Yoghurt for Skin Care

Yoghurt is produced when milk is fermented and acidification results as lactose is separated into glucose and galactose.

It is often thought of as a health food because it is easily digestible and is more tolerated for people who are lactose-intolerant. It is also believed to increase metabolism for faster weight loss. Some cosmetics company claims that eating yoghurt combined with borage oil, vitamin and green tea antioxidants will improve the quality of the skin if eaten for at least 30 days.

While the health benefits of yoghurt are undisputed, significant improvement of the skin in particular will probably result from a generally healthy lifestyle rather than just specialty yoghurt. However, it cannot hurt to try.

However, yoghurt for skin care or its use as a cosmetic product is not so well established. It has been gaining momentum, as more people experiment with some homemade remedies for treating anything from combination skin to acne.

Many people swear by yoghurt as a soothing balm for irritated skin, inducing moisture on the skin because the lactic acid restores the pH balance.

It is recommended that plain yoghurt made from whole milk should be used as a facial mask for dry skin while yoghurt from non-fat is better for oily skin. It can also be used as a cleanser and moisturizer.

It is also good for oily skin for the same reason, although the formulation is slightly different. To de-oil the face, get hold of half a lemon, 100 ml of yoghurt and 1/2 a grapefruit. It may seem an acid fest, but place those peeled fruits and the yoghurt in a blender and refrigerate for an hour and you will have a facemask guaranteed to keep you from slipping off your seat. Just leave on for 15 minutes or so after refrigeration and rinse off with lukewarm water.

A mixture of yoghurt, banana and avocado is also suggested to increase collagen. Remove all makeup before application, and avoid the flavored varieties unless you are going to eat it instead.

Other home beauty recipes target combination skin. One teaspoon of yoghurt, an egg yolk, one tablespoon cocoa powder and one teaspoon of honey mixed in a bowl is a great facial mask.

Leave on for 15 minutes and use lukewarm water to rinse it off. Acne can also be addressed with one banana combined with three tablespoons of yoghurt, blended into smooth past. Apply to face and leave for 20 minutes while you eat the rest of the yoghurt. Rinse it off with lukewarm water. 

Thrice weekly should get rid of those pimples and smooth out the skin.

While much of the concern is on the face, an itchy scalp, dandruff, dry hands and icky nails can be as much as a turn-off as flaky or oily skin.

Yoghurt can also help in those departments first by rubbing it on the scalp and leaving it on for 15 minutes. Wrap the hair in a towel to get those acids working on the flakes. 

While waiting, take 8 ounces of that plain yoghurt and the juice of one lemon and massage on hands and nails. Wash off both hair and hands at the same time and notice the difference.