Homemade : Besan & Haldi Indian facemask

My homemade beauty post this week features a face mask that is simply wonderful! This face treatment has been used by indian grannies and mums for centuries and is still one of the most popular beauty habits of many people today. The constituents of the mask are classic food ingredients that are used in most indian foods.

IMG_1877edit
The skin benefits of the ingredients are vast and you can see results almost straight away with this mask, particularly in the feel of the skin.

You will need:
–  Turmeric/ Haldi (Hindi/Punjabi)/ Harad (Gujarati): Acne and blemish fighting ingredient, anti-ageing.
– Gram flour/ Besan (Hindi/Punjabi)/ Chana-no-lot (Gujarati): Skin brightening and exfoliating.
–  Milk: Cures irritation, healing and nourishing
–  Bowl
–  TablespoonIMG_1874edit

Other things you might want to use:

–  Lemon (a few drops of lemon juice added to the mixture)
–  Face mask application stick

Firstly cleanse your face using your normal facial wash, and always begin any facial routine by using warm water (this opens up your pores and prepares your skin for cleansing). For this mixture (per one face mask) add two tablespoons of gram flour to the bowl. Then add half a tablespoon of turmeric. Do not use excessive amounts of turmeric as for the time you leave it on your skin, it can stain a little if too much is added.

IMG_1887edit

Slowly start adding milk to the mixture. I have never really measured out the exact amount that I use because I improvise sometimes, and often end up adding more gram flour because I have put too much milk in.

IMG_1889edit

So keep on adding and stirring until a thick paste forms. The mixture should not be runny- remember this is a face mask so has to stay on your face to dry! It needs to be thick enough that it wouldn’t pour easily. If you add too much milk, just add more gram flour to build up the thickness, and if need be add a pinch more turmeric if you see the colour lightening too much. The mixture does still need to be a yellow/orange colour.

IMG_1897edit

Using a face mask application stick or even a spoon, apply the mixture evenly onto your face avoiding the sensitive eye areas. You can also apply this mask with your fingers, but be aware the turmeric can colour your nails slightly! I would also recommend wearing a top that you may not mind getting turmeric on, as trust me, it’s a killer to remove from clothing!

IMG_1901edit
Once fully and evenly applied, leave the mask for 15-20 mins, or until you can feel and see that it has hardened. It is absolutely fine to leave it for longer but I would say a maximum time of 30 minutes. Then wash off using cotton pads or a cleansing sponge, by gently scrubbing in circular movements, this can remove the hair that has been trapped by the besan, creating a great hair removal aide. Once all has been removed rinse your face with cold water (to close you pores), and continue with your toner and moisturiser (day/night) as you normally would.

The skin benefits of gram flour, turmeric and milk

Gram flour

–  Gram flour is a pulsed flour that we obtain when we grind chick peas or chana daal that is effective in treating skin blemishes and acne
–  By mixing gram flour with a number of different other ingredients, it can be useful for treating all different types of skin as it is an ideal cleansing agent. This particular face mask is very good for treating blemish-prone/pimple-prone skin
–  Very effective in the removal of hair
–   Maintains moisture levels on the skin to avoid dryness. Will also tighten pores and reduce the capacity for spots to form

Turmeric

–  An excellent exfoliating agent that can also fight the signs of ageing and forming wrinkles and after using this mask you can really feel your skin tightening and hydrating
–  Reduces skin scars and inflammation and fights acne with its effective anti-inflammatory properties
–  Great for brightening skin, lightening and improving the skins elasticity
–  More scientific research into the properties of turmeric are displaying the spice as a useful anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and also the main component of turmeric curcumin, has been seen to show anti-cancerous effects.

Milk

–  Boosts radiance and adds glow to your skin
–  Fights premature ageing of the skin, and tackles acne and blemishes
–  Rich in vitamins A, D and E and an effective anti-oxidant which aids in making your skin more supple, more protected and much more flawless
–  Contains lactic acid which sloughs dead skin cells off the surface of your skin and promotes cell renewal, making milk an excellent exfoliating agent. The lactic acid also acts as a hydrating agent by increasing its water retention capacity.
–  The amino acids in milk also enhances water retention and allows for a deep pore penetration for the other mask ingredients to work their magic!

This facemask will always be one of my favourites because I have been using it for a long time and have been able to see the skin benefits so much. I also love it because it’s easy to make and both gram flour and turmeric have so many beauty benefits. When I was young, my mum used to plaster gram flour on me, and at the time I probably could not understand it, but now I really do; it’s one of those old indian traditional things, where you get told “my mum used this on me, and her mum used it on her…” and the list goes on!

You can purchase all the ingredients from any whole foods stores, asian food stores and of course your local supermarket- but seriously get down to your local VB & Sons (Asian store) and stock up on a bunch of food ingredients; it’s cheaper!

Definitely give this face mask a try, I couldn’t recommend it more!

I shall leave you with a quote of wisdom; “Remember, our indian spice box is also our very own medicine cabinet!”

Love Nimisha

xoxo

Follow:
Share:

1 Comment

  1. February 29, 2016 / 12:58 am

    Great post! I’ve been looking for a besan & haldi mask recipe and will definitely be using this one over the weekend. 🙂

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

SHOP MY FAVOURITES