Tomatoes Galore!

Let me begin by telling you a little story...

I have mentioned on here before that I "was" a vegetarian. It was really amazing because up until I quit eating meat, there were certain foods that I just could not stand. One of them was onion. I really could only eat onion in onion ring form (Mmm... nutritious!), but now I can eat them raw!! The other were tomatoes. I absolutely hated raw tomato. Stew them, and they were delicious, but anything even remotely raw, YUCK! But now, I love them as well...

So, my brother came home with a bag of tomatoes one day, that he had gotten from a family member. My brother definitely doesn't eat tomatoes, so they're for whoever wants them. I don't normally have an appetite to just chop up some tomatoes and eat them like candy, and no one else has been touching them, so I began to think... what could I do with them?

Of course I could cook with them! Tomato, Basil, and Mozzarella sandwiches are just delicious! But, why eat when I could just make my skin look amazing! Vain much? Maybe not enough...

Okay, so tomatoes have a number of benefits. I have heard of people just taking a slice of tomato and rubbing it on their skin. "Normal" people (and by normal, I mean people who only believe in using commercial products) would probably think you're crazy, but this actually has a number of benefits.

Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant. Like I've mentioned before, free radicals cause your skin to age faster, so antioxidants are beneficial for anti-aging. However, there are many other wonderful benefits of antioxidants for your skin.

They're also great for those who have oily skin and large pores. They have full of Vitamins C and A, which will really just brighten your complexion. And then finally, tomatoes are soothing, which makes them beneficial for acne and other skin conditions.

• Use tomatoes and lime juice as a pore minimizer. Use one tablespoon FRESH tomato juice and a few drops of lime juice and apply to your skin as you would a toner. Let your skin soak up the nutrients for about 10 minutes, and then rinse. 
• Make a tomato pulp mask to clear your acne! Simply mash a tomato and apply the pulp to your face. Then allow it to sit for about an hour. If you do this everyday, your skin will definitely benefit. Although, some of us may have some time constraints...
• Tomatoes are good for oily skin, Avocados are great for dry skin... so lets combine them to make an awesome mask for combination skin! Mash the two ingredients together in a bowl, and then apply the mixture to your skin. Rinse after about 20-30 minutes. 
• I've mentioned before that yogurt is really good for your skin, so lets combine that with tomatoes. This is really great for irritated skin, whether it be from sunburn or eczema or acne. Crush half a tomato and combine with two tablespoons PLAIN yogurt. Apply to your face and let sit for about 20 minutes before rinsing.
• I love honey, because its a humectant. Who would think that something so sticky would be so great for your skin? Make a mixture of honey and fresh tomato juice and apply it to your skin. Rinse it off after 15 minutes. This will really improve your skin's texture.

Sources
The Daily Glow: Homemade Skin Remedies Using Tomatoes