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Are you suffering from acne and love munching on avocados? Well, we’ve got good news for you! According to some research and plenty of anecdotal evidence, it seems that using avocados for acne can help you reduce blemishes, have fewer acne outbreaks, and moisturize your skin naturally without making it oily - and we're here to tell you how!
Avocado is one of the healthiest foods (and fats) in the world, with high amounts of unsaturated, essential fatty acids. Besides eating it, you can also use its rich nutrient profile topically for the skin, hair, and body. But is it as good as traditional effective acne treatments?
The avocado fruit is great for acne not only because it’s filled with healthy fats but also because of its many other skin-friendly nutrients. You’ll find iron, calcium, potassium, copper, magnesium, and vitamins A, E, B, and K in this food. Although there aren’t any direct studies that link avocado oil use and acne, the anecdotal evidence is overwhelming. We also have studies that link the nutrients in avocado oil with many skin benefits, such as clearing acne and acne scars.
According to Lipids in Health and Disease, foods rich in omega-3 and monounsaturated fatty acids are linked to improved inflammatory acne lesions and better mental health. Eating avocado can help strengthen your immunity so that your body fights off inflammation from the inside out. The monounsaturated fats in avocado oil also help maintain good cholesterol levels in your body.
Making an avocado oil mask and using it topically can help kill acne-causing bacteria, clear any excess oil, remove dead skin cells, keep skin hydrated, and improve overall skin health.
Avocados are used in many homemade facial masks for dry skin due to their amazing moisturizing properties. This is because avocados contain vitamin E, potassium, and lecithin - all of which are well absorbed into the skin’s layers and help hydrate and soften the skin.
On top of this, avocados are rich in essential healthy fats, making them extremely beneficial for dry, mature, parched, or aging skin. To give you some context, coconut oil is a well-known skin moisturizer, mostly because it contains 5–10% oleic acid. Well, avocados contain 63% oleic acid, so there you go.
Yes, that’s right. Avocado oil is one of the best ingredients to help you with sunburned skin. Due to it being such a great moisturizer, with the power to penetrate deep into the skin pores, its nutrients can rejuvenate damaged skin cells, help the skin heal faster, and prevent skin cancer. By making the skin smoother, avocados will also ease the pain and reduce redness.
Turning the clock on aging skin is not easy, but avocados can help repair skin damage. Packed with antioxidant vitamins like C and E, this fruit can fight off free radicals that damage the body and offer skin protection.
Avocado oil also stimulates collagen and elastin fiber production, which gives dry skin more flexibility and elasticity, keeping it from forming wrinkles.
There’s a protein in avocados called sterolins which helps lighten the skin and even decreases the visibility of acne scars and dark spots on the face. Additionally, avocados contain an antioxidant compound called glutathione which is linked to reduced melanin levels. Melanin is a pigment that colors the skin, and reduced levels of melanin can make it look lighter.
Sometimes the best results come from simple actions. You can use mashed avocado directly on the face to reap all the health benefits mentioned above.
Just cut one ripe avocado in half and remove the pit. Scrape off the fruit from the peel and mash it in a small bowl until you get a smooth and creamy paste. Apply the mixture on a clean and dry face. Leave it for about 20 minutes before washing your face with lukewarm water.
The FDA recognizes oatmeal as an effective remedy for the skin, which makes it one of the best food treatments for acne. Oats can penetrate deep into the pores, kill disease-causing bacteria, scavenge oxidative stress, and inhibit the growth of damaged cells. Still, the most famous benefit of oatmeal is its power to reduce inflammation.
Combine half a cup of oatmeal with half an avocado to make an amazing acne-clearing face mask. Mash the avocado in a small bowl and add cooked oatmeal according to the instructions on the package. Mix the ingredients and stir well until you get a paste-like consistency. Then, apply the mask directly to the face. Let it sit for 15 to 20 minutes, and wash it off with warm water afterward. You can use this mask every day.
Bananas are filled with antioxidants and vitamins good for skin health - you can even use their peel! Lutein is one oxidant that bananas are loaded with. This antioxidant helps protect the skin against damage caused by environmental factors like the sun.
Prepare the avocado by cutting it in half, scraping it from the peel, and mashing it in a small bowl. After this, peel a banana, cut it into small chunks, and add it to the avocado. Use a fork to blend the ingredients until you get a smooth paste. Apply the mask to a clean face and let it sit for approximately 15 minutes. In the end, wash your face with warm water and use a moisturizer afterward. It’s safe for everyday use and will leave your skin supple and healthy.
Honey is a powerful natural remedy used for a variety of reasons. Its antibacterial properties are said to kill P. acnes (the bacteria responsible for your acne). On top of this, studies show that honey has anti-inflammatory abilities and is known to aid in skin repair and wound healing.
It can also easily remove excess oil from the skin and help reduce inflammation, making your pimples less angry. Honey is also a humectant that helps moisturize your skin.
To make this powerful mask for your acne, cut one avocado in half. Take one half and scrape it off the peel. Put it in a small bowl and mash it with a fork. Add one tbsp of raw honey into the bowl and mix well until the ingredients blend completely. Gently massage it on your face, wait for 20 minutes, and rinse it off with warm water. You can use this face mask on a daily basis.
The citric acid in lemon juice removes any excess oils from the skin due to its strong drying effect. It’s also said that fresh lemon juice has antiseptic properties, which can help kill acne-causing bacteria. Lemons also reduce redness, decrease inflammation, and even brighten your skin tone, so combining them with avocados gives you a super-powerful anti-acne remedy.
Simply mash half an avocado into a small bowl and squeeze half a lemon on top. Be careful not to touch your eyes when you apply the mask since the lemon’s acids can cause irritation. Leave the mask to act for about 15 to 20 minutes, and then wash it off with warm water.
Don’t use it more than three times a week since lemon can dry out the skin. Your skin might be sensitive to sunlight afterward, so make sure to wear sunscreen.
If you have acne, hearing the word oil might alarm you - believe us, we know! But take a deep breath.
Coconut oil is amazing for the skin. It’s made from medium-chain fatty acids, which have strong antimicrobial effects and can kill acne-causing bacteria. Study after study has shown that lauric acid, one of the strongest acids in coconut oil, can kill P. acnes. And this only works if you apply coconut oil directly on the skin.
It’s still important to note that coconut oil is thick and can clog pores, so cleanse your face after using the mask. This way, you'll get all the benefits of coconut oil and still protect your face.
Mix half an avocado with a few drops of coconut oil in a small bowl. Mash with a fork and stir well until you get a smooth paste. Evenly apply the mixture on your face. Let the mask act for 20 minutes, and then wash your skin with warm water. For the best results, repeat this every day before bedtime.
Turmeric is an ingredient rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. Its anti-inflammatory properties are so strong that turmeric can easily target the damaged pores in your skin and help reduce acne scarring. Besides this, it will revive your skin and restore its natural glow.
Because turmeric is strong and can cause irritation in sensitive skin, the perfect way to reap its benefits is to mix it with avocado. Just mash half an avocado in a small bowl and add one tbsp of turmeric powder. Stir well until you're left with a smooth paste. Leave it on for 20 minutes. In the end, rinse off with lukewarm water.
Yogurt is rich in lactic acid, a well-known ingredient that helps clear the skin and calm aggressive, inflamed acne. It also works as a natural and gentle exfoliator, removing dead skin cells and excess sebum from the skin. But, relying just on yogurt may not be enough, so here is where the avocado fruit comes to help.
Cut one avocado in half and mash it in a small bowl. Add one tbsp of plain Greek yogurt and stir well until the ingredients blend. Apply the mask evenly on the skin’s surface. Let it dry for about 15 minutes, and then wash it with warm water. You can use this recipe on a daily basis.
We wouldn’t be the first or the last to recommend egg whites as a natural home remedy for acne. They're cheap and easy to use, yet so effective for the skin that people swear by them. Egg whites are packed with many high-quality nutrients beneficial for the skin, which can help reduce breakouts and diminish discoloration caused by acne.
Cut one avocado and mash it in a bowl. Separate the egg yolk from the white and add it to the bowl, then mix well until you get a smooth blend. Apply the mask to your face and leave it on for 20 minutes. In the end, wash your skin with lukewarm water. You can use this avocado mask once or twice a week.
Olive oil contains many vitamins linked with the healing process of acne and acne scars. Don’t be alarmed by the word oil - olive oil is considered moderately comedogenic, but its comedogenic side effect is greatly reduced if mixed with other ingredients and diluted down to a 25% concentration.
In addition, olive oil has a lot of oxidants that help fight free radicals, which also play a role in acne development. So, next time you make an avocado facial mask for acne, don’t forget to add a few drops of olive oil to boost the anti-acne powers of the avocado. Gently apply the mixture all over your face and leave it for 15 minutes. After this, wash your face with warm water, and repeat in a week.
(Psst... if you don't want to use olive, there are many other nourishing oils available to try. If you want to use an essential oil, tea tree oil is a great option!)
As you can see, there are many benefits of avocado and avocado oil you can receive, not only by consuming avocados but also by using them topically. Try our face mask recommendations for healthier skin.
The antimicrobial activity of liposomal lauric acids against Propionibacterium acnes
Fatty Acids and Derivatives as Antimicrobial Agents
Acne vulgaris, mental health, and omega-3 fatty acids: a report of cases
