Beauty DIY: Why you should put yogurt on your face. And hair.

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 flu for coming together into my life!) and realised that I am totally out of any complexion-redeeming face masks. Knowing that stepping out in such a state would send people 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 off with warm water. The naturally occurring zinc and lactic acid (yes! like many other “homemade” concoctions, yogurt’s beauty 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 yourself? Step into the larder…

Banish acne: Slather your face with a creamy (preferably organic) yogurt, then rinse off after 30 minutes. Yogurt’s beauty benefits include natural anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties that deep cleanse the skin and reduce nasty breakouts.

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

Get rid of discoloration: Mix 2 tablespoons of yogurt with a few drops of lemon juice; leave on skin for 30 minutes, then rinse off. For best beauty results, repeat at least twice a week. Yogurt 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 dandruff and restoring the beauty of your hair.

Have you ever tried yogurt in your beauty routine?