Whether it’s breakouts, sunburn, heat rashes, or irritation caused by the pool, or air conditioning, the summer can play havoc with our skin.
California Prunes are well known for their delicious taste, nutritious value, and versatility as a snack or ingredient. But did you know you can incorporate them into your skincare regime too? We’ve joined forces with the dietitian and nutritionist Dr. Annamaria Acquaviva and Italian food blogger Teresa Balzano to share how California Prunes can help prepare your skin (come rain or shine!) with our simple homemade face mask.
Thanks to the presence of vitamin E and antioxidant properties, California Prunes are a useful ally in fighting the appearance of wrinkles and the sense of fatigue. Mixed together with yoghurt, which is ideal for brightness, and raw potatoes – the perfect ingredient for combatting dark circles – California Prunes can be used for effective deep cleansing. Adding a few drops of extra virgin olive oil and some lavender essence will give the right balance of moisture and firmness.
Dietitian and nutritionist Dr. Annamaria Acquaviva explains: “As dried fruit, California Prunes are available all year round. They maintain many of the positive effects of fresh fruit but with a higher concentration of sorbitol, which corresponds to greater digestive efficacy.
“California Prunes can also help protect our hair, another casualty of the sun and sea, thanks to the presence of vitamin B6, which is a regulator of sebum secretion, and copper, an antioxidant nutrient that supports the natural pigmentation of skin and hair.
“As a functional ingredient, they can also be used in home beauty masks. Our very own California Prunes mask combines raw potato, yoghurt, and extra virgin olive oil, which contribute to the maintenance of healthy skin, with gentle and deep cleansing from the grains of raw potato and California Prunes.”
Ideal as a 20-minute face pack, the mask is also suitable for use in the eye contour area; just fill some cotton tea filters with the mixture and leave them on for 20 minutes.
Ingredients
1 large potato
2 spoons of yoghurt
1 spoon of extra virgin olive oil
3 California Prunes
2 drops of lavender essence
1 teaspoon of purple potato powder
Directions
Peel and chop the potato.
Put in a mixer with the other ingredients.
Blend everything until you get a creamy consistency.
Spread the mask evenly across the face and leave on for 20 minutes.