DIY Beauty: garbanzo bean flour brightening face mask
I love to feed my face with real food and this is my latest fix—garbanzo bean flour! Make a hummus salad dressing and then make extra for a face mask or make a garbanzo bean Italian flatbread and use the excess as a face scrub—I totally love ingredients that double up and do more! Garbanzo bean flour, which is very popular in Middle Eastern and Indian cooking, goes by a few names: to some, it’s known as chickpea flour or cici bean flour and to others, it’s gram flour or besan. To me, any name is good as long as it’s beneficial for my skin and this stuff is top-rated! This flour is a great DIY beauty ingredient that can benefit our skin in so many ways! In addition, it is gluten free! ˚▽˚ /
High nutrition
I eat a fair amount of garbanzo beans and I’ve featured them in my beauty lunchbox ideas too. Loaded with protein, zinc, folate, iron, manganese and dietary fiber, they are an excellent nutritional choice of food and make a healthy source of carbohydrates for those with diabetes. I’m in the midst of testing some food recipes using this flour but meantime, I’ll like to share with you two beauty recipes that use Garbanzo bean flour as the main ingredient.
Good for acne prone
Garbanzo bean flour is great as a face mask or a scrub because of its slightly gritty texture. As a face mask, it draws out impurities and excess oil and is hence, good for acne prone skin. As an exfoliator, it helps remove dead skin and even face hair. It is also good to lighten skin tone and blemish marks. This is why it is a favorite in Ayuvedic beauty treatments.
I’ve long wanted to try this bean flour on my skin but haven’t done so till now. I got Bob’s Red Mill Garbanzo Bean Flour from iHerb but I think it might be available at selected Cold Storage outlets in Singapore. I like it even more than oatmeal flour now but I’ve to say the smell is something to get use to. I don’t seem to have a problem eating the beans but somehow the smell of the flour on my skin is a lot stronger! It actually reminded me of L-ascorbic powder, which some people described as resembling cat’s pee. (⊙.☉)
Face mask and face scrub
The easiest way to use garbanzo bean flour is to mix with water and make it as a paste to apply on the skin. I wanted to use a binder and between yogurt and honey, I picked the former. Using one tablespoon of flour and one tablespoon of yogurt, I mixed both ingredients and then applied the paste to my face after cleansing. I left the paste on my face for about 10 minutes before adding more water and using the paste as a face scrub. After the mask is rinsed off, my skin definitely felt a lot cleaner!
Even though garbanzo bean flour has a slightly gritty texture, it doesn’t feel coarse and hence, works as a gentle face scrub. Apparently, the garbanzo bean flour can also aid with the removal of fine facial hair aka peach fuzz. If you like to go DIY, you’ll find this ingredient a much cheaper alternative to commercial scrubs and exfoliator. A pack of 453 g of Bob’s Red Mill Garbanzo Bean Flour is going for just US$2.56 at iHerb. Instead of chirping, I can hear the birds singing, “CHEAP, CHEAP, CHEAP!” (â— â—¡â— )
Mix with tumeric to lighten acne scars
If you have acne scars, try adding turmeric to garbanzo bean flour to lighten the marks. Besides being an antioxidant, tumeric has been found to inhibit the enzymes that are responsible for the production of melanin in skin cells.
Having tried this recipe, I have to say this may not be suitable for those with sensitive skin. It’s like putting curry on the skin; I could feel some tingling sensation from the spice! And to think I only added a pinch of tumeric. I heard that this is a recipe Indian brides use to scrub their face and body on their special day, and the amount of tumeric powder is three or four times more! But instead of yogurt, they use almond oil in place. So that’s something you might want to give a try. And oh, this mask didn’t leave my skin stained yellow or orange in case you’re wondering.
Use with care if you have sensitive skin
I don’t like using turmeric with garbanzo bean flour. First off, like I said, the smell of garbanzo bean flour is very unique and takes some getting use it. Add yogurt and the smell is already off-putting and with turmeric, oh boy, the scent is out of this world! Okay yes, I am exaggerating to get your attention. Go ahead with turmeric and garbanzo bean flour if you’re want to reap the benefits of both ingredients but as for me and my nose, we’re happy to settle for garbanzo bean flour with yogurt.
And if your skin is sensitive, I suggest you test garbanzo bean flour on a small area. Although I can’t see how this ingredient can cause issues but I have read some people suffering from bad itches after using the flour on their skin. So better be safe than be sorry eh?
Get US$10 off your first-time purchase
Get Bob’s Red Mill Garbanzo Bean Flour from iHerb. If you’re shopping at iHerb for the very first time, you can enjoy US$10 off if your purchases are $40 and above (US$5 if below $40). Use my promo code OVO966 (affiliate). Shipping is speedy: you have a choice of using DHL, which takes three days to arrive from US to Singapore. I pay US$4 for the shipping via Singpost and it always takes about five days with no issues. Anyway, you’re given a tracking number if you ever need to locate your parcel.
Get Bob’s Red Mill Garbanzo Bean Flour from iHerb. If you’re shopping at iHerb for the very first time, you can enjoy US$10 off if your purchases are $40 and above (US$5 if below $40). Use my promo code OVO966 (affiliate). Shipping is speedy: you have a choice of using DHL, which takes three days to arrive from US to Singapore. I pay US$4 for the shipping via Singpost and it always takes about five days with no issues. Anyway, you’re given a tracking number if you ever need to locate your parcel.
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I use garbanzo bean flour in baking but never thought to use in a face mask. Great advice in this article. I think more and more of us girls are looking to get away from chemical based creams to something more natural. Thanks
It’s a great ingredient for face mask. Try it!
Oh boy! I live in an area with a high Indian population, but to be honest I’ve never seen garbanzo bean flour… Perhaps I should go to a specialty store for that. I’ve been looking for a great, nutritious face mask, particularly one that zaps the zits. ? I don’t mind the turmeric for a short while, if it gets rid of all the marks. ?
Lizette last post is: Mineral Make Up Know-How: Everything you should know about mineral make-up
I’m so glad to find the mask recipe! Gotta try it very soon. I don’t use commercial mask anymore because it’s not good for the planet.
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