Seasonal Focus: Almonds

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almond, base, brittle, carrier, chamomile, complexion, de-stress, Decleor Essential Cleansing Milk, Decleor Micellar Oil, Dermalogica Multivitamin Hand and Nail Treatment, dirt, dissolve, dryness, Elemis De-Stress Massage Oil, Elemis Hydra-Nourish Night Cream, geranium, hands, hydrate, hydration, impurities, lavender, linoleic acid, make-up, marjoram, massage, melissa, nails, neutral, oil, oleic acid, pores, radiant, rosemary, rosewood, stress, sweet, sweet almond oil, tighten, vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, Vitamin B6, waterproof, well-balanced, Ylang-Ylang, youthful

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Using seasonal produce is a great way to ensure that the body gets what it needs when it needs it; things which appear at certain times often contain essential nutrients which are ideal for their season. Winter is the season for almonds, which are not only highly nutritious, containing essential fats, they’re also a fabulous ingredient in beauty products. Here’s our top 5 almond-containing products from Decleor, Dermalogica and Elemis.

Decleor Essential Cleansing Milk

Almond oil is an incredibly nourishing ingredient which infuses moisture into the skin, reducing tightness and leaving it feeling soft and supple. This cleansing milk from Decleor contains sweet almond oil, among other ingredients, to cleanse the skin, remove all traces of make-up and daily dirt, and tighten pores for a clearer, more radiant complexion.

Elemis De-Stress Massage Oil

Almond oil is both moisturising and very neutral, making it the perfect carrier oil for other combinations of fragrant oils for massage therapy. This oil from Elemis is designed to de-stress the muscles and combines rosewood, melissa, marjoram, geranium, rosemary, lavender and chamomile in an almond base for regenerative results.

Dermalogica Multivitamin Hand and Nail Treatment

The hands and nails benefit hugely from moisturising products as they often have to deal with the harshest elements, such as cold weather and washing dishes, which contribute to dryness. This non-greasy hand and nail treatment from Dermalogica is made on an almond oil base and helps to repair chapped hands and strengthen brittle nails.

Decleor Micellar Oil

Micellar oil is a revolutionary way to cleanse the skin, which uses the powerful combination of oil and water to work deep into the pores, dissolving and dispersing dirt and impurities and removing all traces of make-up. Almond oil ensures hydration and make-up melting power, and even works on waterproof cosmetics.

Elemis Hydra-Nourish Night Cream

Almond oil contains oleic and linoleic fatty acids, as well as containing vitamins A, B1, B2 and B6, all of which are essential for youthful, well-balanced skin. This night cream from Elemis is a rich formulation which works intensively while you sleep to deeply hydrate the skin, regulating skin hydration, and helping to maintain skin’s firmness. Geranium and ylang-ylang add to the sweet fragrance of the formula, reviving the senses and counteracting stress, anxiety and depression.

The Mighty Mango

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almonds, avocados, balanced diet, beta-carotene, big, blemishes, blend, blueberries, breast, carotenoids, central, chopping board, colon, complexion, copper, cream, cubes, cup, cut, digestion, dry eyes, easy to manage, elimination, enzymes, exposed flesh, face mask, fibre, glow, halves, healthy and strong, heath promoting qualities, horizontal, hormone production, ice, Immune System Booster, leukaemia, lower cholesterol levels, natural beauties, night blindness, pattern, pectin, potassium, production, prostate cancer, protein, RDA, recharge, recipe, red blood cells, salsa, salt intake, seed, skin loving Vitamin E, sliced mango, spinach, spots, vertical, vitamin A, Vitamin B6, waste

The term ‘super-food’ is banded around the place like no one’s business at the moment. From avocados and spinach to almonds and blueberries, these natural beauties are all over the place, but no one ever really seems to put the mighty mango in this group?

Well, we think they should be and are here to put them on the healthy map.

Mangos grow in tropical climates and are a nutritionally rich fruit with a unique flavor, fragrance, taste, and it has so many heath promoting qualities we don’t know where to start.

Cancer Prevention
Some research has shown that the antioxidant properties in mango fruit can help protect against breast, colon and prostate cancers as well as leukaemia.

Eye Sight
A cup of sliced mango contains around 25% of the RDA of Vitamin A which is key to good eyesight and can prevent night blindness and dry eyes.

Cholesterol Count
Due to the high levels of fibre, pectin and Vitamin C in mangos they can help lower cholesterol levels.

Glowing Skin
Mangos help clear clogged pores and eliminate acne, and because they are rich in skin loving Vitamin E, your complexion will glow if you eat them as part of a balanced diet.

Digestion
Mangos are packed with clever enzymes that break down protein and come with fibre both of which help with digestion and elimination.

Immune System Booster
Due to the generous amounts of Vitamin A and Vitamin C, plus 25 different carotenoids, fresh mango is the perfect way to keep your immune system healthy and strong.

The Other Bits
Mangos also come with Vitamin B6 and other B vitamins that help with hormone production and prevent heart disease. They have plenty of potassium that balances out salt intake as well as copper that helps with the production of red blood cells.

So you have got your mango, but how do you prepare it so none goes to waste?

Hold the mango on its side and cut down either side of the large, central seed so you have two big halves.

Place each half on a chopping board, peel face down, and cut the exposed flesh in a horizontal and vertical pattern, taking care not to cut too deep through the skin or into your fingers. Then invert the whole half and push out easy to manage cubes.

You can use this cubes to make a super effective face mask. Simply blend the mango and apply to the face and let your skin soak up the beta-carotene and Vitamin C help which will repair spots and blemishes and recharge your complexion.

Otherwise eat the mango solo, on cereal, in smoothies, add it to salads, pop on the top of ice cream, mix into a salsa, blend into yogurt, make a pie. The ideas are endless, the taste is incredible.

Got a mango recipe you like, send it over, we would love to give it a try.

Team Pure Beauty