Top 5 tropical fruits for glowing skin
Say goodbye to dry Winter skin and give a warm welcome to Spring by adding nutrient rich plant extracts to your daily skincare regime.
Avocado (Persea gratissima)
Avocados, are the super fruit of the moment and the choice of vegans across the world. Their high nutrient content, creamy texture, versatility and pleasant taste make them an essential item to add to your weekly grocery list.
Kalabash organic bath/body oils are enriched with organic avocado oil because of the high oleic acid (healthy fat) content in avocado flesh, which can penetrate deep into the skin without forming a greasy layer or clogging your pores.
Perfect for dry and aging skin the anti-inflammatory properties in this light oil helps with healing and repairing damaged skin cells and reducing wrinkles.
RECIPE
Homemade pre-bedtime DIY avocado face mask:
Ingredients:
1 ripe avocado (should be soft to the touch) 2-4 drops lavender essential oil
Method:
1. Cut open the avocado
2. Carefully remove the stone
3. Mash with the back of a spoon and mix in lavender oil
4. Apply to face and leave for 15 minutes
5. Rinse off with water
6 Use your usual moisturiser/facial oil
7. Off to bed!
Coconut (Cocos nucifera)
The hype around coconut oil as a high performing natural skincare ingredient is showing no sign of waning.
I agree for one agree that this multifunctional super ingredient certainly lives up to its name.
This powerful natural fruit is loaded with vitamin E and saturated fat which helps dry skin stay super hydrated and moisturised.
It prevents moisture loss through the skin’s pores, giving your skin a healthy, smooth and even tone.
Coconut oil is light so soaks into your skin easily without making it feel greasy
It works like magic repairing, restoring and soothing your skin as it’s quickly absorbed into the epidermis (the top layer of the skin).
As I explained in an earlier blog post Coconut oil is a “must have” ingredient for natural soap making as combined with castor oil it produces an abundantly rich, cleansing, long-lasting lather which is gentle enough to use on your face. It also and adds hardness to soap, making it last longer.
Did you know that each and every Kalabash product contains coconut oil?
Cacoa/Cocoa (Theobroma cacoa)
Exotic cocoa - aka “Food of the Gods” is an edible fat produced from cocoa pods (large gourd shaped fruits) cut from the cacoa tree and used to make cocoa butter by the cosmetics and confectionary industries.
Cocoa butter’s high emollient properties adds a protective layer of hydration to skin. This excellent moisturiser is easily absorbed by the skin because of its ability to melt on contact. Remember how chocolate melts in your mouth?
Cocoa butter can stay put for several hours as it easily penetrates and absorbs into the top layer of your skin. This means that you’ll need to moisturise less frequently when using skincare or bodycare products made with cocoa butter.
We’ve all heard the reports about chocolate being good for you?
This is because of the natural antioxidants inside cocoa beans. Studies have shown that a combination of healthy fats, emollients, Vitamin E content and antioxidant compounds called cocoa mass polyphenols found in cocoa butter can:
Moisturise and promote healthy skin
Protect your skin from the sun, cold and rain
Restore skin elasticity
Diminish the signs of aging
Soothe irritated and inflamed skin
Each bar of 100% natural Kalabash Bodycare artisan soap is loaded with natural and organic unrefined cocoa butter which is rich in healthy fatty acids proven to heal dry and sensitive skin naturally.
We add moisturising unrefined cocoa butter to our unique handcrafted soap formula because it contributes to making our rich lotion like creamy lather. A more practical benefit of cocoa butter for soapmaking is that it contains hardening properties which ensures a long-lasting bar of soap.
Papaya (Carica Papaya)
Ingested, digested or applied, papaya or paw paw as known in the Caribbean is a vitamin rich super fruit.
They’re jam-packed with nutrients which can boost your body’s immune system and high in fibre which can help with digestion.
Did you know that just one pawpaw contains your daily recommended amount of Vitamin C?
They’re also loaded with enzymes to make your complexion glow and protect it from sun damage and wrinkles.
Paw paws contain the nutrient rich compound Papain which evens your skin tone and reduces dark spots and blemishes on your skin which is why we use it enrich are our organic bath/body oil.
RECIPE
Make your own face pack with a golden ripe papaya, full of BHA (or beta hydroxy acid) which will gently exfoliate your skin whilst simultaneously removing dead skin cells from the epidermis (the top layer of skin) leaving it bright and radiant:
Ingredients:
½ a ripe papaya
½ teaspoon lemon juice
Method:
1. Mash the papaya with the back of a spoon and gently fold in the lemon juice.
2. Apply the pack to your face and leave it for 10 minutes.
3. Rinse off with water.
4. Use your usual moisturiser/facial oil and off you go.
Mango (Mangifera Indica)
Mango butter takes the top spot on my favourite natural skincare ingredient list. Mango fruit also wins my vote for sustainability and zero waste as this premium butter is extracted from the large flat seed you carefully avoid when trying to cut one up - which would otherwise be thrown away!
Evergreen mango trees which can live and fruit for up to 300 years, are native to tropical and sub-tropical rain-forest regions around the world and are a staple food across Asia and the Caribbean who use them in both sweet and savoury dishes.
Not only do they taste juicy sweet and delicious, mangos are packed with nutrients and high in dietary fibre and Vitamin C.
As well as nourishing your body internally, mango butter is great for the skin thanks to the vitamin rich combination of Vitamins A, B6, C and E, which work together to fight free radicals found in the sun's rays and air pollution.
Because of its natural components, when applied to the skin, mango butter can offer natural sun protection as well as soothe sunburned and/or itchy skin, treat insect bites, blemishes, stretch marks and wrinkles.
I’m very proud to say that unlike most other handmade soap bars available on the market, each bar of Kalabash soap is enriched with luxurious skin nourishing and moisturising mango butter in preference to cheaper unsustainable palm oil and other alternatives.
RECIPE
Refreshing Caribbean Mango Smoothie (serves 2)
Ingredients:
2 fresh mangos, deseeded and chopped into chunks or 300g frozen mango
1 ripe banana
250mls orange juice
Juice of 1 lime
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Method:
Put all ingredients into the blender and blend until smooth.
Drink and Enjoy!
Until next time …
