Yogurt: The Beauty Multi-Tasker

Of all the things that I love about natural skincare, the best is how you can just wander into the kitchen and whip up a potent beauty potion within seconds. Today, I woke up with horrid blotchy, lifeless skin (thank you so much PMS!) and realised that I am totally out of any complexion-redeeming face masks. Knowing that stepping out in such a state would send people running out of my way in horror, I turned to the simple jar of yogurt that’s a staple in every kitchen across the world.

All I needed to do was spread the yogurt on my face and gently massage it into the skin, let it sit for half an hour and then wash it off with warm water. The naturally occurring zinc and lactic acid (yes! like many other “homemade” concoctions, yogurt’s skin benefits are completely supported by science) did the rest – removing dead skin cells, smoothing out fine lines, tightening the pores, hydrating away dry patches and giving my skin a much-needed glow.

Want to try it out for yourself?

Banish Acne: 
Slather your face with a creamy (preferably organic) yogurt, then rinse off after 30 minutes. The product’s natural anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties will deep cleanse the skin and reduce nasty breakouts. 

Moisturize: 
Revive dull skin by smooth a thick, natural yogurt over slightly damp skin. Rinse off after 10 minutes. Yogurt contains lactic acid – which is a natural alpha hydroxy acid – that helps smooth, exfoliate and hydrate the skin.

Get Rid of Discoloration: 
Mix two tablespoons of yogurt with a few drops of lemon juice; leave on skin for 30 minutes, then rinse off. For best results, repeat at least twice a week. Yoghurt has mild bleaching powers that can smooth out discoloration when used regularly.

Relieve Sunburn: 
Fried your skin? Nourish it back to health with yogurt to which you have added a few drops of chamomile essential oil. Smooth the mixture over your skin and rinse off after 15 minutes. The zinc in yogurt helps cool the sunburn, while chamomile soothes the surface.

Bust Dandruff: 
Massage yogurt into your scalp, then wash off with warm water after 15 minutes. The natural lactic acid will moisturise the scalp and exfoliate dead skin cells, thereby curing many forms of dandruff.