The avocado you use should be fully ripe.  If you buy several unripe ones for future use, let them mellow in your fruit bowl (they will ripen more quickly with apples) or put them in a paper bag, or wrap them in foil to hasten the process.
You may store your ripe avocados in the refrigerator, but never put this delicate fruit in the freezer. It might just die of shock. How do you know when the avocado is ripe? Hold it in the palm of your hand and gently press it with your fingers. A ripe fruit will yield to your touch. It will open easily, peel evenly and reveal its glorious green-gold interior.

     When the beauty formula calls for MASHED, PUREED pulp, the procedure is quite simple. Peel your avocado (or one-half) and remove the pit. Then PUREE or MASH, by using a fork, blender, potato ricer, food processor or the sieve.  The avocado like any other organic matter is perishable. The formulas are designed for ONE TIME USE, and should be freshly made for each treatment. Some formulas may be refrigerated up to 48 hours.

    To prevent the avocado or whenever it is with other ingredients from darkening, place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the avocado mixture so as not to expose the mixture to air. The usual method of adding lemon or limejuice for this purpose may be too harsh for skin that is dry or sensitive.

Avocado Facial Cleanser
     Beat the yolk of an egg until it is light and frothy, add a half-cup of milk and the mashed half of a ripe peeled avocado. A blender is handy here, but if you do not have one, beat the mixture with a fork until you have a thin cream or lotion-like consistency. Apply on squares of cotton as you would any other cleanser. You may also use this deep cleanser after ordinary soap and water, if your skin is normal. It is quite effective against pollution and grime. Therefore, it is a very pure method of keeping your complexion free of the pollutants that can interfere with normal skin function.
     Since the formula is perishable, we suggest making it every other day and storing it in the refrigerator between uses.

California Avocado Moisturizer
     The inside of the avocado peel is actually valuable. The peel and the oil hidden in the peel are a wonderful facial moisturizer as well as gentle exfoliant. The peel oil contains a humectant, a substance that holds moisture. Using gentle upward strokes, lightly massage your face with the inside of the peel. Let the oil residue remain on your skin for about 15 minutes. At that time you may either leave the oil on your skin and go to sleep or, if you intend to put on make-up, wash your face gently with three or four rinses of tepid water and pat dry. The oil will be invisible but it is there, ready to hold your foundation or powder in place for hours.

Aztec Mystery Eye Treatment
     Nobody really knows WHY this is so effective on under-eye puffiness, but it IS! The procedure is very simple: peel an avocado, remove the pit, and slice a half into quarter-inch crescents. Lie down, secure a few slices under each eye, and rest for about 20 minutes. The result is corrective magic!

Santa Barbara's Dry Skin Masque
     Beat the yolk of an egg until it is light and frothy, and then add the mashed pulp of a half avocado, blending it well (you may use a blender at this point). Cleanse your face thoroughly before using this masque (or any masque). Spread the avocado mixture over the face and neck evenly; relax on a slant board or bed for about 20 minutes. Remove with clear tepid water and a face cloth, followed by a rinse of cold water or a mild skin lotion. The result should be a marked improvement in skin texture, and all-around revitalizing.

Santa Monica's Oily Skin Masque
     Put the white of an egg, a teaspoon of lemon juice, and the mashed pulp of a half avocado into a blender. In seconds, you should have a lovely green mixture. Wash your face and neck thoroughly, then apply masque evenly on those areas. Relax for 20 minutes; remove with tepid water and a face cloth. Follow with cold astringent or skin tonic.

Home Brew for Hands
     Cold weather's rapid arrival is bad news for hand texture.
"Make your hand beautifier by mixing a quarter of an Avocado in a small bowl with one egg white, two teaspoons of flaked uncooked oatmeal and a teaspoon of lemon juice. Blend and apply evenly to your hands. Wrap hands in saran wrap and leave on for 20 minutes. Rinse off with warm water."
The result should be luxurious and effective. This treatment is an exfoliating scrub that will leave dry, rough skin noticeably softer and smoother.
(This tip taken from www.thirdage.com) Reprinted with permission

Avocado Elbow, Heel, and Knee Abrasive
     If you have hard horny tissue on any of these places, take a piece of Avocado peel and scrape away the meat. The inner part of the peel contains a potent cosmetic oil, which acts as a humectant. The peel will feel slightly abrasive; rub this on your elbows, knees or heels, wherever there is any horny tissue that needs exfoliation. First, it will feel oily and leave your skin green, and then as you rub it, it will feel more abrasive. The dead skin seems to dissolve and your elbows will feel satiny smooth. Rub any excess oil into the skin as a moisturizer. —From The Herbal Body Book, with permission

Garden Protector
    Mash your fingers into a fresh Avocado before gardening. The flesh will get under your fingernails instead of the dirt.

Avocado Scalp Pack for Dry, Sunburned, and Over bleached Hair
1.Beat an egg to froth in a blender and add 1/2 Avocado until well blended.
2. Apply the green goo, section by section, to your hair, applying from the scalp outward until you reach the end of each strand of hair.
3. Massage completely into the scalp and put on a plastic shower cap, so that the heat from the head will facilitate the absorption of the protein and oils.
4. After 20 minutes, start rinsing off the mixture beginning with cool water, then tepid, and then warm. Never rinse an egg mixture with hot water as it will ‘cook’ and may become like scrambled eggs.
5. Rub your hair dry with a towel or with your hands or with a piece of silk for a glossy finish. Then brush.
—From The Herbal Body Book, with permission

Avocado Hand and Foot Scrub to Carry Away Calloused Tissue
     In your hands, mash 1 T. Avocado with 1 or 2 T. Cornmeal. Rub your hands together, squish your fingers about, interlock them and massage each joint —one at a time— with a bit of the meal. Very cleansing and softening.

Avocado Pit Massage
     Wash any flesh away from the Avocado pit and use the pit to massage face, throat, chest, or legs. Massage in circular motions everywhere to help break down fat and to firm up flesh. It is also nice to do this massage with an Avocado pit in each hand while you are taking an herbal bath. Start at the toes and work up your legs inside and out, in big revolving circles, around the stomach, abdomen, breasts, and on up to the chest, throat, and face. Finish with a stimulating spray from your shower.
—From The Herbal Body Book, with permission

 

- The article above is from the Jeanne Rose newsletter (used with permission) -