Green Smoothie for your Face

Who said green smoothies should only be for your insides? Greens and their goodies are just as wonderful for your skin when applied externally as they are for your body when you drink them in their concentrated form as green juice, or when you whizz them up and slurp down a fruity smoothie that looks like radioactive waste but tastes quite the opposite.

Parsley is one of those greens with very high concentrations of phytochemicals, vitamins and minerals, all things your body thrives on. One day when I was juicing a tonne of parsley, I found that the chlorophyll was coagulating in lumps in my juice, not unlike the way blood clots when you cut yourself.

Plant Blood = Our Blood

Haemoglobin is the protein that gives blood its red pigment and transports oxygen in the blood to where its needed. Chlorophyll is the green pigment in plants that traps the energy of the sun to enhance the process of photosynthesis.

The molecular structure of chlorophyll in plants is identical to that of haemoglobin apart from one difference - haemoglobin contains an Iron component, whilst chlorophyll contains Magnesium. Chlorophyll is one of the most life-giving substances you can include in your diet and it supports the formation of new red blood cells, as well as providing valuable minerals and building blocks to keep you jumping out of bed in the morning!

A Natural Chemical Peel

There seemed to be lots of parsley coagulation going on in my juice and the longer I left the juice, the more the chlorophyll clotted. Unfortunately, the expanding green clots tasted something like lawnmower clippings pulverised with mud. So I downed what I could of the remaining liquid greens, apple and ginger juice. Naturally I collected some of the chlorophyll chunks and smeared them on my early morning skin. Check out the before and after pics below! 

The ginger felt warm and tingly, like a natural chemical peel (I imagine a standard chemcial facial peel is considerably more uncomfortable than this was.) The result was very fresh, smooth, glowing skin and the aroma of ginger in my sinuses for half an hour afterwards. The enzymes and salicylic acid in the green mask dissolve dead skin cells. Omit the ginger if you have sensitive skin. Here’s my face mask recipe!

Godzilla to Goddess Face Mask

1 large bunch parsley

2 green apples

1 whole lemon

1 inch ginger

Juice the ingredients in a slow-press juicer and let the juice sit for a few minutes until the chlorophyll begins to coagulate (clot). Sieve out the green clots, sip on the juice and apply the gren goo to a clean(ish) face. Leave on for 10-15 minutes preferably not whilst posing for family photos. Rinse off and towel dry. Awaken to fresh glowing skin!