Chocolate is fast catching on as a favoured ingredient for many beauty treatments. Being used by both men and women for facials, body massages and waxing, chocolate is creeping in most treatments as it is a good moisturiser. Dr Veena Patnam shares tips on how chocolate can be used in beauty care for its skin softening ingredients. Smooth as silk: Chocolate contains cocoa butter which softens the skin. Chocolate is extremely rejuvenating and refreshing. It is an exceptional natural moisturising agent which makes the skin supple. It can also be used as a body wrap to increase blood circulation. If blended with olive oil, it makes for a great wrap. Young and new: Chocolate when mixed with a scrubbing agent like apricot can make for a very good scrub for the body. It scrubs the dead cells and help regenerate new ones during exfoliation. This allows new, young and healthy skin cells to grow in their place. Chocolate is generally extracted and used in body butters in the form of masks and treatments like chocolate bath, chocolate facials, chocolate manicures and pedicures and aroma therapy. Get a chocolatey fix: Chocolate is also an antioxidant in nature so it helps prevent skin damage. It helps maintain the protein and elasticity and keeps the skin younger. Chocolate is a powerful antioxidant, which can help slow the skin’s natural ageing process. Dark chocolate is one of the most powerful weapons in the fight against ageing skin and according to an international survey, can reduce wrinkles and age spots and also improve skin elasticity. Do-it-yourself: Chocolate facial masks can be made at home. Mix cocoa powder, heavy cream, cottage cheese, honey and oatmeal. Apply the mixture to the face for 10 minutes and then rinse it off with warm water. It is an excellent moisturiser that helps in maintaining the youthful glow of the skin. Source: Deccan Chronicle
