7 Ingredients You Need to Make a Beauty Cocktail ...

One of the best and most important things to include in your beauty cocktail is greens. Greens are full of Vitamin A which helps promote clear skin, as well as beautiful eyes, healthy hair, and healthy nails. Greens also contain B vitamins and iron, plus fiber to keep your digestive tract healthy. Most importantly, they are alkaline, due to their chlorophyll content, which makes them green in color. Chlorophyll gives you great skin, detoxes every part of your body, and can help promote better insulin regulation as well. Add spinach, kale, celery, parsley, cilantro and romaine to your blender. Don’t worry - they’ll be completely covered up with the other tasty ingredients! Add 1-2 cups of whichever green you prefer. Spinach and romaine are two milder forms, while parsley and celery add a fun flavor twist. Cilantro and kale are amazing, but a bit more prominent, though some of my favorites too. If whole greens aren't your thing, feel free to use a powdered form instead.

Next, add some frozen or fresh berries to your blender. Berries are rich in antioxidants that are amazing for your heart, skin, mood and your weight. Plus, they are low in sugar so they won’t give you a blood sugar crash. Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and blackberries are some of the most common ones used, but acai berries, goji berries and other super berries are also excellent for your skin, heart and mood. These are a bit more powerful in antioxidants as well, and even come in handy powdered forms. Camu-camu is another berry used which is rich in Vitamin C. Vitamin C is a critical nutrient for beauty, and one most all berries contain, yet camu-camu contains the most with over 1000 % of your daily value per serving. Vitamin C helps promote clear skin, and keeps your immune system functioning well, and helps to also keep inflammation down. Add any berry you like, in either ½ cup amounts of whole berries, or 1 tsp. of powdered forms.

Hemp seeds are my favorite beauty aid of all! They are special seeds that contain more omega 3’s than most fish, and they contain beautifying protein, which helps your skin, hair and nails produce collagen to keep you looking your best. Collagen ensures hair strength, firm skin, and growing nails. The fats in hemp seeds also help to clear your skin and are anti-inflammatory as a bonus. Plus, the fiber hemp contains will also help keep your digestive tract in tip top condition. Add about 1 tbsp. of hemp seeds per cocktail.

Whether you use fresh or carton, unsweetened almond milk is great for your skin. It contains large amounts of Vitamin E to help fight wrinkles, calcium to prevent stress, which can cause acne, and it contains B vitamins, which aid in skin health. It’s also non-dairy, which prevents allergic reactions you might have to dairy milk, and it can help you avoid tummy troubles that come from dairy if you’re sensitive. It’s also low calorie, and made from the beautifying plant food, almonds, which are great for your skin, hair and nails. I like Silk brand in unsweetened vanilla, which is made without gluten, dairy, soy, MSG, carrageenan, guar gum, and it’s non-GMO. Use 1 cup of almond milk in your cocktail, or substitute with water if you don’t want to use it. Coconut milk is another alternative that is excellent for your skin, weight and mood.

Now, add the squeezed juice of half a lemon. It helps break down toxins in the blood and digestive tract, and it is a great source of Vitamin C. Lemons are also low in sugar and enhance the flavors in the other ingredients.

I like to add a sprinkle of ginger to my beauty cocktails as well. It helps with digestion, and also increases circulation to the bloodstream, which helps give you a natural glow. Ginger is also a great anti-inflammatory. Use fresh or powdered, but use a little, since it will go a long way! I like to add cinnamon too, since it pairs well with ginger and creates a really warming blend.

Along with hemp, I always add chia to my smoothies. It has omega 3s, iron, essential fatty acids, protein, B vitamins, magnesium, and it’s low in calories, but high in fiber. Chia also seems to strengthen my hair, skin and nails better than other seeds. Plus, it absorbs liquids well, which will help give you a thicker cocktail. I like to use 1 tbsp. of chia seeds. As a bonus, chia seeds have potassium, which helps beat bloat, and they’re a great energy booster!

I also always add a sweetener to my smoothies like vanilla stevia, or powdered stevia without additives. You can also add ice to make it thicker, and even a protein powder to your cocktail if you want it to serve as a meal. If you’re just drinking it for beauty purposes though, I recommend having this first thing in the morning with a light breakfast like oatmeal or eggs, or as a midmorning snack. It could easily stand in for an afternoon snack or light lunch too. Have you ever made a beauty cocktail like this before?