I am completely and totally awe-struck by the amount of beautiful, delicious, antioxidant packed fruit in Thailand. I mean seriously, how can the fruit be so beautiful?!
Half of the fruit here is new to me, while the other half I’ve barely explored. My first reaction? Let’s go to a fruit stand and turn these natural beauties into my own natural beauty.
Since drinking your beauty will be one of the biggest trends in 2016, we’ve made an edible face mask. You can save the rest for later, or drink it up today.
First of all let me say that whether it’s dark spots, acne spots, sun damage or wrinkles—we’ve all got something that needs a little help. Think you don’t have sun damage? Think again.
I’m 24. I’ve very fair-skinned, but I wear SPF 50 sun screen every day and re-apply. I haven’t had a burn in YEARS. I know I still have sun damage. Sun damage is going on underneath the skin. If you can’t see it yet, you will when you get older.
I used one of the functions called “structure” on instagram to predict the sun damage that’s already happened under the skin.
Ouch. Can you say uneven?
The good news is that you can undo some of the damage, with a natural acid treatment. We’re going to dive into the why, what and how below:
Pineapple & Papaya Mask Recipe
For banishing dark spots, acne spots and sun damage
Ingredients:
- 1 pineapple
- 1 papaya
Tools:
- Blender
- Knife
- Spoon
- Bowl or cup
Wow, it’s really that simple. Why?
Pineapple and Papaya contains four important things: Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Enzymes and Fiber.
If you’re drinking this recipe: great. The enzymes will help you break down and digest your food, fiber will help push it through your system to reduce bloat, and the antioxidant vitamin C will accept free electrons to de-radicalize free radicals in your body (which helps prevent signs of aging and protects you from cancer).
If you’re applying it to your face, the enzyme bromelain in pineapple will speed up the process of keratin breakdown on your skin, resulting in smoother skin and reducing wrinkles and dark spots. The vitamin C will also work as an antioxidant and help to brighten skin.
As for papaya, it contains natural alpha-hydroxy acid (ever heard of an acid peel), known to light dark spots and high levels of the enzyme papain, which works just like pineapple’s bromelain. The vitamin A will also work as a skin brightener and antioxidant, protecting against the sun damage and other oxidative damage to the skin.
Let’s just be real: whether your drinking this or using it for your face, it rocks.
Disclaimers: the natural acid content in this mix is high. You should only use it twice/week. Be sure to moisturize after, and apply sunscreen before going outside.
Instructions:
I recommend applying this mask before you get in the shower. It is messy and almost impossible to keep from getting on hair and clothes.
Step 1: Seed the papaya, skin it, and cut into chunks
Step 2: Skin the pineapple & cut into chunks
Step 3: Blend together, to a fine pulp
Step 4: Apply to areas you wish to reduce dark spots.
Face, neck, décolletage, back of hands and any other areas you wish to reduce dark spots and signs of aging. You can apply with a cotton ball or your hands. Avoid the eye area.
Step 5: Wait 15 minutes – And do not itch!
It will tingle, sting or burn a little. That’s the AHAs working.
Step 6: Gently rinse off with water
Step 7: Moisturize with a natural oil. If you’re going outside, apply sunscreen!
That’s it!
From my own personal experience, I will say that I absolutely loved it. It did itch a little during, and I had to sit very still because the mix didn’t want to stay stuck on my skin. Afterwards I felt radiant and my skin was smoother. I couldn’t see any reduction of sun spots yet, but I will continue using a mask like this weekly. I am prone to sun damage, so I will do anything I can do get ahead of it!
I’m definitely curious to figure out if my skin was so radiant picked up a little of the yellow or orange pigment from the fruit, much like a turmeric mask (not to give away what’s coming..)
I’m tempted to use the mask again today, but I already drank the rest yesterday (oops).
Isn’t that awesome?
