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My 14-year old son asked me to make one of his favorite hemp seed smoothies the other day after tennis practice and it got me to thinking how radically the food scene has changed since I was 14-years old, which was back in 1990. Let’s just say, if I had asked my mom to make me a hemp seed smoothie when I was my son’s age she would have insisted I was running with the wrong crowd! But these days, just about anyone who has even a marginal interest in nutrition knows a tid bit about the benefits of hemp seeds from a nutritional standpoint. Even people who don’t know what hemp seeds do know they are good for you!
As with just about any other nutrient-dense food, the benefits of hemps seeds extend beyond boosting just your health—they also have beautifying properties. But I am not just talking about eating hemp seeds, I am talking about using them externally.
Beauty-Boosting Benefits of Hemps Seeds
Taken internally, the beautifying benefits of hemp seeds can primarily be attributed to their potent anti-inflammatory properties and their high concentration of the “super fat”, GLA (gamma-linolenic acid), that nourishes hair, skin and nails. The soothing, good anti-inflammatory fats are also incredibly healing and nourishing for your skin when used externally too, especially if you have skin that is easily irritated (like me!) And, while oatmeal is a time-honored ingredient to soothe dry, irritated or red skin, which is often used in homemade face masks, I find my hemp mask (see recipe below) does a much better job.
In addition to nourishing skin, hemp seeds also do an amazing job of effectively exfoliating without being overly abrasive. Many expensive exfoliants are formulated with finely ground nuts and nut shells, but I think my homemade hemp mask does a much better job. Although I am certainly not a skin expert, one big skin-beautifying tip I learned a long time ago is the power of exfoliation. My skin will always look dull if it is not well exfoliated. I know a lot of skin experts who insist you should only exfoliate 2 or 3 times a week, but for me, a gentle exfoliation every day is the only way to keep my skin looking fresh and bright. If you have sensitive skin and find harsh abrasive exfoliants or thing like alpha-hydroxyl acid and salicylic acid are too much for your skin, you might be amazed at what your skin looks like after using the homemade hemp mask as an exfoliant too.
Recipe for Homemade Hemp Mask
The homemade hemp mask recipe below is super easy to make! Other than hemp seeds, the only other two ingredients you will need are pure maple syrup and nutmeg. You may have heard of using raw honey as a face mask treatment, but did you know real maple syrup, which comes directly from the sap of the maple tree, is also great for your skin? A natural humectant, maple syrup not only preserves moisture in skin, it also boasts a number of different anti-inflammatory phytonutrients as well as over 50 different antioxidants, all of which are good “skin food”. On our recent trip to Canada, I actually learned that Canadian health organizations classify maple syrup as a superfood because it has the same group of antioxidants found in flax, tomatoes, berries and tea. To read more about the skin-boosting benefits of maple syrup Click HERE.
And what about the nutmeg? It’s a great exfoliant and amazing for removing blackheads!
If you follow the directions and use the hemp mask as both a mask AND exfoliant, you should see notice a brighter and more radiant complexion after just one use.
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Homemade Hemp Mask
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup hemp seeds
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
Instructions
- Put all ingredients in a mini food processor and process for about 45 seconds, until hemp seeds are crushed and ingredients are well blended.
Notes
To use: Apply mask to clean, slightly damp face. Let mask sit on face for 10 minutes. To use as an exfoliant, use your fingertips to massage your face in a circular motion. Store hemp mask in a mason jar in the fridge for up to two weeks.
What Should You Use After Your Hemp Seed Mask/ Exfoliant?
I am absolutely in love with the natural beauty line, Kypris. My two favorite products are the 1,000 Roses and Antioxidant Dew Serum. To learn more about Kypris and click HERE.
Where Can You Buy Hemp Seeds?
Any well-stocked natural foods store will carry hemp seeds; you can often buy them in bulk. You can even order hemp seeds online. Nutiva sells organic shelled hemp seeds as does Vitacost.com. They are as easy to buy as they are to eat!
Click the hemp seed image link below to buy hemp seeds today !!
Looking for more smoothie recipes?
Just finished reading clean cuisine and was so excited to find this recipe. Thanks
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Hi Meredith! I am so happy you read the book and thrilled to know you like the recipe =) Please keep me posted on how your skin does if you try it!
whoah this blog is wonderful i love studying your articles.
Keep up the great work! You know, many people are looking around
for this information, you can aid them greatly.
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I love this article, Ivy!! My name is Kat, and I work for the only American grown hemp food brand, EvoHemp. Check us out. I’m definitely going to try this mask and share it with our fans!
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Will do Kat =) Thank you so much for letting me know about EvoHemp too! Also, be sure to check out the article I just wrote yesterday about how to make the healthiest protein shake (using “whole” hemp seeds rather than processed protein powders) here is the link to the article: https://cleancuisine.com/protein-shake-recipes/
I have a severe case of rosacea I’ve had symptoms since I was a teenager I’m 33 now , I thought it was just acne so I tried all kinds of acne meds to try to get ride of it, while taking antibiotics the red puss filled bumps would go a way for a while but the area would still be red and very tendered then they would come back after countless years of taking antibiotics on and off I stopped taking them because I hated the way they were making me feel, so one day I was thinking to myself way not try a hemp seed fascial so I did and after doing it daily for almost a month my rosacea is finally under control !!! (although it may never go way )this stuff seriously works way better than any medication I’ve taken, the only side affect is healthier clearer skin
thank you for this article it was a life changer!
Oh my gosh! Jason, I cannot even tell you how thrilled I am to hear this mask worked such wonders. I had NO idea the hemp would be beneficial for Rosacea, but knowing how beneficial the GLA is in hemp seeds I can definitely see how it could work. I actually think you might get even BETTER benefits by adding some turmeric powder (which you can get in the spice aisle of any supermarket) to the mask. I have been reading about the skin health benefits of turmeric and using it myself daily as a mask and it’s been making a HUGE difference in the appearance of my skin. I know turmeric is used for a number of different skin conditions and if you google it you will see rosacea is one of them! I know it can’t hurt to add it. you could even try taking turmeric internally too (as a tea). Anyway, THANK YOU so so much for sharing your story. I know any skin condition can be so hard to live with and I hope your story helps other. Please do keep me posted if you try the turmeric!