15 Amazing Benefits Of Cucumber For Skin & Hair

Skin Care

oi-Monika Khajuria

By Monika Khajuria

Monday, July 8, 2019, 15:35 [IST]

Cucumber is something you would generally eat as a salad. We love the cooling effect that it gives us, right? But did you know that cucumber has amazing beauty benefits? Yes folks, you heard it right. Cucumber has high water content and low calorie count ^[1] and is not only an amazing veggie to add into your diet but also works wonders for your skin and hair as well.

Cucumber has antioxidants ^[2] such as flavonoids and tannins that help fight free radical damage ^[3] . It contains 96% water ^[4] and helps to keep your body hydrated. Cucumber contains vitamins A, B1, C and K, proteins, fibre, magnesium and potassium. ^[5] All of these make cucumber an ideal ingredient to tackle many of our skin, hair and health issues.

Benefits Of Cucumber For Skin & Hair

• It provides a great moisturising effect. ^[6]
• It helps reduce the puffiness around the eyes.
• It has ascorbic acid and caffeic acid that help soothe the skin. ^[7]
• It soothes sunburn. ^[8]
• It helps to rejuvenate the skin.
• It helps with skin tanning.
• It reduces dark circles, blemishes and wrinkles.
• It helps reduce the hair fall.
• It conditions the hair.

Benefits of Cucumber for Skin

1. To revitalise the skin

Yogurt contains lactic acid ^[9] that helps to exfoliate and moisturise the skin. ^[10]
Aloe vera has antiageing properties. It hydrates the skin and improves skin elasticity. ^[11] Honey acts a natural moisturiser for the skin. It has antiseptic and antibacterial properties ^[12] and helps cleanse the skin. Lemon is rich in antioxidants like vitamin C and helps fight free radical damage. ^[13]

Ingredients

• 1 sliced cucumber
• 1 tbsp yogurt
• 1 tsp aloe vera gel
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Method of use

• Blend the cucumber to form a puree.
• Add yogurt, aloe vera, honey and lemon juice to the puree and mix well.
• Apply the mixture on your face.
• Leave it on for 15-20 minutes.
• Rinse it off with normal water and pat dry.

2. For puffiness

Ingredient

• A couple slices of cucumber

Method of use

• Put the slices of cucumber on your eyes.
• Leave them for as long as you desire.

3. To remove pigmentation

Egg white has proteins and antioxidants that help fight free radical damage. ^[14]
It helps keep the skin firm. Rosemary oil has antibacterial and antioxidant properties and helps cleanse the skin. ^[15]

Ingredients

• ½ cucumber
• 1 egg white
• A few drops of rosemary oil

Method of use

• Blend all the ingredients together to make a paste.
• Apply the mixture on the face.
• Leave it on for 15 minutes.
• Rinse it off later.

4. For blemishes

Oats moisturises and exfoliates the skin. It contains antioxidants ^[16] that help reverse skin damage caused due to pollution and UV rays.

Ingredients

• The pulp of a cucumber
• 1 tsp oats

Method of use

• Mix both the ingredients together and blend well.
• Let it rest for 30 minutes.
• Apply the mixture on the face.
• Leave it on for 20 minutes.
• Rinse it off with lukewarm water and then cold water immediately.

5. As a skin toner

Witch hazel acts as a natural astringent. It moisturises the skin and helps fight acne. ^[17] It has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties and helps soothe the skin and fight free radical damage. ^[18]

Ingredients

• ½ cucumber (chopped)
• 2 tbsp witch hazel
• 2 tbsp water

Method of use

• Mix all the ingredients together in a blender and blend well.
• Gently rub the paste on your face for a few minutes.
• Rinse it off later.

6. As a cooling body spray

Green tea has anti-inflammatory properties ^[19] and helps reduce irritation and swelling. Green tea contains the antioxidant EGCG ^[20] that helps protect the skin from UV damage and prevents signs of ageing.

Ingredients

• 1 cucumber
• 1 cup green tea
• 1 tbsp aloe vera gel
• A few drops of rosemary essential oil

Method of use

• Blend the cucumber well and strain the juice.
• Mix it with a cup of cold green tea.
• Add the aloe vera gel and rosemary oil to the mixture and mix well.
• Put the mixture in a spray bottle.
• Spray it when required.

7. For soft feet

Rich in omega-3 fatty acid, olive oil nourishes the skin. ^[21] It has antioxidants ^[22] that fight free radical damage. It makes your skin smooth and soft.

Ingredients

• 1 cucumber
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice

Method of use

• Blend all the ingredients together in a blender.
• Put the mixture in a big bowl and warm it up.
• Soak your feet in the mixture for about 15 minutes.
• Rinse it off afterwards.

8. For acne

Both lemon and rose water has astringent properties that help to unclog and tighten skin pores to tackle the issue of acne.^[26]

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp cucumber juice
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp rose water

Method of use

• Take the cucumber juice in a bowl.
• Add lemon juice and rose water to this and mix all the ingredients together well.
• Apply the concoction on your face.
• Leave it on for 15-20 minutes to dry.
• Rinse it off thoroughly later and pat dry.

9. For dark circles

The high water content of cucumber mixed with its antioxidant properties helps to get rid of dark circles and the bags under your eyes as well.

Ingredient

• Cucumber juice (as needed)

Method of use

• Dip a cotton ball in the cucumber juice and apply it on the under eye area.
• Leave it on for 15-20 minutes to dry.
• Rinse it off later.

10. To Tighten skin pores

The citric acid and malic acid present in coconut water^[27] help to improve skin barrier function and tighten the skin pores to leave you with a firm and rejuvenated skin.^[28]

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp cucumber juice
• 1 tbsp coconut water

Method of use

• In a bowl, mix both the ingredients together.
• Apply the concoction on your face.
• Leave it on until it dries.
• Rinse it off thoroughly later.

11. For suntan

Cucumber juice helps to lighten the skin while the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties of aloe vera along with the presence of essential nutrients help to nourish the skin and remove the suntan.^[29] Lactic acid gently exfoliates the skin to remove dead skin cells and impurities, thus helping to get rid of suntan.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp cucumber juice
• 2 tbsp aloe vera gel
• 2 tbsp yogurt

Method of use

• Take the cucumber juice in a bowl.
• Add aloe vera juice to this and give it a good stir.
• Now add yogurt and mix all the ingredients together well.
• Apply the mixture on the affected areas.
• Leave it on for 30 minutes.
• Rinse it off thoroughly later.

12. For sunburn

The soothing and relaxing cucumber juice works effectively to provide relief from sunburn's pain.

Ingredient

• Cucumber juice (as needed)

Method of use

• Apply the cucumber juice on the affected areas.
• Leave it on for 30-45 minutes.
• Rinse it off gently using cold water.

Benefits of Cucumber For hair

1. For hair fall

Ingredient

• Juice of a cucumber

Method of use

• Apply the cucumber juice on your scalp.
• Leave it on for 1 hour.
• Shampoo your hair afterwards.

2. To treat split ends

Eggs are rich in vitamin B complex and proteins. ^[23] They improve the elasticity of hair and promote hair growth. ^[24] Coconut oil has lauric acid that prevents hair damage. ^[25] It nourishes the roots and helps prevent protein loss from hair.

Ingredients

• 1 chopped cucumber
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup coconut oil

Method of use

• Mix all the ingredients together in a blender.
• Apply the mixture on your hair and scalp.
• Leave it on for about 30 minutes.
• Rinse it off later.

3. To Condition The Hair

A great source of proteins, egg not only helps to condition the hair but also promote hair growth. Olive oil moisturises and nourishes your scalp to condition the hair.

Ingredients

• Juice of ¼th cucumber
• 1 egg
• 4 tbsp olive oil

Method of use

• Take the cucumber juice in a bowl.
• Crack open an egg into the bowl and mix well.
• Now add the olive oil to this and mix all the ingredients together well.
• Apply the mixture on your scalp and hair.
• Leave it on for 30 minutes.
• Rinse it off thoroughly later.