A Treat for Skin (and taste buds!)
Summer brings warm, sunny days and berries in abundance! Does anyone else wait all year to scarf down nature’s good-for-you, sweet snacks by the handful – or is it just me?
As a natural beauty devotee, the line is constantly blurred between food I want to eat and food I want to put on my skin opens in a new tab. Whenever I make a mask at home with delicious, healthy ingredients I end up licking it out of the mixing bowl and sometimes off my face, too!
So I gave in and created one scrumptious, berry-filled, all-natural, skin-beneficial recipe to be both a facial treatment and a healthy treat - that’s actually easy and fast to make.
Meet the Summer Berry Beauty Parfait!
Ingredients you’ll need - and their benefits:
Plain Greek Yogurt (whole fat is best for skin) - Lactic acids calm skin, potassium softens, beneficial bacteria balances
Blueberries - Skin-protecting vitamin C and E
Raspberries - Vitamin C and manganese support the skin’s defenses
Strawberries - Antioxidant power for your skin
Wheat germ* - Vitamin E helps protect skin
Raw, organic Manuka honey - The gold standard in honey: its properties may be helpful for blemish-prone skin, healing and moisturizing for all skin types
Banana - Skin softening potassium and vitamin A
Lemon - Mildly exfoliating fruit acid helps keep pores clear and can lighten skin
Lavender flowers(dried and optionally as an essential oil) - Great for calming normal, sensitive and blemished skin
Mint(as garnish and optional addition to mask) - Chew on it for better breath and smell it for its uplifting, stimulating fragrance
*Feel free to add-on, increase or reduce ingredients as you desire. Gluten-free folks can substitute ground flax seeds for wheat germ.
Making the MaskAmounts are approximate:
1/4 cup yogurt
A quarter banana
1 tablespoon Manuka honey
2 tablespoons wheat germ
Pinch of chopped mint
Juice of 1/2 lemon
A couple handfuls of various berries (about 10 raspberries, 10 blueberries, 5 strawberries sliced)
A few dried lavender flowers and a couple drops lavender essential oil, optional
Toss all ingredients into a mixing bowl.
Hand mix (and mash) everything together for about a minute, or use a food processor. The consistency should be creamy but not too runny.
Apply the mixture to your already cleansed face. Use a synthetic brush to keep the mess factor to a minimum.
Let it set for 30 minutes. You’ll feel the mask start to tighten a bit as each ingredient works its magic!
Making the Parfaits
Fruit parfaits are easy-to-make treats that please both your insides and your taste buds. Just looking at them boosts my mood because they’re so darn pretty!
Start with a clear glass container with a fairly wide mouth, like the recycled glass jars pictured. Layer by layer, add the same ingredients used for the mask.
Start with about 1/3 cup Greek yogurt, add 3 tablespoons wheat germ, sliced strawberries, whole blueberries, sliced banana, and whole raspberries.
Drizzle Manuka honey over the top, sprinkle on dried lavender buds, grate lemon zest across the top and finish off with a sprig of mint! Each parfait should take about 4-5 minutes to prepare.
Multi-Tasking Hostess Tip: Wear the mask as you prepare the parfaits and rinse it off just before getting dressed. When your guests arrive, you’ll impress them with a fresh, gorgeous dessert – and your glowing face!
Be sure to check out all our tips for naturally beautiful skin opens in a new tab.
How do you celebrate summer’s bounty? Got anything you put on your face that you also put on your plate? Tell us in the comments below.
Photos by Kristen Arnett
