At Anton we encourage everyone to “Live the Spa Life” every day. While our low client pricing and free services for students at Anton make the spa life more available than ever in West Palm Beach—there are still fun things you can do to pamper yourself at home.
This week we’re exploring the benefits of adding chocolate goodness to your spa life. We even found some zero calories, no-melt chocolate options that are a great idea for the warm weather in our part of the world.
Chocolate Properties
Chocolate is an incredibly nourishing food. It contains calcium, potassium, sodium, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper, vitamins A1, B1, B2, C, D, E, phosphorous & chromium.
In addition to this, it also contains a polyphenol called epicatechin which is a natural antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant that helps to guard cells from free radical damage which causes skin to age.
The internet is full of well documented studies and cherished tales of chocolate’s power including its ability to fight depression, work as an aphrodisiac, promote heart health, hydrate the skin, promote weight loss, and increase brain functioning. Our specialists at Anton reviewed the chocolate claims and put together some great ideas for you to incorporate chocolate into your spa life. The higher the cocoa content (72-100%) the healthier the chocolate is for you on the inside and out.
Spring Solutions with Chocolate
As the days lengthen and our exposure to the sun increases there are several great ways chocolate can help us:
UV Protection: Eating chocolate that is rich in flavanol may help protect the skin from the damaging effects of UV light according to the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology in a recent study reported by Barry Callebaut (Volume 8, pp.169-173).
Moisturizing: Cocoa butter is a natural moisturizer derived from the cocoa bean. This is the same cocoa bean that brings us chocolate. One unique characteristic of cocoa butter is that it melts at body temperature. Cocoa butter has been ranked by modern scientists as an outstanding skin protectant because of its superior soothing and healing properties and its ability to help the skin retain moisture. New mothers have relied on it for years to help alleviate stretch marks on the body. We recommend a great cocoa butter lip balm for healthy spring lips. Keep in mind that there is no SPF (sun protection factor) in cocoa butter and look for products that combine sun protection with this moisturizer for best results. Make sure that cocoa butter is listed as a primary ingredient and you’ll get the benefit of that great chocolate smell too!
Bathe in Cocoa: Adding cocoa to your bath water can benefit your skin and your well being through its aromatic properties. There are numerous recipes online to combine the benefits of chocolate with other bath ingredients.
Here’s a Chocolate Bubble Bath to try from Spaindex.com:
1 cup of unscented bubble bath
½ cup dried milk powder
3 oz of pure unsweetened chocolate powder
Mix the powdered milk and chocolate well, until blended. Stir into bubble bath and add to warm bath water in the amount desired.
Hot Weather Soak
From the blog of the Ingredient Mixtress comes this great recommendation for a chocolate bath that will help with the hot and sweaty alkaline skin we find in Florida:
1 cup Baking Soda
¼ cup Pure Cocoa Powder
Scattered rose petals (optional)
Combine dry ingredients well and pour entire mixture into bathwater. Soak for 20-30 minutes.
Give the gift of Spa Living
Mix up some of the chocolate bath ingredients and put them into pretty containers as great spring gifts. Mother’s Day, Easter, Spring Equinox, graduations, and wedding showers are all great occasions to give the gift of chocolate indulgence. Insert an Anton Aesthetics Academy gift certificate for that extra touch.
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