Beauty benefits with potato

There are a lot of everyday ingredients that are actually great for beauty and skin care and it might surprise people to know that the humble potato is one of them! The potato over the years has become quite a staple in some countries. While some following low carb diets may reject the benefits potatoes have, in fact as well as the beauty benefits of potato for skin care and beauty care, it also has health benefits that are worth mentioning.

A potato has a range of nutrients and minerals and vitamins such as Vitamin C, calcium, iron, Vitamin K, thiamine, Vitamin B6, riboflavin, niacin, folate, magnesium, potassium, manganese, pantothenic acid, phosphorus, and copper. Some health benefits from eating potatoes (when prepared in healthy ways) include;

• Reducing high blood pressure — Because the skin has potassium
• Good for the heart — Low in cholesterol and has potassium, fiber, and Vitamins B6 and C
• Reduces the risk of cancer — Vitamin C reduces the risk of stomach cancer
• Good for the brain — Contain an acid called alpha lipoic which helps improve memory, they also are good for regulating moods and so managing depression
• Reduces inflammation — They have anti-inflammatory benefits so good for arthritis and rheumatism
• Keeps bones strong — Due to the potassium and magnesium
• Better digestion — Good source of fiber
• Reduces cholesterol — Due to the fiber
• Treat and prevent kidney stones — Fiber rich as well as the magnesium and low in calcium
• Improve the immune system

So it is clear there are some great health benefits to eating potatoes, but how about what they can do for our skin and as a beauty aid? Here is a look at how you can use the potato for both!

Improve puffiness and dark circles under the eyes

To reduce the puffiness from your eyes or lighten up the dark circles just peel a potato (uncooked) and slice in equal pieces. Then take a clean cloth, wrap the potato pieces in it and place over the dark area, or eyes for twenty minutes or so. Rinse them gently with warm water. Repeat each day to see the results.

Reduce the appearance of wrinkles

It is one of the largest money makers in the beauty department, anti-wrinkle creams and lotions and regimes are a huge industry. However, if you want to avoid the expense you can try potato! It has antioxidants in it as well as Vitamin C which are great for the skin. Peel raw potatoes and mash or blend them without cooking. Use the paste on your face, leave for twenty minutes and then use cold water to rinse it off. Over time you will start to notice a real improvement.

Lighten the skin where you have dark blemishes or spots

Just as they are good for lightening your dark circles they can also be used on other dark blemishes you may have. Another way you can use the potato for skin care and beauty care is to peel a raw potato then grate it. Apply the grated potato on the face like a mask. Leave it on for 30 minutes then using just water rinse it off. Do regularly for lightening of the skin. You can also mix potato juice with lemon juice and apply then rinse. If you prefer not to grate you could blend into a pulp then apply the paste, rub in gently for 5 minutes then rinse off with cold water. Repeat daily.

As a cleanser and for pimples

Potato can also be used to clean your face and to reduce the number of pimples you have, and to help with oily skin. Juice a raw potato and use it with a cotton pad as a cleanser to clean your face with daily. This will not only clean, and remove excess oil, it will also help with other skin impurities. Another method is to blend a potato and a cucumber together for about half a minute, then add in some water to thin it down and a baking soda, about a teaspoon. Clean with it and then rinse.

To prevent loss of hair

If you are dealing with hair loss you can actually try a method that uses potato and honey to help prevent it. Peel a raw potato and juice it. Take aloe vera and put two tablespoons with two of the potato juice. To that add one of honey. Mix and then rub and massage the scalp and into the roots of your hair. Put on a shower cap and keep it on for two hours then wash using a shampoo that is mild. Do this twice a week and after a few weeks, you will see positive results.

To re-hydrate dry skin

If you are having problems with dry skin this handy trick with potato could be the answer. Peel a raw potato and grate it into a bowl. Ass in half a teaspoon of curd and mix until it forms a paste. Put this in your face or wherever it is dry and leave for about twenty minutes. Then with water wash it off. You will find it leaves your skin re-hydrated and soft.

As a treatment for sunburn

It is important to look after your skin when you go out in the sun. However, if you do get sunburn you do not have to go out and get after sun lotion or aloe vera. Potato is also an effective treatment. Peel the potato and cut into slices then lay them on the burned regions. Leave for a good twenty minutes and then remove. You can also juice a potato and use a cotton ball to apply the juice to the burned skin. It will ease the burn, help with skin healing and soothe the pain.

For exfoliation

If you need to exfoliate potato can help! To get rid of those dead skin cells just peel and grate potato then place on the face for ten minutes. After removing rinse with water. Repeat when needed to keep the dead skin away and leave your skin feeling rejuvenated.

For premature greying

If you are horrified by those grey hairs, feel you are too young to be having them but do not want to start dyeing your hair to hide them, you could try using a potato hair tonic! As well as treating the grey hair you have it can also help prevent more. Just peel a potato or two then place the peels in a pan that you have put water in. You want the water to just come over the peels, do not overfill. Boil them then take off the heat and strain that water into a glass. When you shampoo your hair to rinse out use the potato peel water. Do it every other hair wash and you will find your natural hair color is restored. Anytime you boil potatoes for food, keep the water they were cooked in for this process.

Summary

There is no doubt that the potato, the peel, and the juice can all have great benefits to your beauty, your skin and your hair. Dry skin, acne, wrinkles, grey hair, dark spots, hair loss, sunburn, are just a few of the beauty benefits of potato for skin care and beauty care. Instead of spending a lot of money in the lotion and cream industry why not give the easy and cheap potato a try first?

Some potato fun facts!

1. The potato was the first vegetable in space to be grown in 1995!
2. We eat on average 33 kg of potatoes per year.
3. Potatoes have been used in home remedies and cures for hundreds of years.
4. The largest grower of potatoes in the world is actually China.
5. In the last 60 years how many potatoes being consumed has multiplied by at least 8 times.
6. 3.8kg is how heavy the world’s largest potato grew to.

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