I just returned from a long and much needed holiday in Maui, and I wanted to share some of the beauty tips that I used while I was in Hawaii.  Everyday for breakfast I indulged in as much organic fruit as possible and pretty much ate papaya almost every day.  A few times during the week when I was finished eating the papaya, I would scrape whatever was left and place its contents in a bowl.  I’d then apply the juice of the papaya on clean skin for an all natural enzyme mask.  This DIY Papaya Enzyme Facial Mask is an inexpensive way to brighten and smooth skin while also aiding in healing hyperpigmentation and age spots.

Papaya is rich in antioxidants due to high concentrations of vitamin A, C, and E, and contains naturally occurring alpha hydroxy acids and an enzymes called papain which helps digestion, yet for beauty gently exfoliates dead skin cells and increases skin cell turnover.  Whenever you gently exfoliate the skin, you oxygenate healthy skin cells and prevent clogged pores. These natural properties in papaya give you glowing, radiant, and clear skin for a fraction of the price of beauty products or spa treatments.

Exfoliation of the skin is important for healthy skin, yet should be done no more than once or twice a week.  It is so easy to be so excited about exfoliating your skin that you can overdo it.  If you haven’t properly exfoliated your skin for a long time then I believe that a gentle non-abrasive exfoliation even three times the very first week should be fine.  You can leave this mask on your skin for 5-15 minutes depending upon your skin’s sensitivities.  The first time that I applied this mask I did not feel anything.  During the second and third application I felt very slight tingling sensations which I knew where the natural alpha hydroxy acids doing their work.  My skin overall felt tighter and smoother as well as looked brighter.

If you’d like to enhance this simple enzyme mask you can mix a bit of the papaya juice with raw honey, yogurt, or even pineapple which would take this mask to a new level.  I feel it is so important to care for your skin in ways that give the greatest results without any crazy toxic chemicals and unnatural fillers that are in so many cosmetic products on the market.  Yes putting papaya juice on your skin may seems a bit “granola”, yet I’ve noticed that pure raw ingredients are usually even more effective and of course save you so much money.  I previously wrote an article on 10 natural solutions to heal hyperpigmentaion, and this DIY Papaya Enzyme Facial Mask is now number 11!

***Please note that papaya is one of the top 12 GMO (genetically modified) foods to avoid.  Please seek out organic non-gmo papaya.

Have you tried a papaya enzyme mask or use any natural products that contain papaya extract?

(Image by Dawn Michelle)

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