You may have heard of using buttermilk in baking or as a key ingredient in Southern-style cuisine, but did you know there are tons of ways buttermilk benefits your skin? Buttermilk can not only give you a softer, brighter complexion, but it also has excellent exfoliating and healing capabilities.
This delicious dairy product has been used in skincare for centuries, dating back to ancient Egypt. Cleopatra was known to bathe in buttermilk to keep her skin soft and glowing. More and more skincare companies are adding buttermilk into their products and for good reason.
Let’s take a look at 10 buttermilk benefits for your skin and the best application methods.
10 Ways Buttermilk Benefits Your Skin
1. Sloughs Away Dead Skin Cells
Buttermilk contains lactic acid, which is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA). AHAs are popular ingredients in many skincare products because they help to slough away dead skin cells with exfoliation, revealing the brighter, fresher skin underneath.
If you’re looking for a natural way to brighten your complexion, try using a buttermilk face mask or scrub 3-4 times per week. To create a mask, mix 3-4 tablespoons of buttermilk with 1 tablespoon of tea tree oil or turmeric paste for a thicker mask. Apply the mix onto your face and let it sit for 10-15 minutes before rinsing.
2. Fades Dark Spots
In addition to brightening the overall complexion, buttermilk has a natural whitening effect that can act as a natural bleaching agent, and help fade dark spots and discoloration. Lactic acid helps to even out the skin tone by lightening areas of hyperpigmentation leaving a brighter skin tone.
To use buttermilk as a spot treatment for dark spots, simply dab a cotton swab in some chilled buttermilk and apply it directly to the dark spot. Rinse off after 10 minutes. Repeat nightly for at least a month to see how well results are.
How To Make Your Period Come Faster – 8 Best Things To Do
3. Moisturizes Dry Skin
Buttermilk is a natural emollient, which means it helps to moisturize and soften the skin. If you have dry skin, regular use of buttermilk can help to alleviate roughness and flakiness. It is packed with vitamins and minerals that help to keep skin hydrated and healthy-looking. In particular, it’s a good source of vitamin B12, which is essential for cell growth and repair.
To create a hydrating, home-made buttermilk mask, mix equal parts 2 tablespoons of buttermilk and honey. Apply the mixture to clean, damp skin. Leave on for 15 minutes before rinsing off with lukewarm water. Finish your normal routine with a toner and moisturizer to lock in the moisture.
4. Soothes Sunburned Skin
Buttermilk contains zinc, which is a mineral known for its ability to calm and soothe irritated skin. It has a natural cooling effect that will help take off some of the burning feeling from your torched skin and speed up the healing process.
You can soak a small towel in a mixture of buttermilk and tomato juice. Apply the compress to affected areas for 10-15 minutes at a time until the pain subsides. Repeat daily as necessary.
5. Anti-inflammatory
Buttermilk contains properties that can help to soothe irritated skin and reduce inflammation. This makes it a great natural remedy for conditions like eczema, psoriasis, and acne. The natural salt and minerals in buttermilk help reduce the salt levels in your body, helping get rid of that sodium bloat.
Apply buttermilk directly to the inflamed prone areas and massage it in with your hands or apply a soaked compress. Drinking a glass of buttermilk before bed will also help your body benefit from its anti-inflammatory capabilities from within.
6. Prevent and Cure Yeast Infections
Buttermilk is full of natural, live cultures that can help regulate your body’s natural yeast production. Everyone’s body produces yeast, but when it provides too much and there is an overgrowth, candidiasis, or a yeast infection, will occur.
Drinking a glass or buttermilk a day can help reduce and cure yeast infections as well as applying it directly to the infected area topically, soaking in a bath, or as a douche.
Septum Piercings Are Hot Right Now – Should You Get Yours Pierced?
7. Natural Makeup Remover.
Buttermilk makes an excellent all-natural makeup remover thanks to its oil-dissolving properties. Its natural cleansing properties will help remove oil, dirt, and other impurities that are deep in your pores.
Simply soak a cotton ball in cold buttermilk and gently swipe it over your face to remove stubborn makeup without stripping away moisture from your skin.
8. Tightening Effect
You may notice a tightening effect on your skin after using buttermilk as a facial cleanser. Buttermilk helps tighten the skin by closing open pores in your skin. It has a natural astringent in it that helps in naturally cleansing and toning facial skin.
Try mixing 3 tablespoons of buttermilk and 3 tablespoons of water. Apply the concoction to your face after your usual cleansing routine, massaging gently in an upward and circular motion. Rinse after 1-2 minutes.
9. Gentle For Sensitive Skin
If you have sensitive skin, the majority of facial cleansers may contain harsh chemicals that leave your face dry or irritated. The astringent and antioxidant properties in buttermilk can help cleanse and moisturize your face naturally without causing irritation. There are no artificial additives like fragrances or dyes, which are the main culprits in over-the-counter facial washes when irritating skin. Buttermilk will leave your skin feeling silky smooth and nourished from its natural vitamins and minerals.
10. Contains Probiotics
Buttermilk is a great way to consume healthy probiotics that can help improve your skin from within. The probiotics in buttermilk help keep your digestive system on track, which will aid in removing toxins from your body. Having healthy looking skin isn’t only determined by how well your skincare routine is. Removing unhealthy bacteria and toxins from the body will result in brighter, glowing skin as well help regulate too dry or too oily skin.
What Are Fulani Braids and How To Take Care of Them
Best Beauty Products With Buttermilk
Handmade Buttermilk With Honey and Mango Soap
Containing buttermilk from farm fresh milk from pasture raised cows, this completely organic, natural buttermilk soap is gentle enough to use on your face as well as your body. There are no added preservatives, colorants, or fragrance oils in this natural buttermilk soap. Just pure ingredients straight from nature. Great for cleansing your skin, moisturizing, and brightening.
Mario Badescu Buttermilk Moisturizer
The Mario Badescu Buttermilk Moisturizer is great for combination skin, especially if it’s on the dryer, sensitive side side. High in anti-inflammatory properties, this buttermilk moisturizer creates a calm, cooling affect that moisturizes deep in your skin. It is very lightweight and thin, without leaving an oily feeling. You can also wear SPF lotion ever it with out any issues, keeping your face moisturized and protected from the sun.
Beekman Buttermilk Makeup Melting Cleansing Balm
The Beekman Buttermilk Makeup Melting Cleaning Balm uses buttermilk as its main ingredient to cleans and remove makeup without including any harsh irritants or chemicals. On contact with water, this product transforms from a buttery balm into a deep cleansing milk that gently melts all traces of dirt, makeup and, sunscreen, then rinses away cleanly to leave behind healthy, radiant skin.
Kalona SuperNatural Organic Cultured Buttermilk
If great thing about buttermilk is that it’s cheap and can be purchased anywhere. If you want to create your own buttermilk beauty products, you can easily go to your local supermarket and purchase organic buttermilk for under $10. You can drink buttermilk to receive its beauty benefits or create buttermilk infused beauty products like a buttermilk and honey mask or buttermilk and tea tree oil face wash.
Read More:
