Want beautiful hair, skin, and nails?  Go to your local Harvest Home Farmers’ Market instead of the drug store.  Eating the right food can do more for your skin and hair than most cosmetic products, and it will save money. Your skin and hair need certain vitamins and minerals to grow beautifully. The right foods can naturally boost the skin and hair beauty from the inside out. 

It’s all about getting the right amounts of vitamins A, C, B, and E and minerals, like manganese. You don’t need a degree in chemistry to figure this out.  Just be sure you eat lots of these foods:

Beautiful skin, hair, and nails, naturally

• Dark, green, leafy vegetables like spinach, swiss chard, collard greens, and broccoli, loaded with vitamins A and C, help your hair produce the oils that keep it growing strong and healthy and are good for keeping your skin moist. Toss them into salads, soups, stews, or stir-fry. 

• Orange and red vegetables: sweet potatoes, carrots, and red peppers promote glowing skin.

• Walnuts and Almonds: A handful a day will give you healthy fatty acids, vitamin E, and manganese for strength. Snack on them; toss them into a salad.

• Avocados are the powerhouse for your skin with A, D, E, and fatty acids.  Natural oils make your skin moist, softening the dryness. With just ¼ of an avocado, you can also make a cleaning face mask! (See below)

• Oats have protein, B vitamins, magnesium, potassium, fiber, and antioxidants. They clear the skin, reduce stress, and provide nutritional support. A great breakfast.

All these foods make you beautiful from the inside out and they can also make you feel better. They help reduce the risk of dietetics and help your heart stay strong. Now that’s a real beauty.

Beauty Within and Without

Recipe: Fast Breakfast

Green Smoothie for shiny hair & moist skin :

Ingredients

• 2 cups kale (fresh)

• 2 cups water

• 3 bananas

• ½ avocado

• Juice of ½ to 1 lemon (optional)

To Make

• Blend kale and water until smooth.

• Next, add the remaining fruits and blend again.

Taste Tricks

• Use one frozen fruit to make the green smoothie cold or add a few ice cubes.

• If your kale is bitter, add the juice of ½ to a whole lemon to counter the bitterness.

“Overnight” Oatmeal: 

Make the night before, No fuss in the morning. Mix in a mason jar or your favorite bowl:

• 1/3 to ½ cup rolled, old-fashioned oats (Not instant or steel cut)

• ½ cup of coconut yogurt

• ½ cup of non-dairy milk like almond or low-fat milk

• A bit of cinnamon, and a touch of maple syrup for more flavor

TIPS AND TRICKS: OUTSIDE BEAUTY

Refresh and wake your skin with avocadoes: A great way to use up overripe avocados

• Moisturizing Mask: Mash together ¼ ripe avocado, 1 teaspoon of plain organic yogurt, and ½ teaspoon of honey. Stir them well until you get a paste of uniform consistency. Apply the mask onto your skin for 10-15 minutes or until it dries out.

• Clarifying Mask: Mash together ¼ of an avocado 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice & teaspoon of honey.

• Cleaning Mask:  Mash together ¼ of an avocado with a teaspoon of oatmeal

Moisturizing “Magic”: Plain Greek yogurt can work wonders on dry skin. Apply as a face mask or any place you may have dry skin. Leave on for 10-30 minutes.  Gently rinse off with warm water. To keep skin moist repeat once a week.

Coconut Oil. In your food or on your hair, there are a lot of benefits (link). Add real shine to your hair: Rub a pea-size amount of coconut oil on your hands and then on the tips of your hair or even halfway up the shaft. It reduces frizz and helps split ends.