. The antioxidants in the fruit will help to detoxify your body and help to reduce the appearance of wrinkles, making your skin more supple and plump.
3. Freshen your breath.
Weird but effective: avocado is, in fact, the best natural way to fight even chronic bad breath. The thick, creamy texture actually cleanses your mouth when chewed, and beyond that, the nutritious enzymes in avocado soothe the stomach and small intestines as they go down. Oftentimes chronic bad breath is caused by inflammation in the gastrointestinal system rather than something you just ate, so the fact that avocado addresses the issue at the source makes it a bonafide miracle cure.
4. Avocado dandruff treatment
Benefits of avocado for hair also include dandruff treatment. The whole of the avocado fruit has its uses, even the seeds. The seeds of the fruit can be made into a powder that has been used for many years in some countries, as a natural dandruff treatment.
5. Soothe sunburn.
Fatty, creamy, and best served at room temperature, applying a paste of avocado to a gnarly sunburn helps to rehydrate the compromised skin and speed along the healing process, thanks to its incredibly nutrient-rich value. Your skin is at its most sensitive when you’re suffering from a sunburn, so it’s important to use gentle healing treatments, and avocado is the most gentle of them all. Furthermore, relatively new research has shown that fats and oils derived from avocados can actually help reduce sunburned cells and inflammation—so it isn’t just a placebo effect.
6. Avocado oil works as a natural sunscreen
You can use avocado oil as a natural sunscreen and a soothing ointment for sunburnt skin. The oil will help to protect your skin from the harmful UVA and UVB rays, and natural soothing and healing properties of the ointment will restore the damage, caused to skin by spending too long in the sun. Avocado oil will also protect your skin from environmental damage, thanks to a high content of anti-oxidants.
7. Ditch your shaving cream.
We can’t exactly picture a situation during which we’d have avocados on hand but not shaving cream, but hey, you never know. If you ever find yourself caught in that predicament—or, more likely, you’re just trying to go more natural with your beauty routine—both avocado flesh and avocado oil make the perfect lubricants for shaving. We don’t suggest that you run to the fridge and slather guacamole on your legs, but the smooth, rich texture of the avocado really works as a gentle, irritant-free shaving cream.
8. Nourishing and rejuvenating body lotion
Apply one ripe, mashed avocado mixed with a tablespoon of avocado oil (or olive oil) to your skin, while in the shower, especially concentrate on the rough, troublesome and dry areas, like your heels and elbows, leave on for about 5 minutes, then wash off and feel the difference; it will help to nourish and rejuvenate your skin and leave it feeling soft and supple.
9. Treat psoriasis.
Psoriasis, a chronic skin condition that causes skin cells to grow too rapidly and form sore, itchy patches on the skin, is both a nightmare to have and a nightmare to get rid of. Rather than opt for a steroid cream or go to the ends of the earth in search of a cure, try applying avocado or avocado oil directly to affected patches of skin. Studies suggest that many people experience positive results after using avocado to treat their psoriasis, and its moisturizing properties also help to prevent the painful scaly, cracking effects of psoriasis.
10. Strong nails with avocado oil
Massage your nails and cuticles with avocado oil every evening and already after a couple of days you will notice that your nails will become stronger and healthier.
