They say fruit is nature’s candy, but it’s so much more. Juicy sweets like watermelon, strawberries, coconut, cantaloupe, and avocado (yes, it’s a fruit!) make excellent DIY beauty treatments. From homemade fruit facials to simplified hair care, the possibilities in your beauty routine abound. Use these seasonal farmers market finds to whip up spa-inspired treatments that are guaranteed to leave you looking gorgeous from head to toe.
For Wrinkly Skin: Watermelon Treatment
Vitamin A in watermelon increases collagen production to firm crinkly chest skin. And pairing it with hydrating honey (it plumps skin) helps the décolletage appear more youthful instantly. Here’s how to make a homemade watermelon treatment:
- Combine ¼ cup of mashed watermelon and 1 tablespoon of honey.
- Apply to skin along the chest, then let sit for 10 minutes before rinsing.
For Dark Spots: A DIY Strawberry Face Mask
The combination of vitamin C and ellagic acid in the berries helps brighten dark spots. Using it along with sugar (its fine granules gently slough off dead, discolored skin cells) leaves the complexion looking more even-toned, faster. Follow these steps to make it yourself:
- Mix 1 tablespoon of mashed strawberries and ½ tablespoon of sugar.
- Massage onto damp face for 1 minute. Let sit for 5 minutes before rinsing.
For Frizz: Homemade Coconut Oil Hair Mask
Coconut’s lauric acid hydrates strands so they don’t seek out the humid air’s hair-swelling moisture. Mixing it with aloe (it contains nourishing vitamins A, C, and E) boosts the benefits.
Make your own coconut hair mask in two steps:
- Add 1 tablespoon of liquid coconut oil, 1 tablespoon of aloe vera gel, and 1 cup of water to a spray bottle, then shake.
- Mist all over damp or dry hair. Leave in until your next wash.
For Cracked, Dry Heels: DIY Avocado Foot Mask
This creamy fruit may help moisturize and nourish dry, cracked heel skin. The reason? Avocados contain fatty acids, which help nourish and repair skin. Plus, avocado’s antioxidants — including vitamins A, D, and E — help “heel” damage, so feet will look and feel baby-soft, stat. Here’s how to create your own avocado foot rub:
- Cut an avocado in half, then scoop out flesh, leaving a little in the shell.
- Apply the flesh side of the shell onto heel. Rub for 2 minutes (this sloughs away dead skin).
- Repeat on the other heel; rinse.
Bonus: Paint On a Fruit Inspired Pineapple Mani
Save a trip to the nail salon for some other time, and have an at-home spa date with your gals. Re-create the gorgeous look shown in this step-by-step video tutorial. (We’ve also included the steps below.)
What You’ll Need:
- Yellow nail polish, like OPI’s Don’t Tell a Sol (Buy from Amazon, $10.79). For extra sparkle, add a swipe of Princess Lolly by Cupcake Polish (Buy from Cupcake Polish, $13).
- Brown, bright green, and dark green nail striper polishes (like Color Club Nail Art Striper in Mochalotta, Cosmic Creature and Green, $4 each, ColorClub.com)
- Clear top coat (like Cupcake Polish Glisten & Glow Topcoat (Buy from Cupcake Polish, $7.50).
Instructions:
- Paint all nails with two coats of yellow polish (or one coat of yellow polish and one coat of yellow glitter polish) and let dry completely.
- Use the brown striper polish to draw thin, crisscross diagonal lines on the ring-finger nail. Next, add a small brown dot to the center of each diamond-like segment of the fruit. Let dry completely.
- Use the bright green striper polish to draw elongated triangle leaves coming from the cuticle of the ring-finger nail, then outline the leaves with dark green striper polish; let dry. Seal with top coat.
This article originally appeared in our print magazine, Woman’s World.
