Turmeric is a spice that has been used for centuries in Indian cuisine. It’s also an ancient Ayurvedic medicinal plant with many health benefits such as reducing inflammation and being an antioxidant to help treat skin conditions like acne, wounds, eczema, psoriasis, and more. However, there are some things you should avoid when using turmeric on your skin, so here are 5 common mistakes:
1. Check the shelf life
Turmeric powder has a shelf life of about 6-8 months, after which you need to replace it with a fresh one. However, if stored in an airtight container and away from heat and moisture, it can last even longer. Once the package is open, keep your Turmeric (Curcumin) in a freezer to keep it fresh for longer. Else turmeric benefits for the skin will not be effective at all.
2. Overdoing with the quantity
Turmeric is naturally yellow in color, so using too much of it can only turn your skin yellow, making you look funny and unhealthy. So, try not to use more than the required quantity. If you are using a turmeric face pack, remember that it will be washed away with just water soon. So, make sure you don’t put too much of it on your face as well.
3. Mixing unnecessary ingredients with turmeric
While it is true that by mixing turmeric with other ingredients, you can reduce its natural yellow color, but you are also tampering with the benefits that turmeric has to offer. Apart from reducing the color, these unnecessary ingredients tend to alter the chemical structure of Turmeric (Curcumin), resulting in reduced bioavailability. The bioavailability of turmeric is its ability to be absorbed by the skin. Therefore, no matter how less amount of turmeric you take, it will still be effective on your body but in order to get maximum benefits out of it, make sure that you use pure Turmeric (Curcumin).
4. Applying for a longer time
Turmeric is a natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent. It immediately interacts with your skin to remove free radicals, toxic substances and repair damaged cells. Due to this, it can cause irritation or inflammation of the skin if used for in longer duration, i.e., more than 45 minutes after application. So, make sure not to apply turmeric to the skin for a longer duration. Also, remember not to apply near your eyes.
5. Using soap to wash the turmeric
It is true that turmeric leaves a yellowish residue behind, but it is completely safe as it contains no harmful chemicals. Also, the same effect will not be seen if you use soap to wash your skin. Soap tends to remove all the natural oils from your body, so using soap while washing turmeric with water can cause harm to your skin.
Avoiding these mistakes will help take care of your skin while still getting all the benefits from this wonderful spice!
