Avocados’ popularity have reached a fever pitch all around the world. It instantly makes food taste and look better and has a multitude of health benefits to boot. But did you know you don’t have to eat these creamy green gifts from above to benefit from them? Here are seven ways you can put those precious avos to use outside of the kitchen.
1. Grow an avocado tree!
You just need a small dish to hold water, four toothpicks, and an avocado pit. They make great gifts for budding gardeners or are a fun project for your little ones. Plus, a little greenery really spruces up your home.
Imagine a little ring around the widest part of the avocado pit. Stick the toothpicks in equidistant from each other along this imaginary ring. This contraption will hold the pit above the dish of water so that it is only partially submerged. Place in a well-lit area and observe the magic happening!
2. Natural Hair Conditioner
Strapped for cash and need to tame your mane with a natural conditioner? Make this avocado conditioner for silky locks.
You’re going to need:
- 1/3 cup of avocado oil
- 1 cup coconut oil
- Some essential oils to your liking
- 1 jar or container to mix it in
Combine all the ingredients in the container and mix. A hand mixer gets the best results. To use, work through the ends of your hair and rinse and shampoo out. A word of caution: it makes the floor of showers or tubs a tad slippery. Be careful!
3. Avo Face Masks
If you’re in the mood for some pampering, try making this face mask to leave your skin feeling soft and supple all day. You can use egg whites, honey, oats, or a combination of the three in addition to avocados. Mix into a paste, spread over your face, and let sit for 15 minutes. Rinse and pat dry. It’s a really fun and savvy alternative to an expensive outing to the spa.
4. Avocado Scrub-a-dub-dub
Maybe a face mask isn’t the answer to your skin woes. This facial scrub is so incredibly simple to make. Just save the pit from your next avocado and follow along to this tutorial.
You’ll need:
- 1 avocado pit
- A simple face wash that doesn’t have any exfoliating beads
Allow 1-2 days to dry out the avocado pit in the sun. Chop the dried pit up into fine pieces and combine with the face wash. I found that creamier face washes worked best with this. Mix the items to evenly distribute the exfoliating pit pieces. When finished, apply like any old facial scrub!
5. All Natural Soap
To indulge the rest of your body, make this moisturizing soap. All the vitamin E in an avocado is suppose to enrich skin. No matter how big you want to make this soap, just follow the ratio below to get the desired consistency.
You’ll need:
- 1/3 avocado oil
- 1/3 palm oil
- 1/3 palm kernel oil
- A couple drops sweet almond oil
- Rosemary Oleoresin Extract (ROE)
- Lye (NaOH)
- Distilled or Mineral Water
- Avocado Puree
ROE will help extend the shelf life of the soap as this particular soap is made of perishables. Line your soap molds. Combine all the oils into a heated pan until melted, adding in the avo puree and ROE. Mix the water and lye together and when well mixed, add to the oil/puree mix. Add the essential oils last. Pour into the molds and let cool. Voila!
6. Bath Bombs Away
Sink into a hot bath after a long day with these bath bombs. They’re therapeutic and smell divine. This recipe yields 4 bath bombs.
You’ll need:
- 1lbs baking soda
- 1/2 lbs citric acid
- 1/2 tsp mineral oxide
- 1/2 oz fresh avocado
- 1/2 oz olive oil
- Lemongrass, Bergamot, and Rosewood essential oils 25 drops each or to liking
Combine the baking soda, citric acid, and mineral oxide. Mix well. In a separate bowl, mix the avocado and olive oil. Once they are combined, mix all ingredients together. Add essential oils last and mix once more. Smush mixture into spherical mold, and allow it to sit and harden.
7. Wooden Wind Chimes
Crafters, rejoice! Avocados can also provide you with material for your next DIY. Take the pits, dry out in the sun for a day or two, and make wind chimes. The woody avo pits will make some calming noises in the summer breeze.
Simply lay out your avocado pits on a hot, dry day. This might take an afternoon or two. An alternative would be to dry them out at 150 degrees Fahrenheit for 2 hours. Using a drill or knife, hollow out the pits. Varying degrees of hollowing will produce different sounds. Remember to leave one pit fully intact. This will be the pendulum that strikes the hollow pits.
Choosing an item to act as the base for the chimes, drill as many holes per avocado pit. Secure pits to the base using strings of equal length. The untouched pit should be placed somewhere where it can come in contact with all of the hollowed pits. Place outside on a windy day and enjoy!
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