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Beauty

Food-Inspired Beauty Treatments to Banish Cellulite, Thicken Hair, Erase Age Spots, and More

Have you ever thought about using food for beauty purposes?Food-inspired beauty treatments — made from things already in your kitchen — are a tasty way to celebrate your skin, body, and hair!

Smooth cellulite with a cinnamon massage.

Cinnamon is a great food for beauty because has unique compounds that increase blood flow for a skin-plumping effect that helps “shrink” dimples, while sugar whisks away dead cells so skin’s surface looks smoother, says Miami-based medical aesthetician Maribel Pedrozo, MD. And coconut oil (its hydrating lauric acid “fills in” the areas between bumps) speeds results.

Try It: Mix 1⁄2 cup of coconut oil, 1⁄4 cup of sugar and 1 Tbs. of ground cinnamon. In the shower, use circular motions to buff the mix onto dimply, damp skin for 1 minute. Let sit 5 minutes; rinse.

Thicken hair with an avocado mask.

Avocado is food that’s often found in beauty treatments, and for good reason. The fatty acids and vitamin E in avocado strengthen and nourish hair, thwarting the breakage that can make it look thin. Use with olive oil (its oleic acid plumps the diameter of strands) for a fuller-looking head of hair — stat!

Try It: Mix half an avocado with 1⁄2 Tbs. of olive oil. Apply to damp hair; rinse after 15 minutes.

Erase age spots with a mango spot treatment.

Another food on our list for great beauty treatments is mango. Mango’s vitamins A and C brighten discolored skin, and tomato’s antioxidants stop new spots from forming.

Try it: Puree 1⁄2 cup of tomato and 1⁄2 cup of mango in a blender. Apply to spots twice daily; rinse after 15 minutes. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to one week.

Soften rough heels with a wine soak.

Stale wine may be a bust for your palate, but it’s a beautiful boost for your feet! “Red wine’s resveratrol helps repair the dry, damaged layers of skin on heels, while polyphenols work to moisturize them,” says Dr. Pedrozo. She suggests adding a few fresh orange slices to the mix. “The citric acid sloughs off dead skin cells and speeds new cell growth, so skin feels silky-smooth.”

Try It: Fill a basin with warm water, then add 1 cup of red wine and 6 orange slices. Soak feet for 10 minutes; rinse, then pat skin dry.

Nix chicken skin with a margarita exfoliator.

Lime’s alpha hydroxy acids break up the keratin buildup that causes the red arm bumps, tequila’s astringent properties dissolve oil and dirt that further clogs them, and sea salt gently sloughs away any dry skin and residue.

Try it: Combine 1⁄2 cup of tequila, 1⁄4 cup of sea salt and 2 Tbs. of lime juice. While in the shower, massage onto damp arm skin for 1 minute, then rinse.

This article originally appeared in our print magazine.

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