Girls!
Some time ago there was World Chocolate Day but I didn’t know about that completely! I’ve found out about this holiday today and I want to catch up. For that reason, I’m sitting now at my desk writing a post on the benefits of chocolate for skin. And you need to know that chocolate is really mighty!
Chocolate Beauty Treatments – HIT
Using chocolate in beauty treatments is nothing new. It has been a few long years now since SPAs and beauty parlous worldwide have been offering various skin treatments with chocolate, and they include: a full body massage, baths, facial masks and even… chocolate pedicure.
It’s also a common thing to see chocolate-infused beauty products like chocolate body balms, chocolate creams or chocolate facial masks (you can make the latter at home). And the best bit is that incorporating cocoa into beauty products isn’t just a marketing strategy because chocolate skin treatments make sens! How so?
What is chocolate made from?
It appears that chocolate is a rich source of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. I was totally surprised how much good stuff is hidden in chocolate!
Firstly, the fruit of the cacao tree contains carbohydrates and flavonoids, which are often mentioned in the context of skin and anti-ageing strategy. In addition, the cocoa fruit contains caffeine and theobromine. This means that chocolate effectively stimulates micro-circulation in skin, and this in turn has a rejuvenating and skin-lift effect . And still it’s not all!
Vitamins and minerals – they are also present in cocoa, so they are also present in chocolate. Vitamins A, E, PP and B-group are the major constituents of cocoa, and this is a pretty decent set. When it comes to minerals, chocolate offers you zinc, iron and magnesium.
Benefits of Chocolate for Skin
No wonder why we reach for chocolate so eagerly to improve our physical appearance. All the positive effects that cocoa has on skin come from the heavy load of nutrients. Thanks to them, chocolate is a multitasking body and face cosmetic (I haven’t used it for hair treatments, neither have I heard that somebody else does is) that:
- has an anti-ageing effect on skin, leaving it more supple and younger-looking
- has an antioxidative effect, thus it delays ageing
- gets you youthful and glowing skin
- revives, nourishes and strengthens skin cells
- leaves skin smoother, softer and more resilient
- prevents dryness by locking water inside skin
- speeds up skin exfoliation
How To Add Chocolate to Your Beauty Routine?
The easiest thing to do would be to make an appointment with a beautician. As far as I’m concerned, chocolate massages are the most popular treatments of all, and apart from relaxing your body they also nourish and condition skin. Naturally, you can either get your whole body massaged or just make use of a chocolate facial mask accompanied with a gentle face massage.
It’s also worth pointing out that you can add chocolate to your at-home beauty treatments. All you have to do is equip yourself with the right beauty products or prepare a home facial mask, or… a facial scrub. I’ve tested the latter and I totally recommend it!
[DIY] Chocolate Facial Scrub
You will need:
- 1 spoon natural cocoa powder
- 1 spoon honey
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons almond oil
Choose the size of the sugar minding your skin type and the type of scrub you want to use – for sensitive skin, I’d recommend a fine-grained scrub because it is less irritating.
And this is the recipe for DIY chocolate facial scrub:
- Combine all ingredients thoroughly to obtain even mass.
- Apply the peel to freshly cleansed face.
- Spread over the face using circular motions.
- Rinse after a couple of minutes.
