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How To Use Yogurt To Benefit Your Skin And Hair

Yogurt is a common ingredient in our kitchen and we love having a bowl of yogurt every once in a while. Apart from its delicious taste and multiple health benefits, yogurt can help you enhance your beauty as well.

A nutrient-dense food, yogurt is a rich source of proteins, calcium, magnesium, vitamin B-12 and essential fatty acids[1] and hence topical application of yogurt can enrich both your skin as well as hair.

Benefits of yogurt for skin and hair

Not only that, yogurt contains lactic acid that exfoliates the skin gently to remove dead skin cells and impurities to improve skin appearance. The probiotics present in yogurt improves skin barrier function to promote skin health. It also stimulates the hair follicles to promote hair healthy hair growth.

With all these amazing benefits, it wouldn't be a wise decision not to give yogurt a chance. With that in mind, here is how you can use yogurt to tackle various hair and skin issues. But before that, let's quickly glance at the beauty benefits of yogurt.

Beauty Benefits Of Yogurt

Yogurt offers a wide range of benefits for your skin and hair, some of which are listed below.

  • It makes the skin smooth.[2]
  • It improves skin elasticity.
  • It reduces the signs of skin ageing.[2]
  • It fights acne.[3]
  • It helps to reduce the appearance of acne scars.
  • It adds shine to your hair.[4]
  • It promotes hair growth.[4]
  • It helps to treat dandruff.
  • It prevents hair loss.

How To Use Yogurt For Skin

1. For acne

A natural emollient for the skin, honey has antibacterial and antioxidant properties that help to treat acne and the inflammation caused by it.[5]

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp yogurt
  • 1 tbsp honey

Method of use

  • In a bowl, mix both the ingredients together well.
  • Wash your face and pat dry.
  • Apply the mixture all over your face.
  • Leave it on for 10-15 minutes.
  • Rinse it off thoroughly using tepid water.
  • Gently pat your face dry.

2. For acne scars

Lemon, one of the best skin bleaching agents, when mixed with yogurt, helps to unclog your skin pores to reduce the appearance of acne scars.[6]

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp yogurt
  • ½ tsp lemon juice

Method of use

  • In a bowl, mix both the ingredients together well.
  • Wash your face and pat dry.
  • Apply the mixture on the affected areas.
  • Leave it on for 10 minutes to dry.
  • Rinse it off using cold water.
  • Gently pat your face dry.

3. For oily skin

Rich in proteins, egg white helps to shrink skin pores to control sebum production and thus tackles oily skin.

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp yogurt
  • 1 egg white

Method of use

  • Separate an egg white in a bowl and whisk it until you get a smooth an fluffy mixture.
  • Now add yogurt to this and mix both the ingredients together well.
  • Apply this mixture on your face.
  • Leave it on for 10-15 minutes to dry.
  • Rinse it off thoroughly later.

4. To exfoliate the skin

A gentle exfoliator for the skin, oatmeal possesses antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that help to remove skin impurities and rejuvenate your skin.[7]

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp yogurt
  • 1 tsp oatmeal

Method of use

  • Grind the oatmeal to get some fine powder.
  • Take out the powder in a bowl and add yogurt to this. Mix both the ingredients well to make a paste.
  • Apply this paste on your face and gently scrub your face in circular motions for a few minutes.
  • Leave it on for another 5 minutes before rinsing it off with lukewarm water.
  • Now splash some cold water on your face and pat dry.

5. For glowing skin

Honey is a great moisturiser for the skin that helps to keep the skin soft and supple. Tomato acts as a natural bleaching agent for the skin and has antioxidant properties that protect the skin from free radicals and add a healthy glow to it.[8]

Ingredients

  • 1 tsp yogurt
  • 1 tsp honey
  • Pulp of a tomato

Method of use

  • Take the tomato pulp in a bowl.
  • Add honey and yogurt to this and mix well.
  • Wash your face and pat dry.
  • Apply the mixture on your face.
  • Leave it on for 10-15 minutes.
  • Rinse it off thoroughly later.

How To Use Yogurt For Hair

1. For hair growth

Banana not only helps to promote hair growth, but it also improves hair elasticity to prevent hair damage and breakage.[9] The acidic nature of lemon helps to maintain a healthy scalp and promote hair growth. Honey helps to condition your hair.[10]

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp yogurt
  • ½ ripe banana
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 3 tsp honey

Method of use

  • In a bowl, mash the banana into pulp.
  • Add yogurt to it and mix well.
  • Now add lemon juice and honey and mix everything together well.
  • Using a brush, apply the mixture to your scalp and hair.
  • Leave it on for about 25-30 minutes.
  • Rinse it off thoroughly and shampoo as usual.

2. For hair fall

The acidic nature of apple cider vinegar combined with its antibacterial properties helps to exfoliate the scalp and keep it clean and healthy to tackle hair fall.[11]

Ingredients

  • 1 cup yogurt
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp honey

Method of use

  • Take yogurt in a bowl.
  • Add apple cider vinegar and honey to this and mix well.
  • Apply the mixture on your scalp and hair.
  • Leave it on for 15-20 minutes.
  • Rinse it off thoroughly with cold water.

3. For dandruff

Egg and yogurt mixture together nourishes and cleanses the scalp and thus help to get rid of dandruff.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup yogurt
  • 1 whole egg

Method of use

  • Take yogurt in a bowl.
  • Crack open an egg in this and whisk it until both the ingredients are mixed together well.
  • Apply the mixture all over your scalp.
  • Leave it on for 30 minutes.
  • Rinse it off thoroughly later.
  • Shampoo your hair using a mild shampoo.

4. To condition your hair

Honey is a great natural ingredient that conditions the hair while coconut oil prevents the protein loss from the hair to nourish your tresses and prevent hair damage.{desc_17}

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp yogurt
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 1 tsp coconut oil

Method of use

  • Take yogurt in a bowl.
  • Add honey and coconut oil to this and mix all the ingredients together well.
  • Apply this mixture to your hair.
  • Leave it on for about 15 minutes.
  • Rinse it off thoroughly.
  • Shampoo as usual.

5. To repair damaged hair

Strawberries contain vitamin C that helps to boost collagen production in the scalp to revitalise damaged hair{desc_18}, while coconut oil is one of the best natural ingredients to prevent hair damage and improve the appearance of your hair.

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup yogurt
  • 3-4 ripe strawberries
  • 1 whole egg
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil

Method of use

  • In a bowl, mash the strawberries into pulp.
  • Add yogurt to this and give it a good stir.
  • Crack open an egg in it and add coconut oil. Mix everything together well.
  • Apply the mask all over your hair.
  • Leave it on for 30 minutes.
  • Rinse it off thoroughly later.
  • Shampoo as usual.
View Article References
  1. [1] El-Abbadi, N. H., Dao, M. C., & Meydani, S. N. (2014). Yogurt: role in healthy and active aging. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 99(5), 1263S-1270S.
  2. [2] Smith, W. P. (1996). Epidermal and dermal effects of topical lactic acid. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 35(3), 388-391.
  3. [3] Kober, M. M., & Bowe, W. P. (2015). The effect of probiotics on immune regulation, acne, and photoaging. International journal of women's dermatology, 1(2), 85–89. doi:10.1016/j.ijwd.2015.02.001
  4. [4] Levkovich, T., Poutahidis, T., Smillie, C., Varian, B. J., Ibrahim, Y. M., Lakritz, J. R., … Erdman, S. E. (). Probiotic bacteria induce a 'glow of health'. PloS one, 8(1), e53867. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0053867
  5. [5] McLoone, P., Oluwadun, A., Warnock, M., & Fyfe, L. (2016). Honey: A Therapeutic Agent for Disorders of the Skin. Central Asian journal of global health, 5(1), 241. doi:10.5195/cajgh.2016.241
  6. [6] Smit, N., Vicanova, J., & Pavel, S. (2009). The hunt for natural skin whitening agents. International journal of molecular sciences, 10(12), 5326–5349. doi:10.3390/ijms10125326
  7. [7] Michelle Garay, M. S., Judith Nebus, M. B. A., & Menas Kizoulis, B. A. (2015). Anti-inflammatory activities of colloidal oatmeal (Avena sativa) contribute to the effectiveness of oats in treatment of itch associated with dry, irritated skin. Journal of drugs in dermatology, 14(1), 43-48.
  8. [8] Shi, J., & Maguer, M. L. (2000). Lycopene in tomatoes: chemical and physical properties affected by food processing. Critical reviews in food science and nutrition, 40(1), 1-42.
  9. [9] Kumar, K. S., Bhowmik, D., Duraivel, S., & Umadevi, M. (2012). Traditional and medicinal uses of banana. Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry, 1(3), 51-63.
  10. [10] Burlando, B., & Cornara, L. (2013). Honey in dermatology and skin care: a review. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 12(4), 306-313.
  11. [11] Yagnik, D., Serafin, V., & J Shah, A. (2018). Antimicrobial activity of apple cider vinegar against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans; downregulating cytokine and microbial protein expression. Scientific reports, 8(1), 1732. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-18618-x
  12. [12] Rele, A. S., & Mohile, R. B. (2003). Effect of mineral oil, sunflower oil, and coconut oil on prevention of hair damage. Journal of cosmetic science, 54(2), 175-192.
  13. [13] Almohanna, H. M., Ahmed, A. A., Tsatalis, J. P., & Tosti, A. (). The Role of Vitamins and Minerals in Hair Loss: A Review. Dermatology and therapy, 9(1), 51–70. doi:10.1007/s13555-018-0278-6