Beauty, your face, and the blueberry!

Blueberries Huh? Yesterday we spoke of Blueberries, their massive amounts of antioxidants and all the great things they do for you… but wait… there’s more… “Blueberries also are a great source of vitamins, especially vitamin C. 140g (5 oz. or 3/4 cup approx.) of blueberries actually contains 30% of our daily recommended dose. The purpose of vitamin C is to help the body in cell renewal, which is essential to the skin. Cell regeneration naturally slows down when we get older, which is why we get wrinkles and weak spots, but a plentiful supply of vitamin C along with antioxidants can help to keep this at bay. Consuming blueberries on a daily basis can help to keep you beautiful, both on the inside and the outside.

Blueberries can also be used to literally keep you beautiful. There are recipes that can be used as facemasks and body scrubs that are easily home-made and cost very little to prepare. One example is a paste that can double up as a facemask and a body scrub. It is designed to perk up tired skin as well as exfoliate dead skin and remove excess oil. Regular use should actually reduce the excess oil produced by the skin. (DIY Beauty Mask #1) Simply put a cup full of blueberries in a blender with a cup of oats, five or six almonds and two tablespoons of honey. Mix until the contents of the blender become a fine paste and then use on your face. It should be left on until it is dry, which takes roughly around 15 minutes, and then washed off with warm water. If you want to use it as a body scrub, just roughly blend it until the oats are chopped before use. The mixture can be refrigerated for future use, but you should be careful that the blueberries don’t get on your clothes because they do stain! ” Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/608303

Blueberries DIY Beauty Mask #2  (from lipglossnheels.blogspot.com)
Blueberry Facial Mask
2/3 cup blueberries
2/3 cup plain yogurt (I always use plain greek gods brand yogurt)
2/3 cup honey (pure)
1 tsp. oatmeal
Add all ingredients to a blender and blend thoroughly. Once done, pour mask into a reusable container (which you must store in the fridge between uses) and apply to face with either fingertips or cotton pads. Leave on for 15 minutes and, once dry, remove with a warm cloth. …Ladies, your skin will feel amazing after using this mask. Not only will your skin be more smooth but the redness or problem areas will seem to have disappeared completely.”

Blueberries DIY Beauty Mask #3: Turns out that without the oatmeal is a “hollywood secret” – I suppose it could be true! (the next 2 are from http://organicpassion.info/honey-blueberry-facial/This  Honey Blueberry Facial is a Hollywood all-natural beauty secret. Created by Christopher Watt Esthetics for his high-profile clientèle like Halle Berry, Jennifer Lopez Ricky Martin, this honey blueberry facial is truly all-natural goodness and you can actually whip this delicious Hollywood beauty secret at home with very little cost.

The ingredients are:
1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup pure honey
1/2 cup plain yogurt
The method is fairly easy. You will need to rinse the blueberries and place in blender or food processor. Next, add honey and yogurt, blend until smooth. Using fingertips, apply blueberry smoothie on clean skin, let sit for 10 to 15 min. Remove with cool water and damp cloth.

I know this has nothing to do with blueberries but I could not resist when I saw this one..

Chocolate Facial Mask
The Chocolate Facial Mask is a guilt free way to nourish and soften your skin. The cocoa powder that we will use in this recipe is a wonderful and powerful antioxidant. It protects and frees the skin from free radicals, that cause significant damage to skin layers.

With this decadent mask recipe, we will also use two skin-food ingredients – oat and honey. Oats are highly absorptive, hypoallergenic and can help to soften skin. Oats have also been clinically shown to help heal dry and itchy skin.

Honey on the other hand, is a great anti-bacterial agent, deeply cleanses your skin, and opens up clogged pores.

This decadent mask is an excellent moisturizer – leaving your skin baby soft. To start indulging, you will need:

  • 1/3 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/4 cup of honey
  • 2 tablespoons of heavy cream (sour cream will work as well)
  • 3 teaspoons of oatmeal powder

Mix all ingredients together and smooth onto face. Relax for 10 minutes, then wash off with warm water.