How to Make a Chocolate Facial

chocolate-bunnies.jpgOne of the hottest spa trends right now is chocolate facials. Yep, a facial using chocolate. But is it worth grinding down your left over chocolate Easter bunny to make a facial frosting? Maybe.

Chocolate has several ingredients which can potentially affect your skin. Cocoa beans, of which chocolate is made, are high in antioxidant phenolic phytochemicals (polyphenols), including flavonoids, procyanidin, and resveratrol. In fact, they are present at such high concentrations that cocoa actually has higher antioxidant potential than other heavy weight antioxidants such as green tea or red wine (J Agric Food Chem 2003;51:792-5). Not all chocolate is high in flavonoids, however. For example, white chocolate has no flavonoids while dark, high-cocoa-content chocolate has much higher flavonoids than does milk chocolate.

Chocolate also contains fats such as cocoa butter or shea butter. Both of these are used routinely as topical moisturizers and as anti-inflammatory agents. Shea butter can also used as a skin softener.

Most studies of the health benefits of chocolate have looked at anti-inflammatory and cardiovascular effects of eating it, not the benefit of applying to your skin. I did however find one study* which showed that topical application of cocoa plant extracts containing polyphenols and xanthine derivitives prevented wrinkles from forming in mice who were exposed to ultraviolet light. If nothing else, it would be a delicious, relaxing treatment. That is, if you can keep yourself from licking it off.

So where can you find a chocolate facial? Lush, a handmade vegan cosmetic company in London, UK, makes a Cupcake Face Mask.
chocolate-facial.jpg

How do you make your own homemade chocolate facial mask? (Courtesy of Food Blogga)

1/3 cup dark cocoa
3 tbs heavy cream
1/4 cup honey
2 tbs pureed or powdered oatmeal

Mix all the ingredients together and apply. Let it sit for 15 minutes and then rinse off with warm water using a gentle circular method to exfoliate.

*Note: Despite exhaustive searching, I could not find any studies on the value of applying Cadbury Easter Egg filling to your skin. You might as well just eat it.

You might also like:

Chemical Peels for Acne

Why do women bruise more easily than men?

Vitamin C and Skin Care

Like this blog? Grab The Derm Feed

March 24, 2008 | Filed Under Health and Beauty, Natural Skin Remedies 

Comments

2 Responses to “How to Make a Chocolate Facial”

  1. Dr. Val on March 24th, 2008 12:19 pm

    I doubt that the chocolate bunnies are non-comedogenic. ;)

  2. Kim on April 9th, 2008 12:43 pm

    Of course white chocolate has no flavonoids - it is not made from the cocoa bean (it is made from sugar, cocoa butter and milk solids) The flavonoids are in the cocoa solids and the chocolate liquor

Leave a Reply