Homemade skincare with chocolate

CHOCOLATE HONEY FACE SCRUB

½ cup cocoa powder

1/3 cup Demerara sugar

½ oz sweet almond oil

Honey

Combine all the ingredients using enough honey to form a paste. Gently apply to freshly washed skin & lightly massage, then rinse with warm water. This scrub increases circulation, aids in ridding body of toxins, add hydration and fights skin-damaging free radicals. The result is soft, smooth and supple skin.

CLARIFYING CHOCOLATE MASK

3/4 cup lukewarm water

1 cup instant oatmeal

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon chocolate syrup

Stir all the ingredients until well-blended and apply the mixture to your face. Leave it on for 15 minutes, the lightly scrub it off with lukewarm water. The oatmeal will soak up excess oils while doubling as an exfoliant. The honey will help to refine your pores while killing surface bacteria and reducing inflammation. The chocolate polyphenols in the syrup will banish fine lines and wrinkles… while lifting your mood!

HYDRATING CHOCOLATE MASK

1/3 cup cocoa

3 tablespoons fresh heavy cream

2 teaspoons cottage cheese (optional)

1/4 cup honey

2 tablespoons oatmeal

Mix all the ingredients together and apply to the face. Let it sit for 20 minutes and then rinse off with warm water using a gentle circular method to massage and exfoliate. This will leave your skin, exfoliated, nourished and feeling super-soft.

WRINKLE ERASING MASK

3 tablespoons dark chocolate

3 tablespoons milk

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons cocoa

2 tablespoons ground almonds

Heat the chocolate and milk in a microwave at half power for 30 seconds; stir until melted and smooth. Add honey, cocoa and ground almonds. Apply to face and leave on 10 minutes. Rinse with warm water.

HOT CHOCOLATE BATH

2 tablespoons cocoa

2 cups warm milk

3 drops vanilla essence

In a bowl add cocoa powder, pour in the warm milk and stir until completely combined. Add the vanilla essence. Pour the mixture into your bath while it is running. Hop in and enjoy as the milk-and-chocolate combo soothe and soften your skin.

CHOCOLATE SHOWER GEL

1/2 cup water

1 package unflavored gelatin

1/2 cup gentle, unscented shampoo

5-10 drops chocolate fragrance

Heat water to boiling, add gelatin and stir until dissolved. Remove from heat, then add the shampoo a little at a time until well mixed. Add fragrance and pour into a clean container (refrigerate between uses). You can also add cocoa powder for scent and extra exfoliation.

CHOCOLATE CHAMPAGNE BODY WRAP

4-5 fresh strawberries

1/3 cup honey

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup champagne or sparkling cider

Small, clean paint brush

Plastic cling wrap

Water bottle

Melt the chocolate chips in microwave. While they are cooling, puree strawberries and honey and add to the melted chocolate. Apply to entire body with a paintbrush, starting from the feet. Once covered, spritz on a mist of cider and water and wrap well with cling wrap. Wait 15 minutes and then rinse.

CHOCOLATE MASSAGE STICK

4 oz sweet almond oil

4 oz beeswax

4 oz cocoa butter

2 teaspoons of chocolate fragrance

Using the double boiler method, melt the beeswa, and cocoa butter together then allow them to cool slightly before adding the oils. Pour into popsicle moulds or ice cube trays; allow to harden and dry. Then simply rub the bars over your body – they will melt upon contact with skin.

CHOCOLATE MASSAGE BUTTER

 1/4 cup cocoa butter

1 tablespoon grated dark chocolate

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon beeswax

Place all ingredients in a double boiler on the stove or in a microwave safe bowl. Melt gently, stirring often. Pour the hot liquid into a clean container; for smaller individual bars pour into soap moulds or an ice cube tray. Massage into clean skin.

INTENSE CELLULITE TREATMENT

Dark Chocolate

1 teaspoon Cinnamon Oil

1 teaspoon Cayenne Oil (Optional)

2 teaspoon Cinnamon, Ground

2 teaspoon Cayenne, Ground

1/8 Cup Butter or Margarine

Melt the chocolate in a double-boiler, pour into a glass or metal bowl and set for 5 minutes. Add the cinnamon and cayenne oil; mix well. Then add ground cinnamon and cayenne to the mixture. Apply this to your body’s target areas with a flat brush; leave on for 10-15 minutes and then wash off with warm water.

CHOCOLATE BODY LOTION

1/4 cup grated cocoa butter

1 tablespoon grated chocolate

2 tablespoons olive, almond or coconut oil

1 tablespoon grated beeswax

Combine the cocoa butter and grated chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Add the oil and beeswax. Microwave on high for approximately 3 minutes. Keep an eye on your mixture to see how well it is melting, stirring about once each minute. When the mixture is smooth, remove from microwave and stir. Apply the lotion liberally to the body as needed, to moisturize.

CHOCOLATE BATH SALTS

 1 cup Epson Salt

1 cup sea salt or kosher salt

3 teaspoon cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

A few drops of your favorite essential oil

1 teaspoon olive, almond or coconut oil

Combine the salts and cinnamon in a clean bowl. Then pour in the oils and mix until the salt is completely coated and all ingredients have been blended. You can use the salts right away or store in an airtight container until ready to use.

COCOA BUTTER HAND & FOOT EXFOLIATING CREAM

1/2 cup almonds

1/2 cup Dry Oatmeal

4 Tablespoons Cocoa Butter

3 Tablespoons Honey

Coarsely grind the almonds in a blender or coffee grinder. In a bowl, combine oatmeal, cocoa butter, honey and ground nuts. Rub into your hands and feet, cover with cotton gloves and socks, and leave on overnight. The next morning, remove the gloves and socks and rinse. This remedy is ideal for soothing hard-working hands and feet because it gently exfoliates old, dead skin and nourishes new cells.

CONDITIONER FOR CURLY OR FRIZZY HAIR

¾ cup coconut cream

1/3 cup cocoa powder

Mix both ingredients in plastic bowl. Shampoo and use in place of regular conditioner. Use once a month or as often as necessary.

CHOCOLATE LIPGLOSS

2 teaspoons petroleum jelly

1/8 teaspoons honey

10 mini Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Chips (any brand will do though)

1/8 teaspoons shortening (Crisco)

Carefully mix all ingredients in a microwave safe container and heat at high power for 20 seconds (don’t put the lid on), stir then repeat until fully melted. Pour into a small bottle or container and freeze until solid (approximately 15 minutes).

CHOCOLATE COCONUT SCRUB

brown sugar

in coconut oil

cocoa powder

oatmeal powder

Before any beauty treatment comes the natural exfoliation of the skin to remove dead cells. Heat brown sugar in coconut oil. Add cocoa powder to this mixture while it is still warm. For the coarse texture of a scrub, mix oatmeal powder into it. Scrub your face gently (always in circular motion) to cleanse it.

CHOCOLATE WITH GREEN TEA FACE PACK

dark cocoa powder

honey

milk cream

One of the main benefits of chocolate is that it has a wealth of anti oxidants in it. We all know that anti oxidants have great anti aging properties. So when you combine cocoa with green tea which is another great store house of anti oxidants, what you get is a smashing anti aging face pack. Mix some dark cocoa powder and beat together with honey and milk cream. Apply the face pack for ten minutes and rinse with warm water. Once in a fortnight and you will be 20 forever.

COCOA BUTTER FACIAL

cocoa butter

honey

cottage cheese

almond oil

dark cocoa powder

If baby soft skin is what you want then go for a facial with butter and chocolate. This beauty recipe combines cocoa butter, honey, cottage cheese, almond oil and dark cocoa powder. You need to beat all the ingredients into a thick paste and then massage it into your skin; leave it to get absorbed and enjoy soft glowing skin.

CHOCOLATE BATH GEL

gelatin

shampoo

cacao powder

cacao oil

Chocolate on the skin is safe to use because of its anti inflammatory properties. Any chocolate (even wax) will soothe your skin so imagine how soothing a chocolate bath would be? Boil plain gelatin with a gentle shampoo until the gelatin dissolves completely. Add cocoa powder or cocoa oil to it and then refrigerate for at least 4 hours before dipping into the bath.

CHOCOLATE AND CURD FACE PACK

cocoa powder

curd

honey

oatmeal powder

If you need relief from acne or clogged pores then that too can be achieved using the benefits of chocolate. Beat unsweetened cocoa powder with curd; flatten the mixture with honey and add oatmeal powder (besan or gram flour is an alternative) for density. Apply it on your face and leave for ten minutes. Regular use (once a week) will rid you of an attack of zits and break outs as it will open up your skin pores.

CHOCOLATE BRUNETTE HAIR RINSE

2 cups purified water (do not use mineral water)

5 tablespoons dark roast ground coffee

1 ounce black chocolate

Boil the ground coffee in two cups of water in a shallow pan for 10 minutes.

Add the chocolate while the coffee is hot. Let the mixture cool and carefully soak your hair with the flavorful blend. Beware of the spills!

Cover with a non-PVC plastic shower cap, wait for 10 minutes, rinse off, and shampoo as usual.

This rinse will not ruin your highlights but instead will make your brown color deeper and more vibrant. Do not use a coffeemaker to prepare the rinse, as the concentration of coffee won’t be strong enough.

CHOCOLATE FACIAL FONDUE

1/4 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder

1/ 8 cup coconut milk (adjust to desired consistency)

1/2 to 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil

1 heaping tablespoon of green tea powder (or finely ground green tea leaves)

Whisk all ingredients together thoroughly. Apply a thin layer to the skin with a facial brush and let set for 20 minutes. Rinse well with warm water.

Information source: http://www.skincareresourcecenter.com , www.beautygypsy.com, www.boldsky.com, http://skincare.about.com