Yummy Foods That Make You Sexy!

Get a fabulous glow from these double-duty foods, they beautify when eaten and slathered onto your skin. One of our favorite shameless natural beauty tricks to share is the benefits our every day foods have for our skin as well as our nutrition, generally speaking if it's healthy for your body from within, it will also be wonderful for you topically ( unless you have a specific food allergy). Look at our Pioneer Soap Works labels and you will find many of the natural ingredients we list in our articles to be eaten also listed in our product ingredients for topical skin care, from the pure oils, butters, fruit extracts and more.

Strawberries: Strawberries are packed with antioxidants and vitamin C, which grow collagen and fight fine lines and wrinkles. Eat them up! Or, mash and use as a dual exfoliator; the seeds buff away dead skin and the fruit acids nix left over dryness.
NOTE: A strawberry mask is not recommended for persons with sensitive skin or sunburns.
Here is one of Miss Rachel's favorite strawberry masks from her D.I.Y. box:

Take 100 g of strawberries, mash them in a bowl, add 50 g of natural yogurt and 1 teaspoon of honey. Mix all together and apply it on the skin. Leave for 20 minutes and rinse it with cold water.

Coconut Oil: "Cook with this oil the same way you do with olive oil. The healthy fats keep the skin hydrated and gorgeously dewy!" says Cosmopolitan Magazine. Smooth it into parch prone parts. You can even use it on your face, it will not clog your pores like some oils ( castor oil as an example). Coconut oil contains saturated oils that help keep the skin soft and supple, vitamin E which ensures healthy skin growth and repairs the damage caused to skin; and proteins which keep the skin healthy and rejuvenated. Thus the next time you consider extended your youth the natural way, always think of coconut oil.

Greek Yogurt: High protein levels are perfect for keeping your hair and nails growing long and strong, as well as contributing to colon health. When used as a face mask, the active cultures soothe a sensitive complexion. Greek yogurt contains five live and active multibacterial strains, which means that each 100 gram serving of Greek Yogurt contains billions of live and active bacterial bases. These help maintain gut flora and boost immune system functioning and nutrient absorption, all essential to a healthy skin and body.

Yogurt Mask for Dry Skin:
Mix 1 spoon of honey
1 egg yolk
1 tsp. spoon of almond oil
1 spoon yogurt.
Apply the mixture on the face, avoiding eye area. Wash after 10 minutes. Honey stimulates and softness face skin, eggs and almond oil penetrate and hydrate and yogurt softness and close the face skin pores.

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Skin Boosting Kiwi

"The kiwifruit is often underappreciated in our diets and overlooked at the grocery store or farmers market. Many of us find it to be more of a “high maintenance” fruit that requires peeling and mess but it’s time to finally appreciate the kiwi for what it is—an edible skincare must!" says Kirstin Kirkpatric, RD of Eat Pretty.

You might be surprised to learn that kiwi is packed with a vital skin-healthy nutrient. Read on to discover kiwi’s benefits, as well as practical ways to get the most out of kiwi, yep I've included a couple recipes in today's article, D.I.Y. skin care recipes and edible ones for your nutrition!

When most people start looking for anything that will benefit the health, look and feel of their skin, they almost immediately look for beauty products that will deliver exactly what they are looking for. But a key point people worth noting is that looking after your system from the inside out is actually the most beneficial way to achieve flawless looking skin.Your digestive health plays a major role in the health, look and tone of your skin. When your digestive system is out of balance, this will be reflected in skin breakouts and premature aging.

Kiwi fruit are loaded with fiber, vitamin C and E, and potassium. Vitamin E and potassium are the nutrients responsible for slowing the aging process. Kiwi fruit also contains actinidin, a meat tenderizer. The black seeds of a kiwi fruit contain the all important omega-3 oil, and essential fatty acids the body needs to slow aging. Vitamin C or ascorbic acid is an antioxidant. That means it protects the body from free radicals. Free radicals are the most important part of the cell structure and are a by product of the air you breath. Every body has free radicals – that is part of the aging process. That is…free radicals make you age. Read Mayo Clinics Food Sources the Best Choice for Antioxidants

To prevent free radical damage to the body’s aging process you need antioxidants that destroy the free radicals. Antioxidants such as vitamin C reduce the formation of free radical. That’s the scientific explanations of free radicals. Kiwi fruit contains more vitamin C than oranges and since vitamin C is an antioxidants your skin is protected when you eat kiwi fruit. The more antioxidants your body has the better it can protect you from the aging process.

Vitamin C is an essential element in maintaining the collagen in your skin, which keeps skin firm and supple. According to Ladies’ Home Journal, kiwi contains more vitamin C per ounce than any other fruit. Plus, kiwi’s furry exterior keeps vitamin C from escaping because the nutrient tends to evaporate when exposed to air, water or heat, according to the magazine. On serving of kiwi ( 2 kiwi 100 calories ) contains 240% of your daily requirements of vitamin C! Not only is that great for your skin collagen but it also boosts your immune system and vitamin C is fabulous for fighting mild acne! See Getting your Vitamin C from Kiwi at fitday

If you're not crazy about eating kiwi, but would like some of the skin care benefits from this nifty little fruit, here are a couple of kiwi inspired spa recipes for D..I.Y. skin care.

Kiwi Toner

1. Mash 1 kiwifruit and pour 1 cup of boiling water over it. Let it stand until cool (20-30 minutes).
2.Strain to remove fruit. Add 1 tablespoon of vodka and stir. Apply to your face using a cotton ball.
3.Keep in a sealed container in the fridge for a week to 10 days.

Kiwi Facial Cleanser

1 kiwifruit
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
1 tablespoon orange water
1 tablespoon apricot or almond oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon almonds, finely ground
2 drops orange essential oil

Puree the kiwifruit until liquid. Add yogurt, orange water, almond or apricot oil and ground almonds. Blend until thick. Stir in the orange essential oil. To apply, massage gently over face and neck, and then rinse well. This makes one application.

Now, if you want to add some extra boost to your immune system and natural beauty to your skin, I have a couple of edible recipes for you to try. Eating kiwi is the best way to gain benefits for your health and skin and using the Kiwi toner and Kiwi Facial Cleanser will give you great results and make you skin look and feel beautiful.

Kiwi Cherry Almond Oatmeal

1 packet instant unsweetened oatmeal
1 cup water
1/4 cup soy milk
1 handful sliced roasted almonds
2 kiwis, peeled and cubed
6-8 dried Bing cherries
a few sprinkles of cinnamon
1 tsp vegan buttery spread
optional: 1 tsp agave syrup

Heat oatmeal and water in bowl for 1.5-2 minutes. Add nuts, cinnamon, buttery spread, agave and cherries. Stir well. Put back in microwave for 20 seconds.
Add soy milk and top with kiwis and a few loose almonds and cherries. Sprinkle another dash of cinnamon. Enjoy hot! (In a real bowl with a real spoon.) Recipe courtesy of Lunch Box Bunch.

Strawberry Kiwi Spinach Salad

2 large handfuls of baby spinach
1 kiwi, diced
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
2-3 tablespoons Strawberry Vinaigrette

Toss together in a bowl, makes one serving.

Strawberry Vinaigrette

1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup canola oil
3 tablespoons all fruit strawberry jam
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Whisk all of the ingredients together in a bowl and drizzle over salad, makes about a cup, which is several servings, 1 -2 tablespoons per salad is plenty. Recipe courtesy of Live Learn Love Eat.

Here's a great recipe for New Zealand Kiwi Cheesecake.

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Five Winter D.I.Y. Natural Skin Care Recipes

What inspired me to go ahead and get this winters D.I.Y. Natural Skin Care Recipes posted was the vision of mounds of snow covering the New Mexico ground just outside my window. It's cold and I'm stuck in doors for the day, and as I've discussed with my fans and readers in previous winters, being stuck in doors in the cold wintery months can reek havoc on your skin. The culprits? The thermostat,poor hydration, hot showers etc. Cold weather and lots of snow can be fun and romantic, however, from your hair to your toes, those harsh conditions are no fun for your skin. Not only does dry skin look unhealthy, it can be really uncomfortable, too.

There are lots of lotions and creams at the drug store aimed at healing your winter skin, but many of those contain lots of polysyllabic mystery ingredients, some of which are toxic. Pioneer Soap Works offers a lovely variety of all Natural healing ingredients to help heal and maintain healthy skin topically, and we offer some good information on the causes and cures for winter skin here on SkipDeep.

But today, since we're snowed in and can't get out, why not have a little fun treating our winter skin and have Spa Day. Featured below are five of my favorite D.I.Y. skin care recipes made with ingredients you can find in your kitchen. Enjoy!

Yogurt Face Scrub

2 teaspoons plain yogurt
2 teaspoons ground almonds
1 teaspoon organic honey
20 grams of yeast

Combine and mix ingredients. Use scrub immediately, and do not store in the refrigerator.
The B6 vitamin-rich yeast will stimulate blood flow, while honey's antibacterial properties disinfect the skin. Ground almonds exfoliate your skin revealing soft new skin cells and the yogurt will deep moisturize.

Easy Peasy Hair Mask

4 TBS. olive oil
2 TBS. Organic honey
Pour olive oil into a small microwave-safe bowl, warm olive oil for ~20 seconds in the microwave. Add your honey (tip: use the same measuring spoon: the oil makes the honey slide out of the spoon easily) and mix, mix, mix until it’s all even. Coat your wet hair from root to tip. You’ll be a great big greaseball, so I recommend throwing a towel around your shoulders to keep the oil off your clothes. If you have no shower cap, grab a handy dandy plastic shopping bag, and without suffocating yourself, tie it around your head to keep all the warmth from the oil in. Sit like this for 15 minutes and avoid all human contact. Once your 15 minutes is up, rinse 2 or 3 times (I hit a 3-spot), condition as regularly, and blow-dry/style as normal. Source: Life of Blyss


Pumpkin Foot Scrub

1/4 cup cooked pureed pumpkin
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil or canola
1 tablespoon ground coffee beans
Lemon juice squeezed from 1/2 lemon

Just mix up all the above ingredients in a big bowl. Now, scrub your feet away to your heart's content. Pay special attention to the heels. Rinse off with warm water, and pat dry. You can store the solution in a glass jar in the fridge, for up to a few days.

Face Moisturizer

2 tablespoons of aloe vera gel (drinkable kind)
1/2 teaspoon vegetable glycerin
3 drops jojoba oil
6 drops lavender oil

Place all ingredients in a small glass jar. Shake before each use. After washing your face while it is still damp, apply with your fingers. It will feel wet at first, but as it dries and absorbs, you will be left with silky soft skin.

You can adjust this formula to meet your skin needs. Use less glycerin if it makes your skin feel sticky. Use more glycerin to increase the moisturizing ability. You can eliminate or increase the jojoba oil or try a different oil (I like jojoba oil because it never goes rancid). You can also eliminate/change the lavender oil (I like lavender because it is antiseptic and antibacterial and it smells great). source : The Healthy Vegan

Simply Sweet Sugar Scrub

2 Parts Brown Sugar
1 Part Olive Oil

Mix them together and put them in a jar! If you want it a little slushier add a bit more oil to your liking. You can scoop this sweet sugary skin care treat from the jar and scrub your entire body in the bath, the buff dry with a towel to remove excess oils remaining on your skin.

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