Seriously. What do women crave most in the world? I love asking this question on my intake with clients. Given their symptomology I can usually guess whether it will be chocolate (bad PMS), starchy carbs (hypoglycemia/blood sugar imbalance) or salty snacks (that is a whole other ball game).
Chocolate. Chocolatey choclate choclate. As I was doing research and prepping for my Cooking Cosmetics: Natural Body Care Workshop, I came upon an amazing chocolate face mask recipe. When I read it through it, I didn’t think face mask. I thought fudge! As if someone’s first inclination when they see a recipe with cocoa powder and raw organic honey is – ‘hmmm. yep- i want to put that on my face’. Even for me, a little nutritionista, I was all- Yes. Dig in!
As a rule, I only put on my skin what I would eat, or at least what would be safe to eat. Putting on my skin something I might crave, indulge in and savour- well this was something new in my skin care regime.
What goes on our skin, will end up inside our bodies and so the benefits of cocoa work the same way. Though cocoa powder has some processing compared with raw cacao, it does mainatin much of the benefits. Cocoa is rich in antioxidants.
The antioxidant properties of the flavanols give the skin extra protection against free radicals. Free radicals are the reactive forms of oxygen generated when UV light hits the skin. It is well established that the ageing of the skin caused by sunlight is largely the result of damage to the skin’s proteins caused by these free radicals. Additional benefits include:
- increasing hydration
- decreasing skin roughness and scaling
- helping to support the skin‘s defense against UV damage
- improve blood flow and vessel function.
So then- Face Mask or Fudge? The choice is yours?
1/3 cup cocoa
1/4 cup of organic honey
2 tablespoons of avocado
3 teaspoons of oatmeal powder (leave this out if making soft fudge, leave in if you want a harder texture)
Face Mask Directions
- Mix all the ingredient until the mass in consistent.
- Apply on the face, gently massaging it so that oatmeal can start exfoliating the dead skin cell layer.
- Leave it on for about 20 minutes and rinse off with lukewarm water.
Fudge Directions
- Mix all the ingredient until the mass in consistent. (Used my VitaMix of course)
- Spread out into small pyrex dish or into individual ramikens
- Allow to set in the fridge for at least two hours.
This has to be the best recipe ever! I’m allergic (really badly) to avacado, is it safe to put it on my face or is there something else I could use?
Now THIS is making love in the kitchen.
I can definitely do sweet potatoes! Thanks!
I could never use that as a face mask. Besides feeling as if I wasted perfectly good chocolate, I’d be trying to lick it off my cheeks and nose!
I love it, great recipe and mask!
I am reactive hypoglycemic and I’ve had to cut chocolate out of my diet. I had never thought of using chocolate as a face mask before I read this. Thanks for posting this! Steph (my blog http://www.reactivehypoglycemia.info)
Oh this is definitely NOT a face mask, this is going in my belly!
Yum!!
should one use regular cocoa powder or dutch processed- or does it not matter?
Julia- for some reason steamed and mashed sweet potato came to mind. Can you manage that? We need something that will create that creamy consistency.
canadianfoodiegirl- figured you’d be all this