Clear Skin Smoothie for Acne, Inflammation and Anti-Aging

This anti-aging smoothie is designed to provide plenty of the nutrition your skin needs to look its best.

The recipe is full to bursting with antioxidants, healthy fats and specific nutrients to help prevent and treat acne, eczema and other forms of skin inflammation.

Used regularly it may even help slow down the signs of aging caused by collagen breakdown, poor moisture balance and free radical damage to your skin’s cells.

If you don’t have all the ingredients listed here the first time you make it don’t worry.

The more you add the more powerful this anti-aging smoothie will be. But even a few of these superfoods blended together can make for an effective internal skin treatment.

Why this Green Smoothie is So Good for Your Complexion

Avocado

Avocados are the richest fruit source of moisturizing monounsaturated fatty acids and including avocados in your diet regularly can do wonders for your skin’s appearance and preventing acne.

The omega-9 fats in avocado help balance and maintain proper moisture levels in the epidermal layer of your skin, keeping it soft and subtle. Oleic acid in particular is involved in reducing facial redness and irritation and regenerating cells that have been damaged.

If you are experiencing problems like acne, rough and dry skin or eczema, try getting more avocados into your diet.

They are particularly great in this recipe as the fruit’s unique texture blended up turns this clear skin smoothie into the consistency of a dessert mousse.

Kiwifruit

Kiwifruit is very rich in antioxidant vitamin C that also promotes collagen production. Collagen is the ‘glue’ that holds your cells together and when there’s not enough of it being produced skin starts to lose its firmness and tone and fine lines and wrinkles begin to appear.

Kiwis taste great, either on their own or in smoothies like this and are a delicious way to get your daily vitamin C. A good dietary intake of vitamin C is also associated with reduced inflammatory acne vulgaris lesions and faster healing of acne scars.

Cucumber

Extremely hydrating, cooling and alkalizing to your body, cucumber is a wonderful vegetable for beautiful skin. The anti-inflammatory phytonutrients found abundantly in cucumber are particularly good for flushed or reddened face and it is often recommended for acne problems.

Cucumber is also very high in silica, often called the beauty mineral for its positive effects on your complexion. Eating more cucumbers is also highly recommended, though if you don’t like the taste they are barely noticeable in this smoothie for acne.

Coconut Oil

Extra virgin coconut oil provides beneficial medium chain fatty acids like capric and lauric acid and many people find it good for skin complaints like eczema and a dry and flaky complexion.

A good extra-virgin coconut oil is not only great for smoothie recipes. It is also a far superior cooking oil to inflammatory processed vegetable oils, linked to acne problems and facial redness.

Parsley

Another powerful liver detoxifier, parsley is also excellent for your kidneys and contains many nutrients for healthy skin.

Just a small amount of parsley is a good source of vitamin K, trace minerals like zinc, copper and manganese and antibacterial and antifungal volatile oils.

This herb is far too nutritious to be a garnish and brings a lot of benefits when eaten regularly. Crushed up parsley can even be made into an effective facial treatment for dark spots.

Carrot

Not just for your eyes, carrots contain very high levels of antioxidant carotenoids that protect your skin cells from free radical damage that leads to aging. The nutrition found in carrots is also beneficial to your liver, the main organ of detoxification.

An overworked liver tends to recruit your skin into helping get rid of toxins within your body. Including liver healing vegetables like carrots in your diet regularly can make a big difference to your appearance.

Few people have tried carrots in a smoothie, but, as long as you have a powerful blender, they are a great addition for less acne and a brighter complexion.

Amla

Amla, also called Indian gooseberry, is one of the most potent antioxidant superfoods available and contains concentrated vitamin C and a broad range of protective flavonoids and other polyphenols.

This study showed amla provided significant protection against free radical damage from the UVB radiation in sunlight that breaks down skin’s connective collagen and leads to wrinkles and sagging.

Whilst being an effective detoxifier and free radical quencher internally, amla may be even more effective as an external facial treatment. These amla face mask recipes use the same amla powder that you add to this acne smoothie, making it a very versatile superfood.

Ground Flaxseed

Flaxseeds are the richest source of omega-3 linolenic acid for reduced facial inflammation and better moisture balance.

Fresh ground flaxseed also adds a satisfying nutty flavor to your smoothies and is an excellent ingredient for many recipes. Flaxseed oil can also be used if you prefer with just a teaspoon needed due to its concentration.

Macadamia Milk

Macadamia nut milk is superior to cow’s milk, with its estrogenic hormones and flatulence causing lactose. Some studies also show a higher association between drinking dairy and acne.

If you don’t have it then either coconut water, coconut milk mixed half and half with water, probiotic kefir or real bio-live yogurt are all recommended over conventional milk.

Clear Skin Smoothie Ingredients List

• 1 small or half a large avocado.
• 2 kiwifruit.
• 1 tablespoon of extra virgin coconut oil.
• 1 small cucumber or half a large one.
• 2 branches of parsley, minus the stalks.
• 1 medium organic carrot.
• 1 tablespoon of fresh ground flax.
• 1 teaspoon of amla powder.
• ‘Milk’ of your choice to two thirds as high as the ingredients in your blender.
• Optional stevia for sweetness.
• Optional: A scoop of green powder, like the highly recommended Organifi Green Juice, to boost the skin benefits of this smoothie even more.

Smoothie Instructions

1. If they’re not organic then soak the parsley and cucumber in a bowl of hot water with a small amount of apple cider vinegar. Shake off the parsley, cut off the stalks and throw the heads in the blender.
2. Scrub the cucumber and carrots and chop them up into a size your blender can handle. Good blenders can blend up even hard root vegetables like carrot and make it easy to get more veggies into your diet. They are a great long-term investment and deserved pride of place in your kitchen.
3. Throw in your ground flaxseed or flax oil, amla powder and virgin coconut oil.
4. Scoop out the kiwifruit and avocado and add them to the blender.
5. Top up the blender to about halfway up the jug with milk or another liquid.
6. Add a few drops of stevia if you like it a bit sweeter without destructive sugar (strongly linked to inflammation throughout the body, including in the skin with acne).
7. Blend it all up on high until everything is smooth, pour yourself a glass and sit back and enjoy the creamy taste of this anti-aging smoothie.

When to Have This Smoothie for Clear Skin

Ideally drink this smoothie right after making it for the best taste and most nutrients. There is quite a lot of it though so one good option I sometimes use is to freeze half of it straight after making it.

This way you could have half during the day and then the remaining half in the evening as a frozen dessert. The avocado and coconut oil content makes it quite easy to scoop out of a cup, even after freezing, and it taste delicious this way.

I hope you’ll give this clear skin and acne smoothie recipe a try. It takes a few weeks for new skin cells to really show through but I’ve personally noticed a real difference to my complexion since making up this smoothie regularly.

I’d be interested to hear how it goes for you, particularly for acne, eczema and other skin complaints.