Beetroot. Some say it’s a little like Marmite, you either love it or you hate it. To some, its too earthy, tangy or just a pain in the bum to clean up. To others, a salad or roasted veg dish just isn’t the same without it! I personally love the stuff roasted with sweet potato and tossed into some cous cous, or with an oriental twist in my Thai Spiced Beetroot and Cashew Soup.

Regardless of what you think of the purple stuff, it’s jam packed with healthy goodness to get a lazy hit of nutrition. Beetroots are an excellent source of folic acid and a great source of fibre, manganese and potassium. The green, which often get discarded, are super rich in calcium, iron and vitamins A and C. Not bad for a humble root vegetable!

But as many of us have experienced when cutting up a Beetroot, the juice is a pretty powerful dye and can be used in a whole host of natural, and fun, ways.

5 ways with Beetroot

So whether you can’t get enough of the stuff or need to use up some uneaten (and unwanted) Beetroot, here’s 5 inventive ways to use it up: 

1. Beetroot Lip gloss

Harness the powerful hue of Beetroot juice and make a home-made natural Beetroot Lip Gloss! Humblebee and Me‘s  recipe looks edible, and in fact uses something fancy called Beetroot powder. Who knew such a thing existed!

2. Beetroot Clothes Dye

Why shell out for expensive cottons and vegetable based dyes when you can just make your own?! You might even fancy following Color Cottage‘s lead and experimenting with other natural colors too!

3. Beetroot Hair Dye

Move over henna, my veggies can color my hair for me! It’s very very temporary, but might be fun for a girly night in?!

4. Beetroot Pen Ink

Doesn’t quite work on the blog, but next time you can’t find a pen, maybe you could use a Beetroot instead of your eyeliner?! Try the recipe here.

5. Beetroot Vegan Ice Cream!

Oh, I couldn’t resist something edible! And who can resist the temptation to try this vegan Beetroot Ice Cream by Vegan Sparkles? Though don’t let this baby drip on your clothes!!