Cucumber is one of the vegetables that is water-rich, fresh, and soothing, not only for your body, but for your skin as well. Fresh cucumber contains many powerful antioxidants and nutrients that possess anti-inflammatory properties, which make it ideal for skin care. Cucumber is 95% water, and helps lighten, tone, hydrate, and brighten you skin tone considerably. Cucumber is so versatile an ingredient in skin care, that you can use it on oily skin as a toner, and as a moisturizer and hydrating agent for dry skin.
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Nutrients in cucumber
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Cucumber contains these vital nutrients that are highly beneficial for your skin:
- Biotin, which helps maintain healthy skin. A lack of biotin causes skin irritations, fungal infections, eczema, and other inflammatory skin conditions.
- Potassium, which helps in keeping your skin functioning well. A deficiency of potassium is known to cause dry, flaky, and withered skin. Potassium helps hydrate and water skin, thereby preventing peeling, flakiness, and dryness.
- Vitamin A is essential for normal cell growth and development. It has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that protect your skin from infections and other inflammatory conditions.
- Vitamin B1 is known to enhance blood circulation through skin cells. It also protects skin from eczema, scaliness, inflammation, and other skin conditions.
- Vitamin C is vital for the production of collagen, which makes the skin elastic. It also helps neutralize free radical activity, thereby curbing premature aging of skin and oxidative stress.
- Water hydrates your skin, making it soft, smooth, and supple. It also helps protect the skin from itching, dryness, cracks, peeling, and flakiness.
Cucumber face mask recipes
Now you know how beneficial cucumber is for your skin. Let’s take a look at some easy, effective, cooling, and soothing cucumber face mask recipes you can try at home.
1. Cucumber, oatmeal, and honey face mask – for acne-prone skin
Cucumber refreshes and soothes your skin by removing excess oil, dirt, and grime. Oatmeal will exfoliate your skin and get rid of dead skin cells, oil, bacteria, impurities, and pollutants. Honey will moisturize your skin, while also smoothing it out. It will naturally lighten dark spots, blemishes, and acne scars. It possesses anti-bacterial and antiseptic properties, which help combat acne-causing bacteria effectively. Honey also cleanses oily, acne-prone skin.
Face mask
- Put half a cucumber into a blender or food processor and purée it. Scoop it out into a clean bowl. Add 1 tablespoon each of ground oatmeal and honey and mix well to form a smooth paste. Use clean fingertips to gently massage this paste into your skin, using circular motions. Leave it on for 15 minutes, before rinsing it off with cold water. Use this face mask twice a week for positive results.
2. Cucumber and honey face mask – for skin rejuvenation
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Cucumber soothes, calms, and heals your skin, while the honey promotes elasticity, making your skin soft, supple, and smooth. It also helps promote new tissue growth, thereby making your skin look younger and fresh.
Face mask
- Blend half a cucumber in a food processor to make a purée of it. Scoop it out into a clean bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of honey to this and mix well. Spread this paste evenly over your face and neck, leaving out the sensitive under eye areas. Let it sit for 20 minutes, before washing it off with cool water. Repeat this face mask twice a week for best results.
3. Cucumber, egg white, and mint face mask – for skin tightening
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Egg white is an excellent ingredient which helps tighten your skin, reducing the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines significantly. Mint, on the other hand, is soothing and hydrating to your skin.
Face mask
- Blend half a cucumber and a handful of mint leaves in a food processor. Collect it into a clean bowl. In another bowl, whisk 1 egg white till it’s frothy. Mix all of the ingredients well in one bowl to form a smooth paste. Use clean fingertips to smear this paste evenly over your face and neck, keeping clear of your eyes. Leave it on for 25 minutes, before washing it off with lukewarm water. Use this face mask once a week for positive results.
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4. Cucumber and tomato face mask – for skin lightening
Cucumber is excellent for your skin, in that it heals, calms, and soothes dry, flaky skin, while also hydrating it. Tomato, on the other hand, contains powerful antioxidants that help keep your skin healthy, while also lightening any acne scars, blemishes, and dark spots.
Face mask
- In a food processor, blend together half a cucumber and 1 ripe tomato form a smooth paste. Apply this paste evenly over your face and neck. Let it sit for half an hour, before rinsing it off with cool water. Use this face mask twice a week for best results.
5. Cucumber and yogurt face mask – for dry skin
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Cucumber helps heal, soothe, and calm dry, itchy, and flaky skin, making it ideal for dry skin. Yogurt helps nourish, cleanse, and soften dry skin, while also helping lighten blemishes, acne scars, and dark spots. It contains anti-bacterial and antibiotic properties, which help fight off acne-causing germs effectively.
Face mask
- Purée half a cucumber in a food processor and scoop it out into a clean bowl. To this, add 1 tablespoon of plain, unflavored yogurt and mix well. Wash your face with warm water so as to help open up the pores. Pat your face dry with a towel and use your clean fingertips to spread this paste evenly over your face and neck, keeping clear of your eyes. Let it sit for 15 minutes, before washing it off with lukewarm water. Finish if off with a splash of cold water to help close up the pores. Pat dry with a soft towel, and apply a mild moisturizer to help seal in the moisture. Repeat this face mask once every two days to keep dry skin moisturized.
6. Cucumber, milk, honey, and sugar face mask – for exfoliation
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Milk is an excellent ingredient which nourishes and soothes your skin from deep within. Honey is a humectant, which helps lock in the moisture in your skin cells. It also helps gently exfoliate your skin, helping lighten the appearance of blemishes, acne scars, and dark spots. Brown sugar is an amazing exfoliant, which helps remove dead skin cells, excess sebum, dirt, grime, pollutants, and other impurities from your skin.
Face mask
- Blend half a cucumber into a purée in a food processor. Collect it into a clean bowl and add a quarter cup of raw milk to it, along with 1 tablespoon each of honey and brown sugar. Mix all the ingredients well to form a granular paste. Massage this paste into your skin using your fingertips in circular motions. Keep clear of your eyes and surrounding sensitive areas. Massage like this for 5 minutes, and leave it on for 15 minutes more. Then, rinse it off with cool water. Pat dry with a soft towel and apply a natural moisturizer like olive oil on your skin.
7. Cucumber and rice powder face mask – for blemishes and pigmentation
Cucumber contains natural lightening properties, which help reduce the appearance of blemishes, dark spots, and acne scars. Rice powder is an excellent exfoliating agent, which helps remove all the dead skin cells, excess sebum, grime, dirt, and other impurities from your skin.
Face mask
- Purée half a cucumber in a food processor. Scoop it out into a clean bowl. To this, add 2 tablespoons of rice powder and mix well to form a smooth paste. Use clean fingertips to apply this on your face and neck, leaving out the sensitive eye areas. Let it sit for 25 minutes, before washing it off with lukewarm water.
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8. Cucumber, aloe vera, and lemon juice face mask – to fight wrinkles and fine lines
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Cucumber refreshes and hydrates your skin, while also helping heal it. Aloe vera contains powerful antioxidants that have healing properties, which help in reducing fine lines, age spots, and other signs of premature skin aging. It also helps nourish and protect mature skin from aging. Lemon juice is a natural bleaching agent, which helps reduce the appearance of dark spots, blemishes, and dark spots. It’s also a natural astringent, which contains anti-bacterial properties, that kill germs and bacteria that cause acne and pimples.
Face mask
- Purée half a cucumber in a food process and scoop it out into a clean bowl. To this, add 1 tablespoon of fresh aloe vera pulp extracted from a leaf, and half a teaspoon of lemon juice. Mix all the ingredients well to form a smooth paste. Use your fingertips to spread this paste on your face and neck, keeping clear of your eyes. Leave it on for 15 minutes, before rinsing it off with cold water. Use this face mask once a week to see visible improvement in your skin.
These are all the easy, effective, and simple cucumber face mask recipes your skin needs and wants. For more updates on skin care tips, beauty secrets, and makeup tips, subscribe to our newsletter today!
Featured image source: Pixabay, under Creative Commons License
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