Until recently seaweed had two places in my life - wrapped around a spicy tuna roll or lightly coated with sesame oil in a salad. Any other encounters with oceanic vegetables were frankly disconcerting. Take my last run-in with a sea plant. I was blissfully strolling into the ocean when I felt this cool slimy creature wrap itself around my right ankle. I leapt into the air convinced that an overly aggressive jellyfish had attacked me. Needless to say, it took a small leap of faith for me to imagine slathering myself with kelp or algae or seaweed, but the truth is, sea veggies are incredibly conducive to healthy skin and a big part of many natural moisturizers and lotions.

That slimy sensation is a big part of seaweed's healing abilities. The gelatinous quality may have terrified me in the Mexican ocean, but it is extremely soothing and protecting to the skin and hair. Sea vegetables - encompassing everything from miniscule algae to giant kelp - also provide a rush of nutrients when applied to the body. Just as seaweed and friends are prized by nutritionists for being the "most nutrient-dense food on the planet" (see interview with healthy chef Alex Jamieson), they are also revered by aestheticians for their detoxifying effect on the skin. They are full of vitamin A, amino acids, essential fatty acids, carbohydrates (which help skin heal), and chlorophyll. Sea plants are also used in wrinkle creams because they are thought to firm the skin.

To find out if your favorite potion contains seaweed look for these names on the label: bladderwrack ( fucus ), kelp (laminaria), Irish moss (or carrageenan), SuperPhycoDismutase (or SPD, the name of an extract of a French coastal seaweed), or simply algae extract.

[via Yoga Journal]

Image: universe-review.ca