One Avocado, 3 Ways To Use It

An avocado a day keeps the doctor away. Oh, wait, an apple a day. Right. Well in my non-doctor opinion, I think an avocado a day would keep your doctor, dermatologist, and hair stylist away. See, avocados are chock full of amazing things for your health and your skin. Avocados have a high amount of vitamins including, Vitamin K, Folate, and Vitamin C, among others.  They contain lots of heart healthy fatty acid and fiber and have even been shown to help lower cholesterol levels.  So imagine not only getting all of those wonderful benefits when you eat an avocado, but also when you use it in your hair or on your skin.  How about all in one day?  Avocado overload? No such thing in my book!

Source: 12 Proven Benefits Of Avocado by Authority Nutrition.com

I never need an excuse to add an avocado into one of my meals, but as I was pondering what to eat for lunch one day, my ADD-inclined mind drifted to how my skin was feeling a bit dry. And that got me to thinking about how my hair could use some TLC as well. That’s when my inspiration struck!

Cheesy Avocado With Salsa And Greek Yogurt

Cheesy Avocado

Lunch during the week is usually just me and my daughter, and she is hit or miss with avocados. As much as I could easily consume an entire avocado by myself, that might be going a little overboard (not that I haven’t done it, of course). I certainly wasn’t going to throw the remaining avocado away, so here lay the other two uses, face and hair masks.

Here are the super simple directions for one of my favorite healthy lunches.

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cut avocado in half and remove center.
3. Fill the middle of one half of the avocado with a scoop (or two) of salsa and a handful of shredded cheddar cheese.
4. Bake in oven for 10 minutes.
5. Remove and top with a dollop of Greek yogurt.  I will sometimes add some tortilla chips for dipping as well. My new favorite tortilla chips are Party-Tizers Dippin’ Chips. They are gluten-free, non-GMO, and have an easy to understand ingredients list.

Face Mask

With my remaining avocado half, I scooped out about 1/4 of it and threw it in my blender along with 1/2 T of raw honey. If you’ve read any of my earlier posts, like Honey Can Do…Everything or Mommy Scientist Part 2: Your Guide To A Cleaner Facial Cleanser, then you already know all the amazing benefits of honey for your skin.  (Think antimicrobial, gentle, and very moisturizing).  I already use honey as a facial cleanser so I figured that adding avocado to it could only make my skin even softer and deliver some extra vitamins.  I blended the honey and avocado until it was nice and smooth and then poured it into a small bowl. (Trust me, it is not fun trying to apply a face mask with chunks of avocado falling from your face. Use the blender!)

Hair Mask

Avocado Hair Mask

With the remaining avocado left over from my face mask, I decided to combine it with 1 T coconut oil and 3/4 T olive oil.  An olive oil/coconut oil hair mask is already one of my favorites to help with my dry ends so adding avocado into the mix was a no-brainer. After rinsing the blender, I added the three ingredients and blended it until it all the chunks were gone. I poured the hair mask into a separate bowl and ta-da, I had three different uses for one avocado!

How To Use

I would highly recommend using the hair and face mask the same day that you blend it all up.  I’m not sure how these ingredients would stay overnight, plus you don’t want anyone eating it by accident 🙂  So after the kiddo went to bed, I decided to really scare my husband by wandering into the living room with both the face and hair mask on. But the Blackhawks were playing, so he didn’t even notice that I looked like an alien. Oh well.  I would also suggest wearing a t-shirt that you don’t mind getting dirty, just in case.

For The Face

1. Wash your face as you normally would, removing all makeup.
2. With clean hands, apply the honey and avocado mixture to a dry face, starting with a small amount.  The honey will help the mixture stick to the skin, so if you find that it’s sliding off, add in a little more honey.
3. Leave on for about 30 minutes and then rinse thoroughly with cool water.

For The Hair

1. Starting at the ends of your hair, apply a generous amount of the coconut oil/olive oil/avocado mixture until they are thoroughly coated.  With hair masks, I always start at the ends of my hair since that seems to be where my hair is in the most need of extra moisture.
2. How much mask you apply at your roots really depends on your hair type. I have really dry hair so I usually just take a small amount of the mask and comb it through my roots with my fingers.  If your hair is more on the oily side, you might want to skip your roots altogether.
3. Once you’ve applied the mask, put hair in a bun and cover with a shower cap.  Since I only wash my hair 1-2 times/week, I always have a few shower caps lying around the house.  You can always snag a cheap one from the dollar store or on your next hotel visit!
4. Leave on for about 30 minutes and then rinse thoroughly.  Shampoo and condition hair as you normally would.  *Note that the coconut and olive oil may make your shower a bit slippery, so be careful!

In all honesty, I don’t love the smell of the avocado masks, but I do love how my skin and hair feel after using them.  So I guess this fits into the category of no pain, no gain.  And really the smell wasn’t painful, just not my favorite.  Plus, look at how much use you got out of a $2 avocado!  See, you have tons of DIY beauty treatments right under your nose!

What’s your favorite way to use an avocado?

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You may also like these related posts:

5 Ways To Use Greek Yogurt As A Healthy Substitute 
Using Apple Cider Vinegar To Rid Hair Of Product Buildup
Healthy Green Smoothies

• ← Mommy Scientist Series: Using Oils As A Facial Moisturizer (Part 3)
• Mommy Scientist Series: Makeover Your Makeup (Part 4) →