To cacao or to cocoa?….that is the question.  Well it’s pretty easy to answer in the Love month of February, considering many of us are probably fixing our mouths around an enticing piece of chocolate right now.  We all know chocolate does a body good with all it’s love (ahem, I mean) mood enhancing properties, however did you know that your outside can glow from all that velvety chocolatey power too?

Kitchen Chemist Star: Chocolate: Cacao vs. Cocoa

Why it Matters: Cacao (the unprocessed, raw pod) is one of the most nutritionally complex foods on the planet, boasting a hefty amount of antioxidants, that help rejuvenate skin. No wonder the ancient Aztecs and Mayans deemed it the Food of the Gods. Cocoa (processed powder of cacao), while not as nutritionally dense as raw cacao, still has some benefits including packed flavor and yummy smell.

Creative Concoctions:

Heel healer & Cuticle Softener:

• 1/4 cup Demerara sugar (coarser granules)
• 2 TB cacao powder
• olive oil (enough to make a grainy paste)
• Rub into soles of feet and use daily on affected areas. Swirl around cuticle to eliminate hangnails and moisturize nail beds.

Chocolate and Coconut Milk Hair Conditioner

• 3/4 cup coconut cream
• 1/3 cup cacao powder or cocoa powder
• Mix well. Use in place of regular conditioner at least once a month for ultimate curly/frizzy/dark hair nourishment.  Try massaging in scalp so that the scalp skin can reap rejuvenating properties of cacao.

Yummy Cacao Facial

• 1/3 cup cacao powder or cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 TB yogurt
• 3 TB oatmeal powder
• Combine all ingredints in bowl and massage into face. Cacao will rejuvenate skin, honey will attract and hold moisture, yogurt will tighten and remove dead skin as well as moisturize and oatmeal will exfoliate.  Keep on for 10-20 minutes (depending on your comfort) and rinse with warm water, followed by cool water to close pores.  Moisturize and smile! WOW! That’s one yummy, power packed face treatment.