8 Beauty Benefits Of Using Avocado

Do you eat avocados? If not, you must do without wasting any more time. If you are wondering why, then check out this article on amazing benefits of avocado for our skin, hair and health. Avocados are very popular in Mexico and has been a part of their diet since long. The word ‘avocado’ is believed to have derived from Aztec word ‘ahucatl’, which actually means testicles and it describes the shape of the fruit!

Well, it is a pear shaped fruit and it comes with a myriad of benefits for our health as well as beauty. It is often said that, An avocado a day, keeps the cardiologist away! Without wasting anymore time, lets find out the 8 amazing benefits of avocado for skin, hair and health.

# Avocado delays Aging of Skin

While listing all the benefits of avocado for skin, its anti aging properties should come at the top of the list. Avocado is a great natural source of Vitamin A which helps to treat dry and flaky skin. It is also a great source of glutamine (antioxidant), Vitamin C as well as copper which boosts collagen production. As we all know, collagen, along with elastin, helps to maintain skin firmness and preserve its youthfulness. Avocados also contain oleic acid. It is a mono saturated fatty acid that has amazing moisturizing qualities to keep the skin soft and supple.

How to use avocado to treat premature aging

- The best way to reap the anti aging benefits of avocado is by using avocado face mask. Add few drops of honey to mashed avocado and spread this face mask all over the face. Let it sit for 20 minutes and then, rinse off with luke warm water. This combination of honey and avocado works like a magic for aging skin. It makes the face look fresh and youthful.

- Alternatively, you can also combine together 1 tsp coconut oil with (one) mashed avocado. Apply onto the face and let it sit for 30 minutes. Wash off. This is actually a night time skin care routine. Doing this on every alternate night will soften the skin and also make you look more youthful over time.

# Treat Acne using Avocado

Acne is one such problem that troubles almost all of us. But thankfully, nature has got some amazing acne treating ingredients, and avocado is one among them. The vitamin E benefits of avocado helps to fight with the acne causing bacteria as well as fades the acne scars. Mono-saturated fats in avocado helps to nourish and moisturize the skin while its anti inflammatory properties gives relief from the swelling and also the redness of acne. Also, avocado can regulate the production of excess oil by our sebaceous glands.

Below we are going to discuss how to reap this anti acne benefits of avocado.

- Simply scoop out the flesh from one avocado and mash it with the back of a fork. Make sure there is no lump in the paste. Spread a layer of this on the face and then let it dry completely. Rinse off with water and repeat this process everyday to get rid of acne.

- Alternatively, you can also add lemon juice and honey to mashed avocado. Mash one avocado in the same way mentioned above. To this add 1-2 tsp fresh lemon juice, 1 tsp honey and 4 tsp warm water. Mix well and massage it in a circular motion on the affected areas. Let it sit for 15-20 minutes. Wash off with cold water, pat dry the skin and apply oil free moisturizer. Repeat this face mask 3-4 times in a week to reap this benefits of avocado.

# Avocado for Skin Brightening

Next on our list of benefits of avocado for skin comes this one. Avocado contains loads of vitamin, specially vitamin E, which is known for its ability to solve uneven complexion issues and also make skin naturally radiant. Also, avocado contains an anti oxidant component known as glutathione, which is known to lower melanin levels in our skin. This in turn, helps in getting clearer complexion.

- Take 2-3 avocados and cut them in half. Discard the seeds and scoop out the flesh. Mash the flesh and add a quarter of a cup of raw honey to the avocado pulp. Mix both the ingredients together and here is your DIY skin brightening face mask ready to use. You can transfer this to a jar, keep it in the fridge and use it for the next 3-5 days. Simply massage this mixture on to the face, wait for 15 minutes and then use cold water to remove the mask.

- Alternatively, you can make your own skin brightening face mask by mixing papaya pulp to 1 boiled avocado pulp. Add Shea butter and honey to the mixture. Give it good mix and spread it on the skin. Let it sit for few minutes and then wash off with cold water. Regular application will brighten the skin over time.

- Mash half of an avocado. To the avocado pulp, add juice of half lemon, 3-5 tbsp of coarse sea salt and mix everything well. Apply to freshly cleansed skin and massage it all over the face and neck for at least couple of minutes. Wash off and reveal your fresh bright skin. Here the salt works as a natural scrub while the citric acid present in lemon helps to brighten the complexion.

# Avocado as a Natural Sunscreen

Avocado is a great natural sunscreen. Avocado oil contains lot of healthy fatty acids as well as high number of natural vitamins. According to research, polyhydroxylated fatty alcohols, which is a type of fat present in avocado can reduce the harmful effects of sun radiation as well as skin inflammation. Also, vitamin C and E plays a vital role in protecting our skin from sun damage. Avocado contains both of them. Vitamin C can fight UVA damage while vitamin E has the ability to prevent the damage done by UVB rays.

How to use avocado as sunscreen

- As a sunscreen – Avocado oil acts as a great sunscreen. It has the highest amount of natural SPF among other vegetable oils. Also it is high in palmitic acid content which is why avocado oil gets easily absorbed by human skin. It forms a protective layer on the skin that guards it from sun damage and other external influences.

- To treat sunburned skin – Mix together 1/2 ripe avocado pulp and 1 tbsp each of honey and plain yogurt. Also add some lemon juice and few drops of your favorite essential oil. Mix all the ingredients together to prepare a mask. Wash your face with warm water and apply the face mask all over the face. Let it sit for 15 minutes and then wash off with cold water. Follow it up with toner and moisturizer. This is one of the most amazing benefits of avocado for our skin.

# Avocado for Nourishing Dry Skin

This is one of the best benefits of avocado for skin. Vitamin A helps to treat dry and flaky skin. Also the vitamin E and the potassium present in avocado work as natural moisturizer for dry skin. Oleic acid benefits of avocado keepS the skin soft and supple. Plus, the vitamin B in avocado also soothes dry and inflamed skin as well as boosts cell metabolism.

How to use avocado to nourish dry skin

- Take one ripe avocado and mash it. Add 1 tbsp olive oil to it and mix well. Apply a thick layer over dry skin and wait for 5 minutes. Wash off with luke warm water and follow this procedure at least 3 times in a week.

- You can also mix together avocado oil and brown sugar to create your face scrub to make use of this benefits of avocado. Put 1 tbsp brown sugar in 1 tbsp avocado oil. Massage this on the dry areas of the skin in circular motions for 3-4 minutes. Wait for another 5 minutes and also rinse off with luke warm water. For best results, use twice in a week.

- Here is another effective way to reap this benefits of avocado. Mash 1/4th of a ripe avocado and add a tsp plain yogurt to it. Then mix the ingredients nicely to form a smooth paste. Apply on the skin and wait for 10-15 minutes. Wash off with cold water. Reapply thrice a week for best results.

# Use Avocado as a Conditioner

We are starting our list of benefits of avocado for hair with this one. Avocado is full of mono saturated fatty acids as well as natural oils that are very effective in treating dry hair. Furthermore, the amino acids of avocado protects hair from damage and prevent hair breakage.

How to use avocado as natural conditioner

You need to use avocado oil in order to enjoy this benefits of avocado for hair. Mash 1 avocado and add this to 1 mashed banana. Mix it well so that there is no lump in it. To this add 1 tbsp each of avocado oil, coconut oil as well as honey. Apply this hair mask on to the hair and wait for 20 minutes at least. Wash off with warm water and then use a herbal shampoo to get rid of the traces of the mask. This is a great protein rich hair treatment containing all the benefits of avocado.

# Avocado Helps to Get Rid of Dandruff

Here comes another massive benefits of avocado for hair. Avocado oil is very moisturizing. When applied on the scalp, it gets absorbed quickly and also keeps the scalp well moisturized. This in turn, prevents dryness and flakiness of scalp and keeps dandruff at bay.

How to use avocado to fight dandruff

You need to use an avocado hot oil treatment to reap this benefits of avocado. In a bowl, add 1 tbsp avocado oil and 2 tbsp olive oil. Now warm it up a bit. When the oil mixture feels warm to the touch, remove from the heat and add 3-4 drops of tea tree essential oil. Give it a stir. Apply this oil mixture all over the scalp and let it sit for 1-2 hours. After that, wash it off with a chemical free shampoo.

# Avocado Treats Dry and Frizzy Hair

Next on our list of benefits of avocado for hair comes this one. Avocado is rich is fatty acids which prevents moisture loss when used on hair. The large amount of vitamins and minerals present in avocado help to nourish the scalp and the hair follicles. It also contains vitamin E which acts as a powerful anti oxidant that prevents hair loss by the free radicals.

Chop and blend 1 avocado and prepare a smooth paste. To this, add 1/4 cup of warm distilled water and blend it again to get a uniform consistency. Further, add 4 tsp baking soda to the mixture and then mix well. This is your DIY avocado shampoo. Moreover, pour it over your hair and then massage the hair and scalp for 1-2 minutes. Rinse thoroughly. Also, use this treatment twice a week to get rid of frizzy hair.