One avocado face mask per day can keep your skin’s basic ailments away. In this short guide, we will provide ten avocado mask recipes that can drastically improve the health of your skin. But before we get there, let’s establish just what makes this green fruit such a haven for health and why you should consider including it in your diet too.
There was a time when we avoided avocados like a plague. Around the time when it was slowly making its way into our diets, researchers discovered that it’s filled to the brink with fats. Of course, we were used to hearing nutritionists tell us to stray away from fats as much as we can. In this context, there’s no wonder avocado was on the blacklist of foods for a while. This all changed when further scientific developments established that there are some fats which are actually good for our health.
In a short time, we learned that avocado was one of the foods containing these beneficial fats. Because of this, avocado is today one of the most recommended ingredients on our plates if we want to lead a healthy lifestyle. Moreover, you don’t need to actually ingest the avocado in order to trigger its nourishing properties. Turn it into an avocado face mask and you can let its benefits pour into your skin, cleansing it of whatever issue you’re struggling with.
An Overview of Avocados
What we typically refer to as an “avocado” is actually the fruit of a tree located in Central America, named Persea Americana. The main property that many people give the fruit accolades for is its abundance of monounsaturated fats. This trait makes avocados have a particularly creamy and oily texture, the perfect reason why they’re the main ingredients in guacamole.
There are actually various types of avocados, not just the one we’re the most familiar with. The fruits of the Persea Americana come in different shapes and colors (you may even encounter black avocados). The one we commonly associate with the name is also nicknamed “alligator pear.” The pear-like shape of the fruit and the green skin with a rough texture are what earned the avocado the alias.
Avocados and Nutrients
Your average avocado fruit is filled with over 20 different types of vitamins and nutrients, all crucial to maintaining a balanced and healthy life. Its three main nutritional compounds can beneficially affect your health and aid with a set of common problems.
- POTASSIUM: It’s a compound that helps control blood pressure.
- LUTEIN: A go-to substance if you happen to suffer from eyesight problems.
- FOLATE: Contributes to the repair of damaged cells and it’s a nutrient that can greatly influence the normal development of a pregnancy.
Moreover, it’s an ideal source of vitamins, especially Vitamin B and its variants.
- Vitamin K1: It’s an important way of fighting blood clotting and it can improve the health of your bones.
- Vitamin C: It’s a great antioxidant and does wonders for the health of your skin (aka the reason avocado face masks exist).
- Vitamin B6: This subcategory of vitamins helps with the processes that convert food into energy.
- Other vitamins and minerals: Vitamin B5, Vitamin E, Vitamin A, B1 (Thiamine), B2 (Riboflavin), B3 (Niacin), Magnesium, Manganese, Copper, Iron, Zinc, Phosphorous.
The Miraculous Beneficial Fats
The avocado is one of the fattiest plant-based foods around with a percentage of fat over 77%. What makes this a good thing, actually, is the fact that it’s rich in a type of fat called oleic acid. Oleic acid is a type of monounsaturated fat that can also be found in olive oil, notorious for its health benefits.
Studies have linked the intake of oleic acid with reduced risk of inflammation. But recent research has also uncovered the effects oleic acid has on the genes responsible for the apparition of cancer.
What’s more, the same high percentage of monounsaturated fats is what boosted the avocado’s antioxidant levels. As a result, avocado oil can withstand elevated temperatures and makes for an ideal cooking ingredient.
How Avocados Help Your Skin
It’s what we’re here for, right? Although the list of benefits avocados can give your health is long, the biggest portion is occupied by skincare. Read below to uncover the many wonders avocados can perform for your skin and how to achieve them with avocado face mask recipes.
Aside from containing monounsaturated fats, avocados contain another type of beneficial lipids: polyunsaturated fats. Both of these act to improve your health in different ways, including by having a helpful effect on your skin.
Polyunsaturated fats act as a defensive barrier against the damage caused by unhealthy exposure to sunlight. Moreover, they also protect your skin against any possible inflammation.
Monounsaturated fats are really good at keeping your skin from aging prematurely (and even delaying the process when it’s due). Also, they help keep the top layer of your skin hydrated, so that no premature wrinkles will be carved into your skin.
The vitamins found in avocados also play their own respective parts in your skin’s health. Hydration is also possible thanks to Vitamins C and E. The main method of benefiting from the aiding properties of the alligator pear is by mashing it and turning it into an avocado face mask. This way, you can apply the resulting mixture directly to your skin and the effects will show up in no time.
10 DIY Avocado Face Mask Recipes
#1 Honey and Avocado
Helps with dry or mature skin.
- 1/2 a very ripe avocado
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/2 teaspoon coconut oil (optional)
Perhaps the most classic avocado face mask, this recipe typically only requires an avocado and some honey. It can help those that need help in dealing with a dry, scaling, or overly-mature skin. All you need to do is mash or puree a ripe avocado until it turns into a creamy and homogenized paste. Stir in the honey and then apply it to your face for 10-15 minutes.
For extra moisturizing effects, you may include half a teaspoon of coconut oil to give your skin some extra shine.
Next, rinse off with lukewarm water or rub the avocado face mask off with a clean, damp towel or cloth.
#2 Carrot and Avocado
Helps with dry skin.
- 1 carrot, peeled and de-stemmed
- 1/2 avocado
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil/coconut oil
- 1 egg yolk
Alternatively, you can empower the beneficial effects on dry skin with this avocado face mask recipe. Boil a carrot until you can pierce it with a fork. Smash it until it becomes a pulp then add in a ripe avocado. If you don’t have a ripe avocado, throw it into the blender alongside the carrot.
Stir in honey and the egg yolk and then mix everything by hand, topping it all with the oil.
Apply on clean skin for 15 minutes and then remove with a damp cloth. Apply moisturizer at the end.
#3 Oatmeal and Avocado
Helps with rough skin, acne breakouts, and eczema.
- 1/3 cup instant oatmeal
- 1/2 cup hot water
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1-2 tablespoons plain, unsweetened yogurt
- 1/4 ripe avocado
To revitalize rough or angry skin, apply this avocado face mask which combines the soothing properties of oatmeal, yogurt, and honey.
Add water to the oatmeal and stir it together with the mashed avocado pulp until you have an even paste. Pour in the honey and yogurt then run everything through the blender to smooth the composition.
Spread the mixture on your face, wait 10 minutes, and then remove with a damp cloth.
#4 Yogurt and Avocado
Helps with acne breakouts and pH levels.
- 1/4 ripe avocado
- 1 teaspoon plain organic yogurt
- 1/2 teaspoon honey
Take the avocado quarter and smash it into a consistent, lump-free paste. Add the yogurt and the honey and then blend it all together. Apply the avocado face mask to your skin, keep it on for 10 minutes, and then wash off with lukewarm water.
This is a homemade avocado face mask that can keep your skin smooth and healthy through the harshness of winter and fall.
#5 Buttermilk and Avocado
Helps with dehydrated skin (or with shineless and frizzy hair).
- 1/4 very ripe avocado
- 1 tbsp buttermilk or heavy cream
- a sprinkle of cornstarch or flour
The key ingredient in this avocado face mask recipe is the buttermilk, which gets mixed in together with the avocado paste. Flour and cornstarch should be used simply to thicken the resulting mixture.
Just like with the other masks, keep on for approximately 10 minutes and then remove it with a damp cloth or several splashes of warm water.
#6 Egg White and Avocado
Helps with acne and oily skin.
- 1/2 ripe avocado
- 1 egg white
- 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
The combination of substances found in avocados and egg whites alike makes this face mask perfect against acne. Fold in the egg white and lemon juice after you’ve given the avocado a good smash. Apply it evenly, keep on for 10 minutes, and then rinse off.
#7 Banana and Avocado
Helps with dry skin and wrinkle prevention.
- 1/2 avocado
- 1/2 very ripe banana
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Peel the banana and the avocado and then place them in a bowl. Add the olive oil and then turn everything into a paste. Apply according to all the previous instructions.
#8 Brown Sugar and Avocado
Helps with exfoliation and moisture.
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
Create a natural face scrub by mixing in brown sugar with avocado oil. Rub the resulting mixture in circular motions on your face and then clean off with lukewarm water. Make sure not to rub too hard and harm your skin!
#9 Lemon and Avocado
Helps with skin redness.
- 1 ripe avocado
- 1 egg white
- 4 to 5 grains of white sugar
- 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
Drain the redness from your skin with this simple avocado face mask recipe. Smash the avocado, throw in a bowl with the egg white, lemon juice, and sugar, and then mix everything up. Apply the mask accordingly for 10-15 minutes. Rinse off with lukewarm water.
#10 Cucumber and Avocado
Helps with hyper-pigmentation and blemishes.
- 1/2 ripe avocado
- 2 tablespoons fresh cucumber juice
Protect your skin from hyper-pigmentation by making use of the natural benefits of cucumbers. Stir the avocado puree in with the cucumber juice and then add some cucumber extract, if you can, for bonus effectiveness.
Keep the mask on for 15 minutes and then remove with a few splashes of warm water.
Other Benefits of Avocado Treatments
Hair
Avocados bring about a myriad of beauty benefits, including for the health of your hair. So, simply massaging your scalp with a handful of mashed avocado can change your hair for the better. Because of its oils, the fruit is a fantastic way of dealing with a dry scalp, dandruff, and frizzy hair. Moreover, even if you don’t have any of these issues, avocado treatments will help you make your hair glossier.
Bad Breath
Foul breath is a problem that stems from the stomach and, respectively, from the microbes that are fostered by it. Gulping down a little bit of avocado juice on a regular basis will help remove the pestering bacteria from your intestines. So, next time you’re struggling to maintain a normal conversation because of bad breath, consider an avocado.
Sunburns
Because of their antioxidant properties, avocados make for excellent sunscreens and soothing treatments for burnt skin. So, you can take a bottle of avocado oil with you to the beach and protect yourself against the potential damage of harmful UV rays. But just like always, avocado oil or not, prolonged sun exposure can be a huge potential danger no matter what protection you use. Avoid it.
Weight Loss
Even today, after the “avocado as a blacklist food” notion has been debunked, there is a lot of confusion regarding the role avocados play in a diet. Some still hold on to the belief that they can impair a weight loss program because of their high fat levels.
Researchers have attempted to bust this myth and conducted experiments for this purpose. They unveiled the fact that avocados are excellent at inducing a feeling of satiety and cutting off the desire to eat.
Here’s the simplified version of the experiment. Out of two people who consumed similar meals, one of them had avocado included and the other didn’t. The latter displayed a desire to eat something else after a while.
The conclusion of the study was this:
“The consumption of 200 g/d of avocado within an energy-restricted diet does not compromise weight loss when substituted for 30 g of mixed dietary fat.”
( SOURCE )
Bottom Line
In conclusion, the avocado is a fruit that we misunderstood for a certain amount of time. Today, it’s a gold mine for the health for your skin and not only. You can also benefit from the healing power of the alligator pear with an avocado face mask. Furthermore, we reckon we’ve provided sufficient examples that appeal to a variety of issues.
