Avocado oil is being hailed as the new olive oil. So what’s all the fuss about? Well, we already know that avocados are packed full of antioxidants, good fats and essential fatty acids, so it’s little wonder the oil derived from the fruit is now being tipped your next beauty must have! Here’s what we think about it all, plus three little ways to use avocado oil…
According to our research, avocado oil pretty amazing. It’s high in vitamin E and unsaturated fats, plus it contains more protein than any other fruit, and more potassium than a banana; the oil offers many nutritional and medicinal benefits. Studies have found that avocado oil helps to boost the absorption of carotenoids in your food, which means that it’s pretty unique, seeing as most foods that are high in carotenoids are low in fat. Because the avocado is high in fat (the good kind!) it means it works as a super food when it comes to maintaining a healthy lifestyle because carotenoids need dietary fats to work. Those who consume foods rich in carotenoids tend to live longer and are more able to fight illnesses, and avocado has been proven to help the consumption of carotenoids.
So now we know how amazing it is, what can we do with it? Here are our three favourite uses for avocado oil…
Use it to moisturise dry hair
Of course we had to try it on our hair! When applied to the ends, it works wonderfully on dry split ends, but what we really loved was this beautiful avocado hair mask. All you need to make it is:
- 1 tablespoon of avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon of olive oil
- ½ tablespoon of honey
- 1 egg
To make the mask, simply mix all ingredients together and apply to wet hair. Leave for around 10 minutes, before rising well and following with shampoo and conditioner as normal. Result? Beautifully soft and shiny hair.
Use it to moisturise your skin
Can you see where we’re going here? Avocado oil works so well as a moisturiser for the hair, so it makes sense that your skin is going to love it too! No need for any fancy ingredients here- simply apply the oil to your skin and massage. It’s quite a thick oil, so works best on the body rather than the face.
Use it to combat dark circles and puffy eyes
Oh yes. We’ve all been there with the puffy eyes and dark circles. And we’ve tried so many remedies to treat them too! This one is a really lovely little treatment that we think you’ll love. All you need is:
- 14ml avocado oil*
- 14ml sweet almond oil*
- 8 drops coffee essential oil
- 4 drops vanilla essential oil
To make the serum, simply combine all the ingredients in a small bottle. If you can get one with a dropper on the end, that’s perfect. Use one or two drops under each eye every morning.
Want a bonus use for avocado oil? Sure you do!
Use it to make healthy mayonaise
Who doesn’t love a turkey sandwich at Christmas? And now you can have one without the guilt of full fat mayo, or the dryness of a ‘healthy’ sandwich either. Home made mayonnaise is actually really easy to make, and it doesn’t have to be piled full of bad stuff either. To make it, you need:
- 340g avocado oil
- 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Quarter of a teaspoon organic mustard powder
Use a food processor or blender to combine the egg, egg yolk, lemon juice, and mustard powder. Add in the avocado oil slowly, one spoon at a time, while continuing to blend until the oil and lemon mixture emulsifies. Season with salt to taste and store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for one week. Delicious! Make some a few days ahead of Christmas and enjoy that sandwich!
