You’ve probably eaten more than your fill of Easter chocolate by now. But if you’ve still a pile of eggs left, there’s a novel way to use it up that won’t affect your waistline.
Social media has been taken by storm with easy and effective DIY beauty treatments made from left-over chocolate.
‘By weight, cocoa contains more wrinkle-busting antioxidants than green tea or blueberries,’ says U.S. anti-ageing skin care expert Dr Nicholas Perricone.
‘Flavonoids and polyphenols — powerful chemicals found in dark chocolate — help nourish and protect skin from environmental stresses and ageing.’
Janey Lee Grace, author of Look Great Naturally . . . Without Ditching The Lipstick, agrees: ‘Chocolate contains more than 300 skin-healing compounds including iron, zinc, copper and magnesium. Applied on the skin, it nourishes and calms the complexion.
‘The antioxidants in chocolate will also help protect skin from UV damage and boost blood flow.’
Here are the recipes that will keep you glowing:
Glow-Boosting Chocolate Face Mask
Dark chocolate is loaded with skin-boosting antioxidants. For best results, choose an organic chocolate with a 70 per cent or higher cocoa solids content, says Janey Lee Grace. ‘The whole experience of pampering yourself after a busy Easter is just as important as the ingredients in the mask.’
Ingredients
- 50g of chocolate (dark, organic and minimum 70 per cent cocoa solids ideally) — the equivalent of half a small Easter egg
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp full-fat natural yoghurt
- 3 tbsp fine oatmeal
Method
Melt the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl over a saucepan of hot water. Once melted, stir in the other ingredients. Then apply the mixture to your face, avoiding the eyes and mouth. Relax and leave the mask to do its work for 20 minutes before removing with a flannel and warm water.
White Chocolate Body butter
White chocolate does not qualify as ‘proper’ chocolate because it doesn’t contain any cocoa solids. It’s mostly cocoa butter with milk solids, a fatty substance called lecithin, sugar and added vanilla flavour — which makes it ideal for skin-moisturising products. A gentle moisturiser for hands or body, a little of this soft, oily body butter goes a long way.
Ingredients
- 15g coconut oil
- 15g shea butter
- 15g white chocolate, grated
- 1 tsp almond or olive oil
- 10 drops of essential oil for fragrance (optional)
Method
Melt the coconut oil and shea butter in a heat-proof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Add the chocolate, allow to melt, and then add the oil and mix everything together. Add the essential oil if you want to — rose goes well with white chocolate. Allow to chill in the fridge. Store in a sealed container in a cool spot. Use within a month.
Chocolate and honey hair mask
This delicious-smelling conditioning mask is perfect for treating dry, damaged hair.
Ingredients
- 20g dark chocolate egg
- Small pot of full-fat natural yoghurt
- 1½ tbsp honey
Method
Melt the chocolate in a bowl in the microwave (in ten-second intervals, stirring and checking as you go to be sure not to overheat the chocolate). Stir the melted chocolate into the yoghurt and honey, then, while still warm, apply the mixture to the ends of your hair, not the scalp. Wrap your hair in cling film and leave the mask to do its work for 20 minutes to an hour. Scrape the excess mask off your hair with your hands, then rinse with warm water before shampooing and conditioning.
Easter egg lip balm
A fun project for older children (with adult supervision), this simple but delicious balm will help to keep chapped lips at bay.
Ingredients
- 1 tsp Vaseline
- 1 tsp grated Easter egg
- Clean, empty lip balm or eye-shadow container
Method
Place a heat-proof bowl in a saucepan filled with an inch of water. Bring water to a gentle simmer and then put Vaseline and grated chocolate in the bowl. As they melt, give the ingredients a good stir to make sure they are mixed thoroughly. Once melted and mixed, pour the hot, oily liquid into a small pot and leave to cool and set.
© Daily Mail