Mask It Up

Hard a bad day? Hard a long day? Take a few minutes for yourself by using this spa formula to treat yourself. This recipe can easily be whipped up with common household ingredients.

Below you can find the benefits of each of the ingredients so you can see for yourself why this mask is so beneficial.

Heavy Cream is high in calcium and protein.

Carrots are high in beta-carotene and anti-oxidant vitamins. It is quite popular, more-so in Israel then in Canada, to drink fresh Carrot juice which can be bought from many local kiosks. I have gotten into it and it is sweet and quite good for you. Carrots are very benificial to one's health and help lower cholesterol and prevent heart attacks and cancer.

Avocados are almost a perfect food and are the most nutritious of all fruits. I once heard on the radio that if you were stranded on a desert island and there was only one food native to the island, you better hope that it is the avocado as it is the one food that gives you the most daily vitamins/protein intake etc. Avocado is rich in potassium and vitamin A. It is also used to heal skin problems as it contains antioxidants and can be made into a paste and applied to rashes and rough skin to make it smoother. The pulp is also believed to be both anti-bacterial and anti-fungal. It is also a superior natural sunscreen. They help in stroke prevention, are a source of protein, and are a fiber source. In skin care, the two major advantages of the avocado are its marked softening and soothing nature and its notable absorption. Compared with almond, corn, olive, and soybean oils, avocado oil had the highest skin penetration rate (Swisher, 1988).
Swisher, H.E. 1988. Avocado oil: from food use to skin care. J. Amer. Oil Chemists' Soc. 65: 1704-1706.

When choosing an Avocado, remember that the brighter the fruit, the more beta-carotene (the substance that helps to prevent cancer) your avocado contains. You don't need to discard the pit of the avocado when you are making this mask as the pit makes an excellent and natural massage tool. Rub it and roll it against your skin to sooth tired muscles.

Honey: Women in Ancient Rome used to use a mixture of honey and tepid asses' milk as a face lotion following the lead of the emperor Nero's wife Poppea who employed a hundred slaves to attend her beauty.

Honey has a nourishing, bleaching, astringent and antiseptic effect on the skin. Consumption of honey raises antioxidant levels which provide defense against free radicals (which cause cell damage). Honey is a wonderful beauty aid that nourishes skin and the hair. It acts as an antibacterial and antifungal agent and helps disinfect and speed the healing process in wounds, scrapes and burns. To give your hair lustrous shine, mix 1 teaspoon of honey into 4 cups of warm water. Use as a hair rinse. And if you're a blond, add the juice of 1 lemon, too.

Now onto the Carrot, Avocado & Cream mask recipe and directions.

Recipe:
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and mashed
1 carrot, cooked and mashed
3 tablespoons of honey

Combine the ingredients in a bowl and spread over face and neck. Relax for 15 minutes before rinsing with cool water.

This mask is a combination of heavy cream, carrot, avocado and honey, things most people have in their kitchen so you don't need to look far and wide to create a great mask fit for the spa. This facial mask, when used regularly will help improve skin texture, diminsh age spots and rebuild skin collagen. You can also benefit from the properties of carrots, avocados and honey, which I wrote about above, through this mask as well as by consuming them regularly in your diet.