8 beauty benefits of cucumber you shouldn’t miss

Cucumber is almost used daily in our salads and other appetisers. As much as it is refreshing and soothing to our digestive system, it comes with a list of benefits for our beauty regime.

Priyanka Ganwani | Updated: March 19, 2015 10:34 am

Most of us use slices of cool cucumbers usually in our salads and appetisers. The beneficial nutrients cucumbers come with like Vitamin K, C and manganese and beta-carotene are useful for ensuring healthy hair and skin as well. It acts as a key ingredient for a long-lasting beauty regime. Here are a host of benefits you could look forward to by using cucumbers regularly.

For skincare

Gives glowing skin

Cucumber as a single ingredient resolves many skin problems and ensures healthy, younger-looking skin. Cucumber or khira can be used as a natural toner and astringent too, due to its cooling properties. It is an easy way to get rid of oiliness in skin and leaves you with a glow. Its juice is ideal to be used as a cleanser to relive blemishes and acne. Due to ts 95% water content, the skin is intact and well-moisturised.

Steps: For a cucumber face wash, simply splash some cucumber juice or apply the puree all over the face and neck and leave it to dry for 3o minutes. Once done, wash well with cold water. This also cleanses out the clogged pores on the skin’s surface.

Hydrates skin

Cucumber is the perfect way to help hydrate dull skin due to its water content and can easily substitute any moisturiser cream. Cucumber acts well also when mixed with a complementing ingredient. Curd could be used for a soothing and hydrating face pack.

Steps: For a hydrating face mask, cucumber and yoghurt work best. Both of these ingredients are soothing, natural moisturisers providing the skin with the needed nutrients. Just take some cucumber juice and mix with equal amounts of yoghurt. Blend these well into a fine paste and apply all over your face. Instead of using yoghurt you could substitute it with raw milk to help soothe sunburns.

Reduces skin tanning, sunburns and rashes

Cucumber acts as a natural bleaching agent, making it useful for skin tan removal and reducing scars. It is also helpful in restoring and evening out your skin complexion.

Steps: For this face mask, crush some cucumber puree or juice and add equal amounts of lemon juice. Massage this all over the face and leave it on for 15 minutes. You could apply this on tanned areas all over the body as well. Wash well with cold water. For relief from sun burns, blend a cucumber into a fine paste and add some aloe vera gel to heal and even out the skin’s complexion. This would also provide relief from inflammation, rashes and skin burns.

Anti-ageing benefits

Cucumber is extremely beneficial for firming up the skin and tightening it. Early use of cucumber reduces and and rather reverses signs of ageing like fine lines, wrinkles and dull skin. This is due to the presence of manganese and potassium.

Steps: Along with cucumber, egg whites are beneficial for anti-ageing skin treatments. Eggs contain proteins along with zinc and biotin which help repairing damaged cells in the body. For an anti-wrinkle mask, blend in 1 egg white, 1 tablespoon of cucumber and lemon juice and apply all over your face. If you cannot bare the smell for too long, don’t keep the mask for more than 15 minutes. Wash thoroughly.

Soothes dark circles, puffy eyes

Hectic schedules often lead to dark circles and puffy eyes. Cucumbers are an easy and quick way to relive the eyes from dull and dark-looking skin. The cooling properties along with antioxidants and silica present in cucumbers help rejuvenate the skin. It also reduces the water retention and hence controls the puffiness under the eyes.

Steps: Use 2 cucumber slices and place them on your eyelids for 20 minutes. This would help soothe the dark circles and puffiness immediately. You could also crush some cucumber juice and soak cotton balls. Apply these cotton balls on your eyes. Or you could simply splash some cucumber juice around the eyes.

Controls oil secretion and acne

Cucumber contains antioxidants and resolves inflammation on the skin smoothly. It helps lighten the skin and relieve it from clogged pores and excessive oil.

Steps: Cucumber could be applied with turmeric and a few drops of lemon. Turmeric is a great combination as it is a good exfoliating agent and additionally helps reducing scars and inflammation. Lemon too, is an ingredient that subsides excessive acne and scars. The vitamin C in lemons helps lighten scars. For this face scrub, simply mix some cucumber pulp, turmeric powder and lemon juice. Apply this on the affected area and leave it to dry for 15 minutes. Wash well with water.

For healthy hair

Stronger hair

Cucumber is packed with essential nutrients like potassium, calcium, sulfur, silicon among others, which play a vital role in healthy hair growth.

Steps: You could either consume a glass of cucumber juice directly or simply use it as a rinse with water. It helps to condition and repair dry, damaged hair.

Healthy, shiny hair

For luscious locks, cucumber juice is ideal for your routine haircare regime due to the nutrients it posses. It leaves a shiny and silky texture.

Steps: Cucumber, olive oil and egg hair mask work perfectly well to repair damaged hair as well as to add bounce. For this take one egg, a quarter peeled cucumber and some olive oil and put them to blend in a mixer. Once you get a fine texture, apply it thoroughly on the scalp and all over your hair. Leave it for not more than 10 minutes and wash off with mild shampoo.

Image source: Getty Images

Published: October 13, 2014 11:40 pm | Updated:March 19, 2015 10:34 am

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