6 Age-Defying Ways to Use Apples in Your Beauty Routine

Apples are a fall favorite food since they taste delicious and offer loads of health perks. What you may not know is that they’re also a great addition to your beauty routine! Chock-full of beautifying benefits, apples — in all their forms — can reverse hair and skin bothers fast. Check out some new ways to incorporate them below.

Dull skin? Brighten it with an applesauce ‘lotion.’

Applesauce’s high vitamin C content brightens skin while removing built-up dead, dry cells to bring out skin’s youthful radiance. Pairing it with honey (it gently exfoliates) and coconut oil (its lauric acid moisturizes) leaves skin glowing in an instant.

Try it: Mix ¼ cup of applesauce, ½ Tbs. of honey and 1 Tbs. of coconut oil. Apply to clean skin on the face and let sit 10 minutes, then rinse.

Dry patches? Nix them with an apple core scrub.

The high water content within the throwaway core moisturizes skin to help alleviate dry patches. And when combined with brown sugar (its granules remove dry, rough skin) and olive oil (its fatty acids hydrate), skin is left smooth and supple — stat!

Try it: Mix 1 pureed apple core, 1 Tbs. of brown sugar and ½ Tbs. of olive oil. Rub on skin; rinse after five minutes.

Bacne? Banish it with an apple cider vinegar body wash.

Made from fermented apples, apple cider vinegar’s anti-inflammatory properties reduce breakout-related redness, while its acetic acid removes the dirt and oil that clogs pores. And using with skin-cleansing castile soap and antibacterial tea tree oil speeds the acne-clearing results.

Try it: Combine 1 Tbs. of apple cider vinegar, 1 Tbs. of castile soap and 2 drops of tea tree essential oil. Lather onto damp skin while showering; rinse after 5 minutes.

Age spots? Fade them with an apple juice lotion.

The fruit’s juice contains skin-lightening malic acid, which absorbs into skin to reduce discoloration. Boost the spot-erasing benefits by mixing it with yogurt (its lactic acid exfoliates) and lemon juice (its citric acid acts like a mild bleach).

Try it: Combine 1 Tbs. of apple juice, 1½ Tbs. of plain yogurt and ½ Tbs. of lemon juice. Dab onto spots along the face, hands, neck and chest. Let sit for 15 minutes before rinsing.

Wrinkles? Smooth them with an apple peel mask.

Apple peel’s vitamin A encourages the production of skin-firming collagen for a crease-free complexion.

Try it: Peel ½-inch sections of an apple and apply the peel, flesh side down, onto skin. Let sit 10 minutes; remove and rinse.

Thinning hair? Plump it up with apple extract.

According to Japanese researchers, topical use of apple extract’s procyanidin increases hair growth by 71 percent and thickens the diameter of strands by 79 percent in six months. But you can see similar results when taking the nutrient in supplement form since it also fortifies hair at the root, reducing excessive shedding for fuller-looking locks — mess-free!

Find it in: New Nordic Hair Volume (Buy on Amazon, $28.59)

This article originally appeared in our print magazine.