Create/July 2011/ Turmeric Mask
The benefits of turmeric are plenty and to be honest, unless you have an Indian background such as myself, it’s difficult to know its properties and its uses of the top of your head.Turmeric is used in a multitude of Indian dishes ranging from marinating meats, adding colour to rice and also as a flavouring in curries and sauteed vegetables. It’s medicinal properties are widely studied and have been known to help as an anti-inflammatory for skin ailments such as varicella zoster (chicken pox/shingles) and acne.
As a young child, I’ve come to know this spice not only in traditional dishes my mother has made, but also as an Ayurvedic cleansing ritual known as an Indian Malish. This technique has been used for thousands of years to not only release tension in areas which we over-work, but also to stimulate blood circulation and add a healthy glow back to the skin. My mother would bathe me in sesame oil and turmeric and would gently scrub me until all the remnants of the turmeric and oil were thoroughly rinsed.
Once I began to give these facial massages to close friends and my partner, it became a requested ritual. I can’t help but share a few of these mask recipes for my readers, it’s easy and affordable, but more importantly, it boosts blood flow, acts as a antibacterial barrier and helps to keep you skin looking amazing.
Below is a guide to help you make one version of this mask yourself, and with a gentle cleanser to rinse the mask off you won’t have to worry about it staining your skin. This mask is typically for those who are prone to an oily sheen or have mild acne. If you have dry skin I have a fabulous alternative for you coming up soon!
1 Tsp of turmeric & 2 Tbsp of milk
Stir the mixture until it forms a runny paste consistency
The paste should be thick enough so you can write with it.
Apply a generous amount of this mask onto your face, leave for 5-10 minutes and wash with luke warm water and a gentle cleanser of your choice. Do not scrub this off as this will aggravate your skin and simply over stimulate your oil glands and cause it to create more oil.
This is easily transferrable to use on your entire body, just wash off with your body scrub/wash of your choice. I hope this works for you, I know it does for myself and others. Just remember that this is a mask to help calm any areas of redness and soothe over worked, tired, oily skin. This is an ancient remedy, but not a cure for acne.
