Avocados are a crowd favorite. From toast to guacamole, a love for all things avocado is almost universal. And what’s not to love? They’re healthy, creamy, and work well in both sweet and savory recipes (if you haven’t already tried ice cream or pudding that uses avocados as a base, it’s a must.)

If you’re an avocado-lover, your compost or trash is probably full of avocado pits and skins. While they are both technically compostable, they take a while to break down. Cutting the skin into strips can help, but what about the pits?

If you want to give your avocado pits another life and keep them from sitting in the compost pile for months and months, try these avocado pit DIYs. They’re fun, easy, and a great way to lessen your waste!

1.  Shampoo

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In order to make your own avocado seed shampoo, start by cleaning the pits and letting them dry for a few days. Some people will also use an oven or microwave to dry their avocado seeds. Once, they are dry, grate them, or put them in a food processor. Boil the grated seeds with water for 30 minutes. A good ratio of seeds to cups of water is 1:2. Strain the mixture, put it into a bottle, and add castile soap (for 3 seeds, do 1/4 cup of castile soap.) That’s it! Now you have a great eco-friendly shampoo that will keep your hair soft with simple ingredients!

2. Dye

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Naturally dyeing your clothes is a great way to give both your clothes and your food or plant waste a second life. Avocados make a beautiful natural pink dye. To start, you’ll need to take a few avocado pits and put them in a pot of water, making sure to leave enough room for your fabric. You can also add the skins if you have those. Then, boil the water for around 45 minutes. In the meantime, soak the fabric that you plan on dyeing in water. Once the dye water looks like a good color, add the fabric and let it boil for another hour. You can then turn the stove off, but leave the fabric in the dye for at least overnight to make sure it takes up enough color. Rinse out the excess dye, dry your fabric, and voila! You now have a beautiful pink, avocado-dyed fabric!

3. Drink it

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You’ll be shocked to know that most of an avocado’s nutrients are in the seed. They are linked to a reduction in inflammation and full of vitamins, antioxidants, and soluble fiber! Plus, researchers have been studying compounds in the seed husk that “could help to kill viruses, combat heart problems, and even treat cancer.”

To make avocado tea, wash and dry your seeds. Then cut them and boil them in water. From there, you can add lemon and pepper or other flavors, strain, and enjoy! If you want to mask the flavor a little bit more, you can also use avocado seeds in your smoothie! After washing, drying, and cutting your seed, put it in a food processor until it turns into a powder. If you want it to have a longer shelf life, make sure to dry the seeds first. You can put the powder into any smoothie, but if you want a specific recipe, try this Avocado Seed Smoothie by Taryn Fitz-Gerald!

 4. Skin Care

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Using avocados in skincare probably isn’t new to you. At some point, everyone has a night when they’re in desperate need of a face mask and turn to ingredients in the kitchen. However, most of us probably never considered using the seed and avocado. Avocado seeds can be a great scrub and exfoliant. Just clean, dry, cut, and grind them up. Add an oil to the powder (it’s best to look up the different benefits and effects of each before deciding) and then, once it gets to a nice consistency, you’re good to go! To make a face wash, just add the powder to a cleanser instead of adding oil. It will still exfoliate, but will be a bit gentler on your skin. Exfoliating your skin is super important for getting rid of dead skin and thus, keeping your skin clear. Rather than using scrubs with tiny microbeads that harm the environment, opt for something that is more natural like avocado seeds!

5. Grow Avocados

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Unless you live in a warm enough climate, have space to plant a tree, and are willing to wait a few years, your avocado plant will probably not bear any new avocados. However, they are fun plants to grow and care for! The first thing you’ll need to do is clean the seed and remove its husk. Then, with the stem facing down, put three to four toothpicks into the side going down on a diagonal. Put this on a glass (the toothpicks should help the seed stay up) and fill the cup so that the bottom of the seed is in water but the top is not. Now, you wait. It will take a bit of time for the roots to form and the plant to grow, but you’ll want to keep an eye on it and change the water every few days. Once the roots are about three inches long and the stem, at least an inch, it’s ready to plant. Bury two-thirds of the seed in soil in a small pot, and leave the top third sticking out. There should be good drainage, but while it’s important to water your plant, you don’t want them to rot so the soil shouldn’t be too wet. Take a look at some more tips for caring for your avocado plant here.

6. Be Creative!

Source: Za Za Chia Chia/Youtube

The shape and hardness of avocado pits make them great for a variety of crafts and DIYs! You can carve them to make decorations or ornaments, practice juggling with them, roll and massage your feet on them, and so much more! There’s no end to the various ways that you can use an avocado seed. Try to think of your own!

Avocado Recipes:

• 15 Recipes Featuring the Decadence of Dark Chocolate and Health Benefits of Avocado!
• 15 Vegan Recipes with Avocado that Aren’t Avocado Toast!
• 15 Ways to Make Beautiful Stuffed Avocados!
• Pink Sushi Rice Avocado Stacks
• Avocado Pumpkin Panini With Caramelized Onions
• Easy Avocado Hummus
• Avocado Tofu Chocolate Mousse
• Chickpea Shakshouka with Avocados and Fresh Herbs

Related Content:

• Reduce Food Waste With These 10 Multi-Functional Ingredients
• 6 Ways to Cut Food Waste
• Easy Ways to Work Avocado Into Your Day and Reasons Why You Should
• 7 Ways to Use Food Scraps in the Garden (They’re Not Just for Compost)
• How to Use Food Scraps For Good, Rather Than Garbage
• How to Use Avocados on Your Skin to Fight the Effects of Aging

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