DIY Beauty: yogurt for soft and smooth skin
Yogurt features as one of the main ingredients in a number of the homemade beauty recipes. Its high nutrient content, plus the lactic acid and enzymes soothes, softens and hydrates the skin, leaving it soft and smooth. Because yogurt has antibacterial and antifungal properties, it also provides excellent cleansing properties.
Choice of yogurt for homemade skincare recipes
You can purchase yogurt for your homemade DIY beauty recipes from the supermarket. It’s best to choose yogurt with live active cultures in order to get the full benefits. Otherwise, just remember to buy plain, unflavored and preferably set yogurt. And depending on your face type, you want to be careful about the fat content. For dry skin type, those original formula that contains fat would be very nourishing. However, I found this too much for my combination skin. So if you have combination or oily skin, use non-fat formulas even though the consistency of some are much thinner which means the yogurt could be dripping off. I personally like the 99.8% fat free natural set yogurt from Pauls.
What I like about using yogurt is that it can be used alone or blended with other natural ingredients. I’ve tried it with cucumber, with carrot, with tomato and with lemon to much satisfaction.
Yogurt recipe for moisturizing & hydrating the skin
– 2 – 3 tablespoons of plain yogurt
– 2 tablespoons of grated carrot
Mix the combination together, apply to face, neck and anywhere else you like. Leave on for about 15 minutes and rinse off thoroughly.
I tried this everyday for a week using non-fat yogurt and it was good. No breakouts nor irritation. And my skin certainly felt smooth and supple afterwards.
Yogurt recipe for skin whitening/lightening
This recipe is from Leon at Glowing Diva which is said to be able whiten/lighten your complexion in less than fifteen days.
– 2 tablespoon fresh plain yogurt
– 1 tablesppon of orange juice.
Mix the mixture together and apply on your face and rinse off after fifteen minutes. Moisturize your skin and don’t forget to apply your sunscreen cream/lotion because orange contains AHAs(Alpha Hydroxy Acids) which can make your skin photosensitive.
Yogurt creamy cucumber facial cleanser recipe
This recipe is taken from Blended Beauty by Philip B.
For normal to dry skin:
– 1/4 cucumber (chopped, do not peel)
– 1/8 russet potato (chopped, do not peel)
– 1 teaspoon baking soda
– 1 whole egg
– 1/4 cup plain yogurt
If you have oily skin:
– use nonfat yogurt
– add 2 teaspoons of lemon juice
– increase baking soda to 2 tablespoons
– use egg white only; discard egg york
In a blender, mix cucumber and potato together on medium speed for 20 seconds. Add remaining ingredients and blend on low speed for 1 minute. Moisten face with warm water and apply cleanser with a washcloth in a gentle circular motion. Rinse clean with warm water; follow with cool-water rinse.
Use yogurt consistently at least 3 times a week for visible benefits
Like I’ve mention, yogurt is a wonderful ingredient and there are many possibilities of using it for your skin’s benefits. For example, I also understand that when combined with honey and lemon juice, yogurt makes a moisturizing and exfoliating mask, great for softening the face and neck and minimizing discoloration. So you really have lots to experiment. But to get long term benefits, you need to use it consistently at least three times a week. An exception is those with oily skin because even non-fat yogurt maybe a tad rich and the best way to use it is probably as a cleanser than a mask.
Oh, and I should add. Yogurt may not smell great to some of us. It took me a while to get use to the strong diary scent.
Related posts
Comments
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
i used to use yogurt for my skin and you’re absolutely right: yogurt does wonders for the skin! i don’t know why i stopped using yogurt but reading your blog inspired me to stop being lazy and use it again. thank you ?
andrea: Glad to hear that! ?
thanks for the tip. i think i really need to become hardworking with the natural ingredients instead of lazying around all the time. btw, for combi skin, i think we can actually mix 2 different yogurt and apply them to respective zones. likewise, this is also how i use my cleanser now ? 2 diff cleansers for different zones ?
prettybeautifui: That’s an interesting idea! But I’ll stick to the non-fat yogurt. It’s better for me. Actually I used to think that using natural ingredients are troublesome but now that I get a hang of it, I realized it’s pretty easy and not time consuming except if you have to put together many ingredients.
Hey Sesame, great recipes:) I love Yogurt, its a wonder food.
Leon: Hey, one of it is from you! ?
Thanks for posting it Sesame:)
Leon: ?
oh~~ it so nice!!
i like DIY with simple ingredients!!!!
Hi Leon, as usual you are keeping your site running with the best of care for your readers and customers. Good job.
I know this is kind of off topic but I was wondering whether you had any DIY cleansers that I don’t need to put in the fridge and that I don’t need to leave on for awhile?
Bee: Hmm…I can’t think of any offhand. All requires some sort of preparation. Unless you’re thinking of using oils; like jojoba, etc which you can cleanse your face with but you need to use a warm washcloth to get rid of the oil. However, if you’re looking for natural exfoliant or scrub, then baking powder can do the trick.
thakz i will try it out 2night.ur the best
Rubbi: Hope you’ll like it!
i tried it .my skin was so soft.thaks n should i do this daliy??
rubii: I’ve tried it daily for awhile then switched to alternate days. Three times a week would be just about right.
Do you need to wash your face with a cleanser before using this? Should I moisturize after using it?
Bee: Yes, you need to make sure your face is clean and you can tone and moisturize afterwards. Or skip the toning if you don’t do it.
Wow! I ask so many questions.. do you think expired yogurt will still work? Though it’d smell pretty bad.. but I remember people saying Cleopatra bathed in sour milk and yogurt’s made from milk..
Bee: Erm…I really wouldn’t recommend. I mean, it’s your face…I won’t take the risk. For Cleopatra, I only remember milk…haven’t heard about the sour milk part. I guess she didn’t use it on her face? ?
I love the smell of ginger, can I add fresh ginger root for the aroma w/o clogging my pores? Also, I have roseacea, any risk of inflammation?
Organic fatty yogurt 30 minute facial…I tried it and the lactic acid is great! Forget glycolic acid. Stick with organic yogurt. Just slap it on your face for 30 minutes, rinse off and your set to go!
Melanie: I’m keen to try organic yogurt but I haven’t try it yet. Must go to the organic food stores to find them one of these days…
Hi, I’m new to your blog and stumbled across while searching for diy masks. I am actually trying the oatmeal and yogurt mask right now while waiting 30 mins. I have a question, can i store the left over yogurt/oatmeal mixture overnight for tomorrow’s usage?
Dawn: Yes you can. Overnight is fine. Don’t keep it too long; the fresher the better.
how effective is the carrots and yogurt for whitening? and how often do I have to use it to see its effectiveness?
Do i make a new mixture everyday, and how long do i live it on my skin before i take a shower?
3 times a week should be about good. But it may take awhile to see results. Cucumber is also good.
ohhhh
this is nice to try with added honey =)
Never tried with honey….but it might be interesting.
Have you ever heard of combining yoghurt and Almond Oil? I’ve heard it does wonders for the skin – just curious to see if anyone has tried it?
No, I’ve not tried. It sounds really wonderful but I wonder if it’ll be too rich for certain skin type.
I would like to add that adding manuka honey is good too due to the anti-bacterial and soothing effect, not to mention it smells great! and another thing is tumeric powder, yes the one u use for curry.. it has good anti-acne effect and since using it 3 weeks ago and twice a week, my acne has been under control (i don’t have very serious acne problem, but always frequent outbreaks and i only have clearer skin maybe less than a week every month)
Hope that helps..
I’ve heard a lot on tumeric. Tried but it leaves a stain doesn’t it?
Did you mean to say even non-fat yogurt is not suitable for oily skin? I really want to try out the yogurt mask but i’m afraid it’ll make my face oiler even though I’ll be using non-fat.
Looking forward to your reply.
It might be too rich for oily skin so I suggested using it just as a cleanser. If you want, you may want to try it once and see how it works. But don’t use it too frequently…maybe like once a week at most.
I see. Thank you. Do you also have a recipe for yogurt cleanser? Sorry.. I’m asking too many questions. ?
liked ur recipees very much.my skin is oily so for me non-fat yogurt will b suitable with lemon juice n egg white.but can i leave baking soda??means if i wont use baking soda will it b fine????
pleas reply me i wnt to try it soon…
For cleanser (make sure you use after you have removed all traces of makeup and dirt first), you can use yogurt and oatmeal or yogurt and honey. But I haven’t tried it as a cleanser so not sure how’s the result. I suggest you use it sometimes and see how it works for you first.
Should be okay. Sorry I only saw your comments now.
hey s..I have combination skin. I brought the wrong yoghurt. I buy the origninal one instead of the fat-free one. DO you think it be still as good?
Should be okay…but use the fat-free one next time.
I have another question. Sesame..I want to ask is it ok to re-use the mask that I made? like example I made the mask yoghurt and carrots. Can I put it in the refrigeator and re-use it another day?..or it is not ok because the yoghurt will turn bad the next day?
It’s possible…keep it for 2 days is fine unless the ingredient is very unstable as in it’ll degrade fast.
because I realise yoghurt can spoil very fast like in 8 hours.
Are you sure it is ok? because isn’t it so that bacteria is bad for our skin?
I am not sure about the yogurt you use but I can keep mine for days in the fridge. However, when mixed with other stuff (like oats and honey), it’s only 2 days max. If you find yours spoil quicker, then it’s best not to keep them overnight at all. Maybe if you mix with fruits, it might spoil quicker.
I use the same brand as you..what you add to maintain it for several days?
Nothing special. I usually use with oats and mix with honey. Maybe the oats keep it “drier”?
ok,thanks ? you sure that it will be fine ,right? oats and honey allows it to keep for 2 days?
but what is the benefits of that mask?
I have combination skin..and a very tiny amount of ance
It’s supposed to help with the pores… you can read my post here for more info:
https://www.vivawoman.net/2008/10/01/diy-beauty-oat-mask-for-smaller-pores/
I bought the same yogurt, Pauls brand as suggested. The texture looks like custard eggs(thick). Is this normal? I open 2 packs. It looks the same. As yogurt smells sour, I couldn’t tell if it is spoilt or not. The expire date is 3/3/10 which is 1 more month to go. Pls advice, thanks.
It’s supposed to be very thick…yes, I think like custard eggs. It’s not the creamy sort. Once you start scooping it, you’ll find there will be liquid the day after. It’s okay.
Mask made from low fat yogurt mixed with green pea powder (the pre-mixed face wash powder from any indian shop)twice a week is very good. My skin texture was very soft and there was a nice glow to it. My beauty therapist noticed it right away when i went for my regular facial. You should try it…
Green pea powder – would that be the same as mungbean?
My favourite mix is plain yogurt and strawberry! It cures my acne scars, really. ?
Oh strawberries! I tried it once but just can’t resist eating them so find it very hard to use on the face…haha…
Please Help!
I came across to your blog only this week and I am very interested in trying your home made skin care products. Although I like the idea of using yogurt and oats together, unfortunately I can’t stand the smell of dairy products, they make me feel sick. If there is any way of disguising it I very much like to give it a go.
Hmm…the smell is something you have to get used to but if not, it’s a bit hard. Have a lot at other recipes and see if the others sound more tolerable to you.
Hi, glad to see this post. What is the procedure for doing this mask? I need to do it after cleansing my face with normal cleanser? Or do I need to apply toner 1st?
You use it after cleansing. After using this, you can use toner and moisturizer after that.
Hi,thanks for the solution but I’m very much scared to take risk with yogurt. My skin is oily and I have read that yogurt not necessarily has proven right for every skin type so I fear if I apply it in my face it may worsen my acne. I want to confirm if eating yogurt will help in anyway it is best for digestive purpose so if I eat yogurt will it help fighting those bacteria?
It might if it contains probiotics. Or you can try using a probiotic supplement.
Thanks for your posts on the use of yoghurt. I have been longing for a website like yours. I Am in my early fifties and have combination skin with discoloration on face and dryness around my face. How long should I use orange juice and yoghurt mixtur? How long will mixture last in the fridge or shoul I make mixture everyday? What should I do to under my eye region? Should I apply the mixture around it too?
I am in my fifties and have combination skin with discoloration on face and dryness under eye. Will orange juice and yoghurt mixture keep for long in the fridge or should mixture be made fresh? Should mixture be applied to under eye region?
What is the best yoghurt mixture for me to clease, tone and improve my face color? (Body skin color is brown)
Hello #k8SjZc9Dxk#k8SjZc9Dxk
Is it ok to use honey yougart and oatmeal everyday ?
I want to know have you tried to Make your own toner using greentea if you have please help me
Yes, you can use daily if your skin is not sensitive to it. But I would suggest you use every other day. For green tea toner, check out my post here: https://www.vivawoman.net/2009/03/diy-beauty-green-tea-facial-wash-toner/.