Use These Foods to Soothe and Nourish Your Body Inside Out

We all know the old trope ‘you are what you eat,’ but did you know you can also make that a little more literal? Many foods that we consume can be used as beauty aids for your skin on the outside as well as from within by eating a healthy diet. So, let’s expand that phrase to ‘you are what you eat and put on your body.

Many foods can be used on your skin to moisturize, tone, cool, cleanse and exfoliate. You can even use food to soothe the skin around your eyes and reduce bags under them. Check out some of these nutritious foods below, what they can do for your outsides, and some ways to use them. Please sound off below if you have tried these or similar methods and want to share your experiences!

Moisturizing/Restoring

Coconut, hemp, olive, avocado and almond oils are very moisturizing and help fight off wrinkles with Vitamins A, C, and E. These oils are simple fatty acids that are absorbed into your skin’s lipid layers easily. Coconut oil even has the added benefit of acting as a light sun screen. Check out How to Make Your Own Whipped Body Butter using coconut oil, and try using pureed avocados in a mask. Over-ripe bananas work too! Almond oil is used in many skin care products because of its sweet aroma as well. Make sure to buy these oils cold pressed, organic, and fair trade if possible.

Toning

Raw apple cider vinegar, green tea, and lemon juice are great toners. The apple cider vinegar not only tightens pores, but it also dissolves dead skins cells and balances the pH of your skin. Make sure to dilute it with double the amount of water. Check out these awesome skin care recipes and techniques that use green tea. Lemon juice has the added benefit of lightening your skin and getting rid of blemishes. Make sure to wash it off after ten minutes.

Cooling

Rubbing sliced cucumbers on your skin not only acts as a toner, but cools your skin as well. This is perfect for the summer. Combine some slices of cucumber with coconut oil, cool water, and aloe to make a divine cooling mist.

Cleansing

Have you ever tried cleansing with oil?  It may seem counter-intuitive, especially if you have oily skin, but this method is worth a try. Many products used to cleanse sensitive skin ends up robbing it of its natural oil or sebum. This tells your skin to start producing more – leading to oilier skin. Try this simple cleanse using castor oil and extra-virgin olive oil.  Make sure they are both cold-pressed and organic.

Exfoliating

Raw almonds and oats can be ground up in a food processor to make powders you can use to exfoliate your skin. Try mixing it with water or into a rejuvenating, moisturizing mask using avocados. You can exfoliate with the powder as you wash off the mask or make a body scrub using these ingredients or baking soda.

Make sure to put foods IN you that make your outsides look good too. Work both angles by using simple ingredients on your body and whole, real foods in your body. Your skin will love it.

Image source: Billy Savanh/Flickr