By Tracy Neely
Vitamin Cocktail for the Skin
Today I woke up feeling refreshed and wanted to do something extra special for my skin. I love the smell of apples as they simmer, they remind me of the holidays so I decided to create a skin refiner (exfoliant) that will leave your skin feeling simply marvelous.
Apple (Green)
Apple’s are a rich source of flavonoids and polyphenol, which are powerful antioxidants. Malic acid an alpha hydroxy acid derived from apples, provides antioxidant actions and assists in skin exfoliation, to gently exfoliate and brighten the skin. Green apple also contains Vitamins A, B and C to brighten and tone the skin as well as Quercetin to calm redness.
Lemon Zest
The zest of the lemon is the outer skin which contains volatile oils and when blended with honey makes an extremely powerful exfoliant for the skin.
Honey
Honey is a by-product of honey bees when they collect the flower nectar in their mouths and the nectar mixes with enzymes and then it is turned into honey. Raw honey is honey that has not been heated for pasteurization, filtered or strained to remove the wax, pollen or propolis. Honey is a natural humectant that attracts and binds water to the upper layers of the skin.
Yogurt (Whole Milk, Plain)
Yogurt is a cultured product made from the natural bacterial fermentation of milk. Fermentation of the milk sugar (lactose) produces lactic acid which is an alpha hydroxy acid. Used in skin care treatments, lactic acid has the ability to digest skin cells and improve the texture of skin making it one of the best alpha hydroxy acids for sensitive skin. Yogurt is an effective ingredient in skin care treatments and allows the outer layers of your skin to release and shed over a few days, stimulating new cell growth in the skin’s deepest layers. With its natural antibacterial and antifungal agents, it assists in getting rid of germs and bacteria that plague the skin.
Recipe
- 1 Green apple
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 2 Tbsp yogurt
Core and slice green apple and place in a blender. Add the lemon zest, honey and yogurt and blend into a creamy smooth mixture. Apply entire mixture to a cleansed face and leave on for 20 minutes, if you have sensitive skin leave mixture on between 5 to 10 minutes. Rinse will cool water and apply your favorite moisturizer.
Enjoy!
Tracy
**Tracy Neely is the founder and owner of Nourish & Flourish Healthy Living, a holistic nutrition and wellness consulting business located in Orlando Florida. Tracy’s love for raw foods led her to implement raw food cooking demonstrations within her consulting business.Tracy is a mother of a wonderful little boy and a wife to an amazing man and enjoys doing yoga, juicing and creating green smoothie recipes, reading books and going for walks with her family.