You’ve been eating fibre. Lentils, oats, vegetables and seeds — the whole checklist, every day, for years. Your nutritionist said fibre is the answer to radiant skin and lustrous hair. That wasn’t wrong. It wasn’t complete.
The latest trend in skincare is using fermented foods.
Fermented food improves skin health and beauty from the inside out by balancing the gut microbiome and reducing systemic inflammation. It is a potent form of anti-ageing that can improve inflammatory skin conditions and boost the skin’s overall health. Fermented food naturally heals the gut mucosa and nurture a healthy inner ecosystem.
The probiotic-rich foods are an essential component in maintaining clear, healthy skin, as well as a clear and healthy mind.
Eating fermented food leads to a healthier gut and in turn fewer blemishes and rash outbreaks, and cells begin to repair.
Applying the juice from fermented plant-based food directly onto the skin helps nourish the outer layers, with the skin becoming more vibrant and youthful.
Idli and Dosa Batter
A classic fermented rice and lentil batter staple popular in India that offers light, easily digestible carbohydrates.
Applying idli and dosa batter as a DIY face mask or scrub is a viral zero-waste beauty hack that acts as a natural brightener, gentle physical scrub, and tightening face mask that helps with dull or wrinkled skin.
Apply leftover residue from the vessel after making breakfast, sometimes mixing in coconut oil or turmeric, massaging it onto the skin, letting it dry partially, and rinsing it off.
Yoghurt
Yogurt, fermented food is widely used in kitchens for cooking, desserts, soups, cuisines and adds flavour to a lot of dishes. It has probiotic bacteria that is good for your stomach and keeps infections and bacteria at bay. Fermented yoghurt provides natural lactic acid, probiotics, zinc and B vitamins that help gently exfoliate, moisturise, brighten, hydrate, and clear the skin.
Fermented yoghurt is a skincare powerhouse whether you apply it topically or include it in your diet. Because all yoghurt is inherently fermented.
It soothes conditions like eczema and reduces redness. It helps combat UV-induced damage, reducing erythema and scaling.
Massage yoghurt on your face for 15 minutes before rinsing it off to get rid of dead skin cells, and will smoothen out the wrinkles ,fine lines on the face. It will hydrate your dry skin, tighten skin pores and will give your face a healthy glow.
Mix ½ cup of plain yogurt, 2 tablespoons of honey and 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice. Section your damp hair, massage the mixture directly into your scalp, and work it through the lengths. Leave it on for 20 to 30 minutes before washing it out with a mild shampoo.
Mix 2 tablespoons of plain yogurt with 1 tablespoon of raw honey. Apply it to a clean face, leave it on for 15 to 20 minutes, and rinse with lukewarm water. Use this 1 to 2 times a week
Regular intake of yoghurt probiotics boosts the skin’s overall health and makes it stronger to delay fine lines and wrinkles.
Skin irritation: The level of fermentation in the batter varies, meaning the acids and bacteria can cause redness, swelling or stinging.
Infection risk: Fermented foods teem with active yeasts and bacteria that may harm compromised skin barriers or worsen acne. It helps in diminishing the appearance of wrinkles a give a graceful look.
Traditional Buttermilk
Buttermilk is traditionally made from the liquid left after churning butter, but modern commercial versions are more likely to be made by adding lactic acid bacteria to milk. Real traditional buttermilk is the cultured liquid leftover from butter-making, packed with gut-friendly lactic acid bacteria. Buttermilk is one of the best natural products and provides various benefits to the skin.
Buttermilk works as a natural beauty treatment because it is rich in lactic acid, an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) that gently exfoliates, brightens, and cleanses the skin. Because of its highly acidic and astringent nature, it treats age spots, freckles and even tightens skin.
Buttermilk can be used to cleanse impurities from the skin surface and also remove the dead skin cells and control bacterial growth. Mix buttermilk, olive oil, and a few drops of almond oil. Add a few drops of rose water to this mixture. Apply it evenly on your face and open areas with a cotton ball, and leave it for few minutes before washing it off with warm water.
Mix buttermilk and oats to form a thick paste. Apply it evenly over your face and neck, massage for a few minutes, and let it dry naturally. Wash with plain water and pat dry. It provides moisturisation and nourishment to the skin.
For exfoliation, mix 4 tablespoons of buttermilk, 1 tablespoon each of rosewater, organic honey and aloe vera gel in a jar. Blend them into a smooth, fine paste. Apply the paste to your face and neck for a few minutes and then massage it. Rinse with water after 20 minutes.
Kimchi
Kimchi is a delicious fermented Korean dish that can give you glowing skin and prevent premature ageing of the skin.
Kimchi contains various antioxidants, including vitamins A, C and K, as well as minerals such as calcium and iron, which are essential for skin health. These ingredients contribute to the synthesis of collagen in our skin and support overall skin health.
Antioxidants help protect the skin from damage caused by free radicals, environmental stressors and UV radiation. Kimchi is a salted, fermented vegetable mixture of spices and vegetables like carrots. Garlic, ginger, cabbage, radishes, leeks, cucumbers or sweet potatoes. It was invented in Korea almost 1,000 years ago as a way to preserve vegetables.
Although typically a salty and sour mixture, this traditional Korean food is now popular across East Asia and all over the world.But kimchi tends to have a spicier, tangy and garlicky flavour. The process of fermentation, by mainly lactobacillus bacteria, is thought to enhance the nutritional value of kimchi.
The fermentation process produces beneficial lactic acid bacteria that contribute to kimchi’s reputation as a health food.
Kimchi must be kept in a cool and dry place, which is why it is traditionally made in winter. Large earthen vats of kimchi are buried in the ground and sealed for the magic to happen.
Banner image by makafood: https://www.pexels.com/photo/food-in-a-bowl-8956770/
