“What is the secret of your glowing skin”, asked her friend. Keira replied that there is no secret. But this made Keira think about her routine and what is it making her skin glow. She never gets a facial done in the salon, not applies cosmetics or skin whitening creams, seldom uses a face wash and does not understand the reason people use bleach on their faces. And suddenly it dawned upon her that that was the secret of her glowing skin. She followed her mother’s grandma’s face packs advice. Yes, she was alive till Keira was about 16 years. Her great grandmother never used cosmetics or even soap in her entire lifespan. She was healthy, beautiful and fun all her life.
With the changing lifestyle, people around the world have got so much exposure. And this exposure is troubling to their health and skin. The moment someone says that I got ‘x-y-zee’ skin treatment or facial done, it gets added to the list of the one who is listening. Friends, it does not matter if your feet are not pedicured or you have not got a hair spa. Go straight to the kitchen and treat your feet with something better than chemicals at the salon. Ah! I am deviating from the topic. Today, I will let you know the benefits of the humble flour in your kitchen. We use different types of flour in our cuisine and this very flour can also become a beauty ingredient for the face packs. Let’s begin the unraveling.
1. Wheat Flour
You have been using the wheat flour almost daily to churn out the best bread for your lunch and dinner. But do you know that wheat flour is an awesome ingredient for your tan-removal face pack as well? It also helps remove oil and contributes to skin whitening. This is because wheat flour is rich in selenium, vitamin E, zinc and fiber. While selenium is an anti-aging agent, fiber helps remove toxins from the skin.
To remove tan, apply a thin paste of wheat flour and water on your face, scrub it when it dries and washes it off. For oily skin, make a paste of wheat flour, warm milk, rose water and honey. Apply this paste and wash it off when it dries. For an even tone, make a paste out of wheat flour and milk cream. Apply this and rinse it off with lukewarm water after 15 minutes. Wheat flour does wonders on both consumption and application. Make your skin glow by adding fiber-rich wheat flour to your dishes and face packs.
2. Gram Flour
This is my favourite facial flour. I have been using it since I was a teenager. This flour has so many benefits that it will become difficult to list them all over here. You can even chuck soap and wash your face daily with plain gram flour. This flour helps fight acne, aids in tan-removal and moisturizes the skin. To cure acne, use gram flour with honey.
For tan removal, use it with lemon juice, turmeric powder and yogurt. For exfoliation, mix gram flour with rice flour and almond powder. Apply on your skin and scrub it after some time. For skin toning, use gram flour with rose water. For moisturizing the skin, a mixture of gram flour and olive oil works best while for removing fine facial hair, use gram flour with yogurt and turmeric powder. Let the pack dry on your skin and then lightly scrub it and wash it off. Gram flour is quite versatile both in the kitchen and in your beauty treatment. Several dishes come out well by addition of gram flour. Similarly, your skin will get a fresh makeover by using this flour face packs regularly.
3. Millet Flour
Slightly coarse in texture, Millet flour is excellent as a scrub for the face. To use a scrub, mix around two spoons of this flour with three teaspoons of milk. Form an even paste and let it rest for about thirty minutes. Soaked flour is better for use. You can even add fresh yogurt in this mix. Apply on your face. Leave it for some time and scrub lightly. Wash with lukewarm water. You will notice a fresh and radiant skin with this application. There are different types of millet available in the market. While here I have mentioned red millet flour, you can use the one that is available in your household for this face packs.
4. Rice Flour
An excellent ingredient for your facial scrub, rice flour is an anti-aging agent as well. When teamed up with other ingredients, rice flour facials keep skin smooth, silky and glowing. Rice flour helps remove dead skin cells and purifies the skin, leaving it soft and smooth. For exfoliation, mix rice flour with gram flour, some granules of sugar, honey and half a teaspoon of coconut oil. The consistency of this pack is quite thick as it is a scrub. It can be used for the entire body. To get a natural glow on the skin, blend rice powder with orange slices, apple pieces and cherries. Add some chilled yogurt to this paste. Apply it on your skin and leave it for around half an hour and rinse. To remove tan, use rice flour with cold milk and chocolate powder. Apply this face pack paste and let it rest for twenty minutes before washing it off.
5. Corn Flour
You might be thinking that this lady has gone crazy going by the number of flour she is listing for beauty. But I promise you that the flours that sit in your kitchen to be prepared into something edible can also be used for your beauty. Now, I would list the benefits of cornflour for your skin. That cornflour helps absorb moisture in the recipes is a known fact. But you might not know that it also helps absorb excess oil secretion on your skin as well. The texture of cornflour is such that it is an excellent cleansing agent if used accurately. Using this flour in your face pack will help you in keeping your skin blemish-free and naturally glowing. Corn flour even helps in making your skin healthy and smooth as well. The reason cornflour works is that it is brimming with antioxidants, the much-required thing for skin. These antioxidants prevent aging by fighting off free radicals. The presence of vitamin A firms up the skin whereas vitamin C heals the skin naturally.
To remove tan, mix cornflour with yogurt and honey. Let it rest for about 15 minutes after application. And then wash it off with lukewarm water. Do not forget to moisturize your skin post this. To remove blackheads effectively, mix a tablespoon of cornflour with 2 teaspoons of vinegar. To lighten the skin tone, mix cornflour with lemon juice and turmeric powder. By using this pack just once a week regularly you will get the results. Mix cornflour with rice flour and milk and honey for blemish-free skin. For a natural glow on the face, prepare an apt face mask using cornflour, baking soda, rose water and honey. To rejuvenate your skin, add coffee powder, oatmeal and a few drops of coconut oil to corn flour mask. Corn flour is a very interesting flour. It is added to so many recipes and a range of different masks can be prepared with it. Next time, if you face any skin problem, make sure you first think about cornflour and how it can be used to make your skin healthy.
6. Arrowroot Flour
You must have heard about arrowroot flour or arrowroot powder. It is a thickening powder used in foods. A healthier option to the cornflour, arrowroot powder is gradually gaining popularity. The flour is finer in texture as compared to cornflour and hence, is most suitable for beauty applications. It helps absorb excess oils secreted by the skin. The beauty of this ingredient is that just a little amount of it is enough.
To cure acne, mix a teaspoon of arrowroot powder with a tablespoon of honey and around 3 drops of lavender oil. Mix well and apply to clean skin. Let it rest for up to ten minutes and wash it off. To soothe your itching skin, prepare a mask out of a cup of oatmeal, a tablespoon of arrowroot powder and 6 cups of cooled chamomile tea or plain water. Let this mixture rest for some while before using. This pack is quite soothing for rashes, especially in children. To prepare a toner, take a cup of cooled chamomile tea and add three drops of tea tree oil with one-fourth cup of aloe vera gel and half a teaspoon of arrowroot powder. If aloe vera gel is not available, replace it with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. This mixture can be stored in a bottle. Shake it well before use. To use, just spray it on your face. Isn’t arrowroot flour great? It is actually a must for your kitchen and beauty.
Also read: 15 Skin of Fruits and Vegetables to Apply for a Glowing Skin
Why use household ingredients for the face packs?
In all my posts, I have been advocating the use of ingredients readily available at home in your beauty packs. The reason for this is that human skin is quite fragile. Rubbing the skin with chemicals turns out to be quite harmful in the long run. You might have heard about a sudden rise in skin diseases, especially cancer in the present age. This is all because of the chemicals in our food and on our skin. If you have teenagers at home, keep them away from chemical-laden face packs and rather ask them to use kitchen components. The beauty of these ingredients is that the use of chemicals in them is none to minimal. Further, they can be used frequently to get good results.
While I have asked here to use flours, you can also use pulses, different types of edible leaves, fruits, vegetables and spices and condiments for glowing skin for the face packs. That’s what our elders did and without any doubt, they looked more beautiful as compared to us. Further, I would also recommend eating well. All the flours that I have mentioned here are also healthy. You should make a point to eat whole flours regularly. This would also reflect in the quality of your skin.
That’s all for this post, friends. I will be back with more such interesting recipes that enhance your beauty and are healthy as well. Till then, make sure that you eat healthily, apply healthily and stay healthy. If possible, I will check on you!