Avocados are one of those things you either love or hate. If you’re anything like me (and you love them) you know that they have about a million uses: They can be baked into eggs, used as a pasta sauce, smashed into fresh guacamole or even blended with some milk and sugar to make a really yummy shake.
If you don’t love them on the other hand….well, I can’t quite understand why but I’m about to do my best to sway you on them right now. Because in addition to being pretty bomb and ridiculously versatile in the kitchen, avocados also have quite a few non-food-related functions. They’re quite the multi-taskers when you incorporate them into your beauty regimen and I’m going to tell you about 5 of those ways right now.
- To soften your strands: If the drying effects of winter have your mane feeling fried and lackluster, head to your kitchen and whip up this super simple hair mask. Mash an avocado in a small bowl, then beat an egg’s yolk into that same bowl and mix them together really well – you could throw the mixture in a blender if you want. Apply the mask to wet hair, massage it in for about five minutes and then wash it out really well. Your hair will feel so nice and soft after this.
- To depuff your tired eyes: You know those nasty bags that form underneath your eyes after you pull an all-nighter to study or indulge in too many tequila shots? There’s a way to minimize those and it’s so ridiculously easy. Just slide two thin avocado slices on that skin and relax for ten minutes. This is way better than the whole cucumber-over-your-eyes thing because the avocado slice don’t actually cover your eyes, meaning you can totally scroll through Instagram while getting your 20 minutes of relaxation.
- To smooth your hands: If your hands are dry, chapped and calloused, you have to try this super-luxe treatment: Simply mash up an avocado, add a squeeze of lemon juice, a few spoons of uncooked oatmeal and an egg white to the mixture. Work the whole mixture over your hands, slide them into latex gloves and leave it on for around 20 minutes. Wash it off afterwards for soft, bright hands. This is great even if you don’t suffer from dry hands as it exfoliates some off that dead skin off of your hands.
- To tame oily skin: Mix a bit of avocado with a few slices of cucumber in a blender with some honey and yogurt (feel free to play around with the proportions.) Place the mixture all over your face and let it sit for about 15 minutes before washing it off. Rinse if off carefully and repeat ever week or two. This will get your skin squeaky clean and help you avoid irritating breakouts.
- To hydrate dry skin: Avocado is an incredible moisturizer and I feel like its best beauty use is this one: Mash an avocado up with a soft banana and massage the paste into your skin. Leave it for 20 minutes or so and rinse it off thoroughly. This is so hydrating and leaves your skin amazingly soft and smooth.
