Turmeric is such a common spice that it is commonly found in all Indian households.

You can add a pinch of this spice in all savoury preparations, to give a gentle golden hue to your food. The natural healing properties of turmeric include anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory elements that provide the body with a lot of health benefits.

But are you aware that you can gain benefits of turmeric by applying it to your face?

Uses of Turmeric Other Than as Food

If spices were a cricket team, then turmeric would be the all-rounder. In Ayurveda, turmeric is known by its Sanskrit name, Haridra. Not only is it useful and beneficial internally by way of its many inherent healthy components, but it can also be used externally on the skin.

Turmeric can be used to clean minor cuts and wounds, as its potent anti-bacterial properties prevent infections.

All Indian brides and even grooms, before their marriage, have a ceremony dedicated to applying turmeric on their face and limbs. This ceremony is considered an official start to the wedding, and it involves the various relatives applying turmeric paste to the bride and groom as a way of giving their blessings.

How Can You Use Turmeric for Cleaning Your Face?

Rather than using store brought creams and face packs, there are many easy DIY combinations than can be made to utilize the benefits of applying turmeric to the face.

• The most basic paste that is used for the haldi ceremony is made with a mix of turmeric powder, rose water, and milk. All the ingredients need to be mixed to make a thick paste. The anti-oxidants in turmeric work well with the rose water and milk to give the face a fresh glow. The benefits of applying turmeric powder to the face include getting rid of dark circles and bringing health back to the skin.

• A study found that turmeric helps in reducing hair growth. The benefits of applying the turmeric on the face lie in the ingredients that go into the paste. The method involves mixing turmeric powder with milk. This is applied to the face and left to dry. Then with a wet cloth, the paste is scrubbed clean. This slows down hair growth. This paste can be used in areas where you want to reduce hair growth like underarms, hands, and legs.

• In general, having a good exfoliating routine is good for the skin. The grainy texture gently coaxes the dry skin to be scrapped away, allowing the skin to feel fresh and clean. The benefits of applying turmeric on the face can be gained by this exfoliating paste that uses turmeric, milk, gram flour and salt. The paste should be thick and not runny. This DIY turmeric paste is not only good for removing dead skin, but it also reduces hair growth on the face and other areas.

• Face masks are an essential part of a good skincare routine; to be applied after a gentle exfoliation of the face. Exfoliation removes dead skin and leaves behind open pores. Face masks clean the open pores of excess oil and other dirt that could cause acne, visibly brightening the face. Turmeric can be used to make a DIY face mask by mixing turmeric and honey. Honey has anti-bacterial properties, which, when combined with turmeric, make for an excellent combination for a face mask that brightens skin. This pack is an excellent source of the benefits gained by applying turmeric to the face.

• You might have some acne or other scars that cause some embarrassing moments. Turmeric can be used in a face mask to help lighten these scars significantly. This simple DIY mask is easy to make and uses only turmeric and yoghurt. This thick paste can be applied and left to dry for around 30 minutes, before washing it off.

Vitamin E is a strong anti-oxidant that on application to the affected area, helps in repairing damage caused by free radicals. Vitamin E oil is readily available in most medical stores. This oil can be added to any of the DIY mixes mentioned here to elevate their efficiency.

In combination with Vitamin E, turmeric will give out ample benefits on applying to the face and skin. The only downside to using turmeric in facial masks and scrubs is that it stains the skin. But this can be avoided by using fatty components like yoghurt and oils that can prevent the stains from sticking.

Even if you get a slight yellow hue to your face, this can be removed by wiping the affected areas with cotton balls dipped in milk.

Conclusion

Studies have been conducted over many years to quantify the actual benefits of applying turmeric on the face. The conclusions of the research have revealed what Indians has known for ages.

Turmeric does have a good effect on the body both when consumed with food, and also on topical application to the skin.

If there was a competition, with such ease in its various applications, turmeric wins hands down.