Cucumbers are often referred to as superfoods because of their overall health benefits. They have become equally important in diets and skincare. This vegetable contains 90% water with essential nutrients like vitamin C and caffeic acid, which helps to soothe, hydrate and replenish our skin and, in turn, reduces irritations and swelling.
Here are some amazing uses of cucumber for healthy skin.
1. Treat Sunburn
It’s cucumbers to the rescue if you’ve spent too long in the sun and find yourself with a nasty sunburn.
The cooling effects of cucumbers is a natural way to calm your skin and speed up the healing process. Place cucumber slices on the affected area and remove then when it starts to feel warm on the skin.
2. Get Rid of Cellulite
Cellulite is dimpling caused by fat; it’s usually found on the thighs, buttocks, arms and stomach. You can get rid of these dimples by mixing cucumber juice with one tablespoon of honey, which you then apply to the affected area.
This helps to tighten and firm up the collagens in the skin. This also works on wrinkles.
3. Boosts Your Skin Color
When cucumber is mixed with fresh lime juice and applied as a facial mask, this leaves your skin glowing. It also reduces scars and discoloration/pigmentation.
4. Reduce Dark Circles
Cucumber aids in lightening dark circles under the eyes.
The antioxidants and silica found in cucumber help to lighten the skin. Place two slices of cucumber on both eyes and sit back for 10 to 20 minutes. It really works!
5. Tighten Your Pores
Cucumber is ideal as a face toner. It can be mixed with rosewater, raw honey or a few drops of lemon juice or you can use it by itself.
Apply the mixture all over your face. Leave it on for 15 minutes and rinse with warm water. It immediately tightens the pores.
6. Lighten Your Freckles
Grated cucumber can be spread all over the face and neck to reduce the appearance of freckles.
7. Reduce Puffy Eyes
Cucumber contains large amounts of ascorbic acid, which decreases water retention and therefore reduces puffiness.
Just place two slices of cucumber on your eyes. This method also helps to ease tired eyes—especially if you stare at a computer screen for too long.
Selecting and Storing Cucumber
- Make sure the cucumbers are fresh.
- Avoid cucumbers that are yellow in color. They should light to dark green in color as well as firm and stout in texture.
- Avoid buying cucumbers that have spots and cuts.
- Wash cucumbers thoroughly with salt to remove harmful chemicals.
- Cucumbers should be consumed within 2 to 3 days of purchase.
- Do not leave them at room temperature for long as this leads to wilting.
- They should be kept in an airtight container to prevent moisture escaping once they’ve been peeled.
Other than being beautiful, our skin serves to protect our internal organs. Therefore, in addition to boosting our skin, we should embrace a healthy lifestyle that further benefits our skin.
Take daily showers.
Showering daily is essential for everyone. However, avoid using water that is too hot—especially when taking a bath—as hot water removes essential skin oils.
Limit your bath time, use warm water instead of hot water, avoid strong soaps and use a separate sponge for your face; this should also be soft.
When you shave, make sure you use a clean and sharp razor (blades should be changed regularly) as well as shaving cream or gel and a daily moisturizer.
Protect your skin from the sun.
We all know the consequences of overexposing our skin to the sun. This causes wrinkles, age spots and other skin problems, so the use of sunscreen is essential.
Also, wear protective clothes like long sleeves and hats as well as sunglasses.
Avoid smoking.
Smoking does not only affect the internal organs, but also damages the fiber that gives the skin strength and elasticity thereby causing the skin to look older prematurely. It also contributes to wrinkling of the skin.
Maintain a healthy diet.
Water flushes toxins from the system, keeps the skin hydrated and makes the skin glow. Similarly, eating healthily promotes youthful-looking skin, so make sure you eat lots of vegetables and fruits while avoiding foods that are rich in fats.
Use makeup remover.
Makeup remover is a must to remove all cosmetic products so that you can really cleanse your pores when you wash your face.
Avoid going to bed with your makeup on to avoid breakouts from the chemicals used in most cosmetics.
Avoid excess use of beauty products.
We often use excess beauty products to treat acne, pimples and other skin problems rather than consulting a beautician or dermatologist, which is a risk to our skin.
Most of these products do more harm than good though so it’s better to avoid overusing products.
Manage your stress.
Our skin is very sensitive and most likely to react to everything, which includes stress.
Extreme stress can trigger skin problems like acne, so make sure to take time to relax and get your beauty sleep. Try to go to bed early and get at least eight hours’ sleep every night.
Proper treatment of the skin revitalizes it and reduces the aging process, keeping the skin younger, healthier and more beautiful.
So there you go. Add cucumber to your daily beauty routine – your skin will love you for it! It may sound simple, but simple often works the best!
Share your experiences and beauty tips in the comment section below.
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