Every few years, I try to test my allergies by eating something I'm moderately allergic to. This is definitely not something I recommend, but some of those foods I’m moderately allergic to happen to be incredibly healthy and hella tasty. I recently learned that cherries are good for your skin, and ever since I’ve been carefully trying to add them to my diet despite the slight itchiness in my throat they cause. I want those antioxidants. I’ve tried adding maraschino cherries to my Manhattan cocktail and dried cherries in my salads, but unfortunately eating cherries has yet to yield a happy ending. So, instead of risking a reaction when I eat, I decided to apply cherries topically and see if I could get some beauty benefits that way instead. Since this produced no allergic reaction, I obviously had to start testing out some DIY cherry recipes for healthy skin and hair.
According to Stylecraze's website, cherries contain five times as much melatonin as their berry cousins, blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries. They are also rich with antioxidants that have the ability to help our skin maintain a healthy pH level with its natural alkaline contents. Cherries contain potassium, flavanoids, fiber, and a considerable amount of vitamins A, B, C, and D. All great things for keeping our skin and hair flawless.
Incorporating cherries into a natural skin regimen comes with tons of benefits and little disadvantages. Over time, cherries can rehydrate our skin and regenerate skin cells making them ideal for lightening dark spots and fighting premature aging. In fact, eating cherries can give your hair a natural boost in liveliness because they contain those essential vitamins are hair often loses. Since, I'll never know how binging on cherries can truly affect my hair, I'm all about using cherries in topical treatments instead. Here, some of my favorite at-home recipes.
1. DIY Facial
This recipe comes from the Beauty Bean via Michelle Williams' facialist, and it's just about as effective as a fancy spa treatment. Puree a half dozen cherries together with a teaspoon of almond powder and brown sugar. Then add a quarter cup of raw honey and a few teaspoons of yogurt. Apparently, this recipe is the biz because Michelle Williams' skin always looks soft and toned.
2. Dark Spot Remover
Cherries are another great food that can help alleviate dark spots from the sun, acne, and hyperpigmentation. Puree or muddle a half dozen cherries and form a paste with a teaspoon of turmeric and raw honey. This treatment will not only decrease the appearance of scars, but it will treat uneven skin tones.
3. Cherry Hair Rinse
Cherries are a great way to add shine and color refraction to your hair. Cherries have subtle dyeing properties, plus they're amazing at balancing pH levels, which is key for promoting hair growth. Using the juice from cherries alone won't create a shift in color though. This hair rinse requires two cups of boiling water and eight black tea bags — those tannins will definitely up the chances of dying dark hair. Combine those with a cup of fresh cherry juice. Apply directly on your clean hair for about 45 minutes and rinse thoroughly. Since this hair rinse is 100 percent all natural, you won't need to worry about over-conditioning the color out to keep your hair from breaking.
Image: Ed Ivanushkin/Flickr; Giphy
