Is turmeric good for your face

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Turmeric

For hundreds of years, people around the world have linked turmeric to healing properties and cosmetic benefits. The bright, yellow-orange spice is related to ginger. It’s available as a ground spice or in supplements and other beauty and dermatology products.

Turmeric gets its health benefits primarily because of curcumin, a bioactive component. Curcumin has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

Modern scientific research is just beginning to study the positive impact of turmeric, but many believe it has several beneficial uses for the skin. Here are some ways turmeric may benefit your skin.

Try turmeric now.

Turmeric contains antioxidants and anti-inflammatory components. These characteristics may provide glow and luster to the skin. Turmeric may also revive your skin by bringing out its natural glow.

You may want to try a turmeric face mask at home to see if the spice has any positive effects on your skin. You can mix small amounts of Greek yogurt, honey, and turmeric together and apply to your face. Keep the mask on for 15 minutes and then wash off with water.

The curcumin found in turmeric can help wounds heal by decreasing inflammation and oxidation. It also lowers the response of your body to cutaneous wounds. This results in your wounds healing more quickly.

Studies have found that turmeric can positively affect tissue and collagen as well. The journal Life Sciences recommends applying curcumin as an optimized formula to best work on skin wounds.

The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory qualities of turmeric may help your psoriasis by controlling flares and other symptoms.

The National Psoriasis Foundation states that you can use it as a supplement or by adding it to food. Before you try it, the foundation recommends discussing proper dosage with a professional.

You may want to try a turmeric face mask to help reduce acne and any resulting scars. The anti-inflammatory qualities can target your pores and calm the skin. Turmeric is also known to reduce scarring. This combination of uses may help your face clear up from acne breakouts.

In an early study conducted in India, a combination of turmeric and neem, a plant native to India, was effective in treating scabies. Scabies is a condition caused by microscopic mites that leave a rash in the skin.

There aren’t enough studies to provide conclusive evidence about how turmeric can help other skin conditions. However, it’s suggested that it can help with eczema, alopecia, lichen planus, and other skin issues.

A study in Phytotherapy Research recommends further research on the effects of turmeric on various skin conditions. Interest in studying turmeric as a skin treatment is increasing.

There are risks of using turmeric. When using turmeric, you need to be careful about the dosage, the type of product you use, and how it might react to other medications you take.

Turmeric has a low bioavailability. This means that your metabolism burns it off quickly and your body doesn’t absorb much.

Avoid taking too much turmeric at one time and wait to see how your body reacts before taking more. If you take other medications, discuss the use of turmeric with your doctor.

When applied to the skin, turmeric can temporarily stain the skin or leave a yellow residue. This is normal. But if you’re allergic, direct skin contact can cause irritation, redness, and swelling.

Test turmeric on your forearm, applying a dime-sized amount and waiting 24 to 48 hours to see if you react before using on your face. Do not use turmeric on your skin if you’re allergic to the spice in food.

Reading the ingredient list on the back of your face wash or foundation bottle is probably enough to scare you into joining the clean beauty craze.

One of the break out (no pun intended) stars in the natural beauty movement is the easily pronounceable turmeric. Turmeric is a spice used in Indian food and in healing.

This sunset-yellow spice, scientifically known as Curcuma longa, has anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties that can help to:

• heal wounds
• prevent breakouts (and lessen active ones)
• fight eczema and psoriasis
• reduce acne scarring
• brighten dark circles
• bring out your natural glow

Though it may be a relatively new skin treatment in the Western world, turmeric has racked up centuries of street cred as an Indian health treatment for a number of skin and body issues.

More research is needed to determine the best methods for applying it, but here’s what we know so far.

A triple shot of espresso can work wonders on your brain, but not so much for under-eye shadows. After your next all-nighter, try turmeric!

A recent study found that turmeric essential oil in a lotion formulation can brighten skin within three weeks with results that last just as long.

These glowing benefits are likely the result of powerful antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds working together to heal and bring out the natural health of skin.

DIY Turmeric Lotion

Add a few drops of turmeric essential oil to a cream or oil-based moisturizer (such as argan oil) and use it as you would your regular moisturizer.

The same study found that turmeric may help slow unwanted hair growth.

Curcuma oil, from the same family as turmeric, was applied on the underarm of 60 women for 10 weeks. The study found that the oil reduced or slowed hair growth on the tested area.

The time it takes likely depends on the texture of your hair, as thinner hair will react more quickly than coarse hair. Expect turmeric oil to work less dramatically than waxing or shaving.

Turmeric facial hair remover from Urban Gyal

1. Combine ½ cup cold milk, ½ cup flour, 2 tablespoons turmeric powder, and 1 tablespoon sea salt (leave out if you have eczema or are prone to dry skin), mixing until it forms a sticky paste.
2. Apply the paste to the area where you’d like to stop hair growth.
3. Let it dry for ten to fifteen minutes. The mask will start to crumble off as it dries.
4. Rinse with warm water and pat dry with a washcloth.

Pro tip: if the turmeric stains your skin yellow, use witch hazel or apple cider vinegar to remove it!

Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease in which inflammation causes skin cells to build upon each other, creating scaly patches that are prone to cracking and bleeding.

Curcumin, the primary active compound found in turmeric, contains anti-inflammatory enzymes that can combat cell production and reduce these uncomfortable skin patches.

Studies have shown that both topical and oral curcumin can improve symptoms of plaque psoriasis in 9–12 weeks.

Nighttime topical turmeric paste for psoriasis

1. Mix one part turmeric powder with two parts water.
2. Simmer in a saucepan until the mixture thickens into a paste.
3. Once cooled, apply the paste to the affected area.
4. Wrap a piece of gauze around the treated area.
5. Leave it on overnight.
6. In the morning, remove the gauze and rinse your skin with warm water.

Turmeric tea

1. Add 1 teaspoon of ground turmeric to 4 cups of water and bring to a boil.
2. Simmer for 10 minutes and serve (add honey and/or lemon to taste).

Be sure to consult your doctor before trying any at-home psoriasis remedies, turmeric-related or otherwise!

Turmeric can help fade the acne scars of your hormonal youth. The jury’s still out on its ability to erase the emotional pain!

Still struggling with acne? Not only will the anti-inflammatory properties of turmeric help, but so will its antibacterial properties.

Acne is commonly caused by the bacteria Propionibacterium acnes. This is typically treated with antibiotics, which are becoming less effective as a result of drug resistance.

But a 2013 study suggests curcumin combined with lauric acid is an effective way to combat acne-causing bacteria.

You can use turmeric powder in combination with many skin-healthy DIY face mask ingredients, such as honey, apple cider vinegar, yogurt, or aloe.

You can also purchase turmeric essential oil. Essential oils are very concentrated and must be diluted in a carrier oil before applying to the skin.

Essential oils are not meant to be swallowed. Choosing the herb in powder form makes recipes easier.

Turmeric face mask for clearer skin

1. Mix 1 tablespoon raw honey with 1 teaspoon turmeric powder.
2. Add a few drops of lemon juice if desired.
3. Mix into a thick paste and apply to skin.
4. Rinse with warm water after 10 to 15 minutes.

UV rays are your skin’s worst enemy — they cause sunburns, skin cancer, fine lines, hyperpigmentation, and wrinkles. But turmeric may help you turn back the clock, in a manner of speaking.

A recent study found that turmeric’s antioxidant compounds significantly improved sun damage in rat skin, a possible early indication for the potential to slow the effects of aging in humans.

Antioxidants prevent free radicals like pollution and UV rays from affecting your skin’s elasticity — the quality that keeps your skin feeling soft and supple.

Most importantly, turmeric blocks the enzyme elastase, which attacks your skin’s ability to produce elastin — a substance which gives your skin structure.

If elastase is left unchecked, your body can’t produce the proteins it needs to keep your skin flexible, leading to wrinkles.

Turmeric night serum by Soulflower

1. Mix 4 tablespoons aloe vera gel with 10 drops turmeric essential oil and 1 teaspoon argan oil.
2. Apply to face before bed time.
3. Wash in the morning.

Be sure to do an allergy patch test before you leave turmeric essential oil on your skin overnight.

When you get injured, your body’s natural response is to send white blood cells and healing enzymes to the wound to stave off infection — this is what causes inflammation.

While that sounds like a good thing, it also causes the not-so-beneficial effects of heat, redness, and pain.

Turmeric counteracts this response, fighting inflammation and oxidation to calm the swelling and make those wounds a little less angry.

Turmeric also speeds up the skin’s ability to form new, healthy tissue. It boosts collagen production too, meaning your injury heals faster and scars less.

Healing turmeric paste by One Green Planet

1. Combine 2 teaspoons turmeric powder with water or coconut oil until it becomes a thick paste.
2. Apply to cleansed wound and cover with a bandage for up to 24 hours.

Even bugs are no match for turmeric.

Scabies is an infestation of the mite Sarcoptes scabiei, which burrows under your skin and — if left untreated — can lay eggs. The result is an itchy, rash-like irritation on your skin.

Scabies is typically treated with a prescription cream and hydrocortisone lotion, but a 2011 study from India showed that the combination of turmeric and neem (the extract from a native Indian tree) was 97 percent effective in curing scabies.

Turmeric parasite cleanse

1. Consult your doctor before trying any new supplements or if you’re concerned about possible parasites.
2. Take one 500 mg turmeric tablet once a day and add turmeric to your food regularly.
3. Be sure to use a turmeric that includes piperine or black pepper extract. This enhances the absorption of curcumin.

Turmeric’s anti-inflammatory and free-radical-fighting properties have made it a topic of study for countless skin issues, but the extent of its health benefits are still being researched.

Along with the issues mentioned above, studies show that turmeric may also be beneficial in treating:

• stretch marks
• dry skin
• skin cancer
• scleroderma
• vitiligo

As far as side effects go, the most obvious consequence of topical turmeric is skin staining. There’s a reason turmeric shows up in recipes for bright yellow curries and other vibrant dishes.

Unless you want to turn your face into tikka masala, don’t leave it on your skin too long. But luckily, even if you do, it isn’t permanent and a good exfoliator should remove the stain.

Make sure you’re not allergic to turmeric before using it topically. Patch test any turmeric-based skin treatment by applying a small portion to your inner arm or wrist and covering it with a bandage for 24 hours.

If you experience any itching, burning, or other irritation, cleanse the area immediately and stop using the treatment.

If you’re taking iron supplements or blood thinners, use oral turmeric treatments with caution, as the spice is known to make you bleed more easily.

High doses of turmeric (more than 4,000 mg per day) may also cause digestive issues like nausea or diarrhea, headaches, and rashes.

Keep in mind that turmeric has low bioavailability, which means there’s a limit to how much of it your body can absorb.

If you’re looking for a natural skin treatment that you can find on the shelves at your local grocer, look no further.

Turmeric has positive research backing its ability to reduce inflammation and speed healing, which is beneficial for both medical and cosmetic purposes. Use it in powder form or as an essential oil.