It’s Natural Beauty through food! Registered Dietitian Annessa Chumbley has FIVE easy ways to mix up easy, homemade summer beauty products with ingredients found right in your kitchen.

The theme of our kitchen beauty bar: LEMONS. They are the perfect ingredient to use in a number of ways. They are actually the secret to many of my recipes (lemon acts as a recipe cheerleader – encourages the ingredients and brings out their best), but lemon is also the secret to DIY summer beauty.  A little Lemon 411:The country of Chile is the Southern Hemisphere’s leading supplier of lemons to the US, as right now they have warm days and cool nights, and their season is opposite ours, so thank goodness for them we can see lemons during the summer! Good source of vitamin C,  potassium, and packed with plant compounds and essential oils.  – perfect for kitchen summer beauty.  Firefighter Tim was a great sport today, and assisted in trying out all of the beauty solutions you can make in your own kitchen.  Ready, set, go! 

1. To sip during the summer beauty treatment:  Lemon Zest Smoothie

  The recipe can be found at annessard.com/recipe/lemon-zest-smoothie/. 

2. Green Tea Avocado Face Mask 

1/2 ripe avocado 
1 tablespoon raw local honey 
1 teaspoon lemon juice plus 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest 
1 green tea bag or 1 teaspoon matcha powder

1. In a bowl, mash avocado, honey, and lemon juice plus zest. Fold in matcha. (For a smooth mask, put everything in the food processor until smooth). Stir together, and your mask is ready. 
2. If using a green tea bag (instead of matcha powder), steep bag in hot water for 2 minutes. Remove bag. You will be using the tea leaves, not the tea itself, so feel free to sip the nourishing tea while making your mask. Cut open tea bag and let green leaves fall into avocado mixture. Stir together. 
3. Apply to the whole face, avoiding the eye. Let mask sit until it dries, about 20 -30 minutes. Rinse with cool water. Your face should feel revived and fresh. 

3. Pink Lemonade Raw Sugar Scrub

2 cups raw sugar 
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted 
2 tablespoons lemon zest 
1 tablespoon lemon juice 
1/2 teaspoon finely grated raw beet (for color) 

1. In a medium bowl, add sugar and pour in coconut oil, folding together. Gently stir in lemon zest, juice and grated beet. 
2. Put into a jar with a tight lid. Use on hands, feet, arms, and legs for good exfoliation and natural moisturizing elements. Store in refrigerator and use in two weeks. When ready to use, let scrub sit on the counter for 10 minutes, then gently apply and rinse off. 

4. Coconut Citrus Hair Mask

1 tablespoon organic coconut oil 
1 tablespoon raw local honey 
zest of 1 -2 lemons and limes

1. Mix everything together in a small jar or bowl. Apply to hair (wet or dry), starting at the ends and working your way to the roots, rubbing the roots of your hair as you apply. (Be sure to wrap a towel around your shoulders so that you don’t get any of the mixture on a good shirt). 
2. Let set for at least 1 hour (you could also leave it on overnight).  Gently wash out.  Enjoy beautiful naturally nourished hair! 

5. Beauty from the inside-out: Citrus Salsa served with Cucumber Chips 

¼ cup minced red onion
fresh juice of ½ Chilean orange
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
sea salt
2 Chilean oranges
½ Chilean lemon
1 minced jalapeño, stem and seeds removed
½ cup coarsely chopped cilantro leaves
1 ripe avocado, cubed

1. In a medium mixing bowl, toss minced onion with orange juice, vinegar and a pinch or two of sea salt. Set aside for 10-15 minutes allowing the onions to macerate.
2. Remove pith and peel from oranges. Remove segments of orange, then cut the segments into bite-sized pieces. Add the orange to the macerated onion.
3. Leaving the peels on, slice lemons into quarters, then slice the halves into lovely ultra-thin slices, removing any seeds. Add lemon slices to the salsa bowl. (The lemon slices, with their peels intact, add a wonderful bite to the salsa.) Add jalapeño and cilantro to the salsa. Toss all ingredients, adding additional sea salt to taste.
4. Cover salsa and refrigerate until serving. When ready to serve, add cubes of avocado and toss to coat. Serve with homemade baked chips or sliced cucumber. Also delicious on top of baked fish! Enjoy. 
 

Go to www.annessard.com for more tasty recipes and follow Annessa on social media for the latest updates:
Facebook: @AnnessaChumbleyRD
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SEGMENT IS SPONSORED BY ANNESSA CHUMBLEY