Make This Skin-Perfecting Turmeric Spot Treatment

Many people don’t realize that the secret to perfecting your at-home skin routine is to modify every homemade treatment to make it your own. If you have sensitive skin, for example, your DIY face mask should have fewer astringents than the same mask made by someone who has oily skin. This may seem obvious, but not everyone has the luxury of making their own skin care– which is why spot treatments provide an excellent opportunity for you to experiment with ingredients that might work well for you– or at least some known anti-inflammatories that may be more powerful than over-the-counter treatments. I constantly ask other people what they are using on their skin, and to test it and modify it to make it my own.

“Pretty much everyone I talk to that uses all-natural products has had a positive experience with turmeric.”

Everyone’s skin is different, so the oils that your friends love might be too “heavy” for your skin, and the face wash that I love might be too astringent for my neighbor– we are all different, but you’ll never know unless you try it out for yourself. One thing I’ve come to realize over the years, however, is that pretty much everyone I talk to that uses all-natural products has had a positive experience with turmeric.

The following recipe is a variation of something that I read in a natural wellness magazine many years ago– I added cucumber juice and an icing protocol to the simple turmeric-honey mixture to make it less astringent and more soothing to stressed-out skin.

Turmeric is a known anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial that is often used in alternative medicine to relieve a number of inflammation-related health problems. As a member of the same plant family as ginger (Zingiberaceae), Turmeric is rich in the antioxidant curcumin, which helps neutralize free-radicals and stimulate the body’s own antioxidant healing mechanisms, which help the body repair itself. Because of these potent healing qualities, turmeric powder is one of the best things to put on a blemish, especially if you’ve been picking at it (which is a bad idea, but yes, we all do it).

“Turmeric is rich in the antioxidant curcumin, which helps neutralize free-radicals and stimulate the body’s ability to repair itself. Because of these potent healing qualities, turmeric powder is one of the best things to put on a blemish, especially if you’ve been picking at it.”

You might already know this from reading our post on the healing benefits of Manuka, but honey is also an anti-microbial that can keep harmful bacteria at bay while soothing irritation. Cucumber juice, meanwhile, refreshes and calms the skin, which is really important if you’re looking to eliminate redness. The below mask can be used to treat blemishes or any other skin abrasions involving irritation or redness– I also recommend regularly icing on top of the solution in order to expedite healing.

Turmeric Spot Treatment

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp Turmeric
• 1 Tbsp Honey
• 2-3 cucumber slices, skin removed
• Ice

Other Materials

• Thin towel or other cloth to fill with ice
• Hair elastic to secure cloth
• Optional: Mortar & Pestle

Method

1. Thoroughly mix the turmeric and honey together to form a thick paste.
2. Use mortar & pestle (or a fork) to crush cucumber slices enough to release the juice.
3. Add mashed cucumber and the juice (it’s OK if there’s pulp or seeds in there) to the turmeric/honey mixture. Stir until smooth.
4. Gentle dab the mixture onto blemishes, skin irritations, and other problem spots. Allow to sit for 10-15 minutes.
5. While the spot treatment sits, fill the cloth with ice and secure the bundle with a hair tie as shown in the picture. Ice the offending area for at least 10 minutes (be aware that the turmeric will stain cloth, so it’s best to use a rag or an old, clean dish towel).
6. Wash the remaining turmeric off your face (or else your skin will look orange) and moisturize as normal. Repeat no more than once a day until blemish and any associated scarring fades.