8 DIY home remedies starring the humble besan for healthy skin and hair

Nature is not only an expert chemist, but also a great cosmetologist! Natural ingredients, like gram flour, turmeric, and sandalwood have powerful healing properties and yet have a gentle effect.

Gram flour or besan has been traditionally used in skincare to deep cleanse and exfoliate the skin. In fact, it used to be one of the main ingredients of ubtan, a body scrub that was a traditional beauty treatment for brides.

Besan has a cleansing effect on the skin and hair. It also exfoliates and softens the skin, thus enhancing beauty. In other words, when a besan masque is washed off with water, it helps to remove dead skin cells, making the skin soft and smooth.

Besan also helps to remove tan and brighten the skin, giving you an even tone. It can also help to reduce dark patches and spots. Besan masques also help to tame oily skin and prevent eruptions like pimples and acne.

Here are a few beauty recipes you can try with this humble ingredient:

1. Make ubtan for soft and smooth skin
Mix besan with rice powder, ground almonds, yogurt, and turmeric until well combined. Before using, massage your body with sesame seed oil. If you don’t have that handy, you can even use coconut oil. Next, apply the pack all over your body and wash it off after half an hour. The scrubbing action as you wash it off helps clear the skin of dead cells, leaving behind smooth and bright results.

2. You can also make a besan face and body mask
Mix besan with wheat bran (choker), turmeric (haldi), yogurt, cream (malai), or oats, ground almonds, dried lemon and orange peel powder, sandalwood paste, rose petals and dried mint powder.

Mix all the ingredients together and you’ve got a glow-inducing masque ready. Leave it on for 20 minutes and then wash off.

3. You can also give this tan-removing remedy a try
If you wish to remove tan and cleanse the skin, mix three teaspoons each of besan and yogurt and add a little turmeric. Apply this on your face and wash it off after half an hour. Or, mix ground almonds with gram flour, milk and lemon juice for a similar effect.

Also, Read: 3 DIY lemon peel face masks, because younger looking skin is always in

4. You can use besan to minimize stretch marks as well
Mix gram flour, yogurt and turmeric into a paste and keep it aside. Liberally apply olive oil on the affected areas and follow it up with the pack. Wash it off after half an hour. Do this three times a week.

5. If you’ve got dry skin, use besan for a moisturising mask
Mix a cup of besan with one tablespoon each honey, almond oil, milk or curd, and egg yolk into a paste. Add more milk or curd if the mixture is too thick.

Apply it on your neck, arms, and legs–and wash off after 20 to 30 minutes.This shall help you peel away all the dry skin, leaving it moisturised.

Also, Read: Keep your skin soft and supple through the summer with these DIY body moisturizers

6. Yes, besan can help give you healthy hair and scalp as well
Mix a cup of curd, two teaspoons of besan, an egg white and the juice of half a lemon. If you have very dry hair, substitute the egg white with a teaspoon of olive oil. Apply this paste on your scalp and hair, and wash it off after half an hour.

7. It can even help with dandruff and excessive sebum
For oily scalp and dandruff, mix ripe papaya pulp with gram flour, egg white and four teaspoons apple cider vinegar into a paste. Apply on your scalp and hair and wash it off after half an hour.

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8. Cleanse your hair with besan
Mix besan with curd and one tablespoon of aloe vera gel. Mix it into a paste and apply on your scalp and hair. Wash it off after half an hour.