Well, this was supposed to happen on Tuesday, but I just got my brain back from sick leave last night. Whoever invented summer colds needs to apologize.
So the theme for the Twofer Satur(tues)day is “avocados.” Or “avocado” to be exact, because one avocado is all you need (plus the other minor ingredients) to make a fabulous hair mask AND facial mask.
Before I get to the goodies, here’s a few tips about avocados and facial/hair care:
- Avocados are GRRRREAT for dry skin. You remember back in the day when people were all weird about things that were high in fat? And how you shouldn’t eat avocado very often? (Thank goodness THOSE days are over!) Well, they are high in fat. Monounsaturated fat, to be exact. And that fat translates to overachieving emollient properties for your skin. Straight-up mushed avocados on delicate, dry skin is a little like a thick coat of soft, supple butter over a cracker. Eventually, it’s all going to soften up into ooey-gooey goodness. Or, in your skin’s case, baby-bottom softness.
- Avocados are totally way high in vitamins A and E, bro. If you’ve never heard Goldfrapp’s song A&E, go listen to it now. Much like that song is good for your soul, the vitamins in avocados are natural medicine for your face and hair. Vitamin E (which is in just about every facial product known to woman) does all kinds of good stuff for your face, like reduce the signs of wrinkles and moisturize about as deep as you can get topically. And vitamin A is a fabulous little age-fighter and antioxidant.
- Only use very ripe avocados for skin/hair care. You want these little green balls o’ goodness to be as mushy as possible, not only for ease of preparation (we can’t have big chunks of avocado dotting your hairline), but because when avocados are ripe, they’re at their height of nutritional (i.e., they’re best for your face, skin, and body) content. How do you know if your avocados are ripe enough? They’re a little squishy to touch and a nice, dark color. They should also be easy to “peel” away from the fruit, once you’ve cut into them.
- Like all fresh and organic beauty treatments, the avocado face and hair mask should be stored in the fridge and used within 4 days. The good news is, these two recipes make about two facial mask applications and one hair mask application. So you can use it all at once, if you share the avocado facial mask with a friend (or if you have two faces).
Avocado and Yogurt Hair Drench
1 well-mashed avocado
3 Tbsp. plain (unflavored, unsweetened yogurt)
Simple as avocado pie here. Mix these ingredients together and cover your dry hair with 3/4 of the mixture (remember to leave 1/4 of it in the bowl for later!). Really mush it in there, all the way to the scalp. Cover your head with a hot towel or a shower cap. I prefer the shower cap method, because hot towels drip and fall off my head often, and shower caps keep me from making green marks on the walls when I accidentally run into them. Also, a shower cap will hold in the heat, and ultimately you get all the benefits of the “hot” without having to deal with the towel and its wetness.
Leave this on your hair for 15-20 minutes (or longer if you’d like). Shampoo well and condition as usual, if you’d like. Or skip the conditioning, if your hair feels soft enough after shampooing, and move on to using a rinse instead (which we will cover tomorrow).
While you’re letting this hair stuff do its thing, move onto the next phase:
Moisturizing Avocado, Brewer’s Yeast, and Wheat Germ Facial Mask
1/4 of Avocado Hair Mask Mixture
1 Tbsp. Wheat Germ
1 Tbsp. Brewer’s Yeast
Mix all of this together very well and apply a thick layer to a clean face. It will probably not go on smoothly, and you’ll have little clumps here and there, but the goal is to “wet” your entire face with it. Leave this mixture on for approximately 10 minutes or until dry. Wipe off with a warm, wet washcloth, and then get in the shower and wash your hair, you gooey person, you.
One more tip: Before making ANY of this stuff an applying it to your various parts, put on a button-down shirt. It’s impossible to pull off a collared shirt without getting SOMETHING on it before you take your shower.
I have two avocados left. Anyone have a killer guacamole recipe to share?
Crunch on, babies. Crunch on.
Egg White, Honey, and Lemon Juice Facial Mask (and a big mayo fail)
Not a Guac recipe, but 2 peices of bread with a little mayo, and avacodo, add salt-just a touch make your sammich and enjoy!
I just blended up an extra avocado, banana, some coffee and a spoonful of sour cream and I can’t believe the results! I can’t remember my skin ever being this soft. Then I went and ruined it a bit by going over it with apple cider vinegar, which was very drying (I wanted to be sure I got everything off of my face). So I followed up the ACV with a touch of Safflower oil around my eyes and mouth.
So, do you HAVE to have yogurt too, or is the avacado okay by itself?
I didn’t have any yogurt, so I added a spoonful of sour cream instead. Not sure if it helped any, but it certainly didn’t hurt. I’ve read other places on this site that straight avocado works just fine. Mainly, with just one banana and one avocado, my blender wasn’t finishing the job so I wanted to add something creamy to get the fruit properly blended.
You mean I put the avocado ON my face instead of IN it??? I might need to enlist help for this one… I don’t know if I can physically detour an avocado away from my mouth! Oh, and the world’s easiest guacamole: mash up your avocados and mix in some store-bought pico de gallo (or any fresh chunky salsa), salt and pepper to taste. No muss, no fuss! It’s by no stretch of the imagination the best guac in the world, but it’s fast!
Haha. It’s funny – I didn’t like avocados at all until about a year ago. How weird is that? If you do manage to get some on your face, let me know if you think it made your skin softer or anything. I really would love someone else’s opinion some time.
well, sure. NOW I see the email… 😉
Enjoy the soup and think of me in the 98 degree heat, dreaming of the perfect September day, soup in hand.
PS – now for the masks – I have avocado on my list for this week – I just may need to pamper myself and try this!!
Ok my love – I didnt find a contact email, so here is the soup recipe: (and guacamole under it – you KNEW I had one!)
Butternut Squash and Ale Soup
1 Tbs olive oil
1 cup Spanish onions, finely diced
3 cups peeled, seeded, chopped butternut squash,
— pre roasted (shortcut, frozen pureed squach)
3 carrots, sliced
4 cups chicken stock
2/3 cups half and half
3 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded*
1 bottle Ale (I used and IPA)
Salt, freshly ground black pepper and cayenne
1. Heat oil over medium heat in a heavy-bottomed pot. Add onion and cook for
3 minutes or until transparent. Add butternut squash and carrots and cook
for 5 minutes. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Let simmer for
approximately 20 minutes or until squash and carrots very tender.
2. Puree soup in a blender or food processor until completely smooth. Add
cream and return to a boil. Reduce heat to low and then, while whisking, add
cheddar cheese and whisk until melted. Add ale to taste. Stir together and
season with salt and pepper to taste. [I also added chopped green onions as
a garnish and they added a nice bit of bite.]
3. Remove from heat and serve.
Cooking Tip: I did add a heaping 1/4 tsp of cayenne since I didn’t want
sweet soup either and it gave it a nice zing…could have used more maybe.
Comments: A thick, cheesy soup that makes a full meal with some sourdough
bread.
Recipe Source: Food & Drink, Fall 2005, p. 216
Author Note: Next time use frozen pureed squash. Add green onions as a
garnish.
Author Note: Great with crusty rye bread and a few drops of tobascco
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Simple Guacamole (Guacamole Sencillo)
2 garlic cloves, peeled
Hot fresh green chiles to taste — (I’d choose 1 serrano), stems removed
3 ripe avocados, preferably the black-skinned Hass
A couple of tablespoons chopped fresh — Mexican herbs (such as cilantro)
1 small white onion (I leave this out as I dont like the taste of avocado with onion)
Salt
2 Tbs fresh lime juice
A little crumbled Mexican fresh cheese — (queso fresco) for garnish
A sliced radish or two for garnish
1. Finely chop the garlic and green chiles, and scoop them into a bowl.
2. One at a time, run a knife down through each avocado, starting at the
top, until you reach the pit; continue cutting around the pit until you
reach the point you started.
3. Twist the two halves of the avocado apart. Remove the pit and discard.
Scoop the flesh into the bowl with the chiles. Mash coarsely with the back
of a spoon or an old-fashioned potato masher.
4. Add the herbs and onion, stir to combine, then taste. Season with salt
(usually about a teaspoon) and lime juice. Scoop into a serving dish and
garnish with cheese and radishes.
Oh my goodness! These both sound so heavenly. I don’t care if the kid doesn’t like the soup – I will eat the whole thing. I’ll probably do that anyway. Thank you SOOOOOOOOO much! I swear, between you and Stephanie, I’m never going to visit Epicurious again. (PS – my email is on the top of alla my posts, feel free to use it whenever your heart desires!)